Sentenceworks Blog

If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts… - Goethe

When I sit down to write, I rarely pause in my writing; everything spews out as if it’s coming from a faucet. This always amazes my students. They think I have some sort of magical power.

I see no need to burst their bubble.

In a classroom setting, I’ve seen/heard/thought it all before. If I’m asked to write about Romeo and Juliet again, it’s not a problem because I’ve considered just about every aspect of the play there is to consider; I’ll come up with something to write about in a matter of seconds.

When I’m tackling something new/different/important, it’s another matter. I still write quickly when I get to the writing, but it takes me a long time to actually get to the writing stage. I learned early on that an assignment which is due in one month requires three weeks of reading and thinking, and less than one week of writing.

So, here is my Formal Writing Tip du Jour: have a cup of tea. Or coffee. Or some horrible, sugary, caffeinated bubbly thing, if you must. Don’t turn on the music or the TV. Just sit and drink.

This is best done after you’ve done your reading and research (although there are benefits to doing this part-way through, too). Put your feet up, pat the cat, and mull everything over for a while. Sift through all the relevant thoughts in your brain, and see what happens. You might want to jot down notes when you have a Eureka! moment. Eventually, these notes will work like a mind-map.

If the writing project is large, it might be a good idea to do your mulling in several stages: perhaps three or four sessions of 30 minutes each. Have a big piece of paper available, in case you have a lot of Eureka! moments.

Critical thinking is a major part of your education; communicating your thoughts is important but, naturally, the thinking must come first. Thinking is one of those things that just cannot be rushed. When scheduling your academic calendar, remember to leave large quantities of time for the thoughts to become clear. Once you have clear (and brilliant) thoughts, more than half the writing battle is won.

P.S. There are some people who are convinced that thinking should not be a sedate activity, and they bike long distances or run until they’re all exhausted and out of breath. If you prefer sweating to having a cup of tea, well, whatever kicks your brain into gear….