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3.1: Writing is Thinking On Paper

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    Writing is the Tangible Result of Thinking\(^{60}\)

    Please note: The writing process is something that no two people will do the same way. There is no "right way" or "wrong way" to write. It can be a very messy and fluid process, and the following is only a representation of commonly used steps. Just in case you weren’t aware of this already:

    Screen Shot 2022-01-14 at 5.32.01 PM.png

    This figure was created by Sybil Priebe using Piktochart.com.

    Now, some say learning how to think—how to develop your own ideas and concepts—is the purpose of a college education. Even though the end result of writing is typically a product of some sort, writing itself is a process through which you ask questions; create, develop, hone, and organize ideas; argue a point; search for evidence to support your ideas…and so on. The point here is that writing really involves creative and critical thinking processes. Like any creative process, it often starts in a jumble as you develop, sort, and sift through ideas. But it doesn’t need to stay in disarray. Your writing will gain direction as you start examining those ideas. It just doesn’t happen all at once. Writing is a process that happens over time.

    \(^{60}\)From the Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL), 2019. This site is licensed under a CC-BY license. https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/writing-process-overview/

    This page titled 3.1: Writing is Thinking On Paper is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Sybil Priebe (Independent Published) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.