Writing is thinking

Tags: Writing

Rather than the result of thinking, writing is thinking. Translating the ideas of others into one's own words forces deep consideration of what is being said, and thinking through any contradictions, gaps in logic, or elisions in the text. To express an idea in writing, we must unpack our own thoughts, organize them, and put them into new words.

Writing further provides a productive feedback loop: to be able write something clearly in our own words, we must be able to understand it.

  • See Vague language signals imprecise thinkingVague language signals imprecise thinking
    Tags: [[Writing]]

    The language we use sometimes says more than we think. If we're not comfortable as writers or communicators with our own ideas, we'll use loose, general language to try to cover ...
    - As our thinking becomes more refined we are able to use more precise language to articulate our ideas

References


Zinsser 2013