All would-be writers are told to read a lot in genre and out of it so one major benefit of writing is getting to do a lot of reading and being able to claim you need to do it as part of your professional development! As a result of reading more, discovering new authors’ work to enjoy and as a result finding your own stories are inspired by a wide range of genres and styles, which will bring your work to (a) life and (b) keep it going for the long term. You work your reading and writing muscles here.
Creating stories is fun in itself. It’s also a positive thing to do. Stories are practically as old as humanity itself and though the form in which they’re told changes, the need for stories will always be with us. Stories are also great for getting messages across without preaching. And a good story entertains, makes you think and sticks in the memory. I want some of my stories to stick in people’s memories - for good reasons!
Getting the first draft down as then I’ve got something to work with. Getting the first edit done as I start sensing the story “tighten” up. Getting the final version out knowing I’ve written and edited it to the best of my ability. What is nice is when the final version is a dramatic improvement on the first draft, as it should be. It’s also encouraging to keep coming up with ideas to write about. Whilst there are humans, there are always human conditions and whims and ways to write about.