Writing to understand

As academics, we often approach writing as the final step in our research process – something we do after we’ve figured everything out. We dive deep into literature reviews, collect data, and analyse everything thoroughly before feeling “ready” to write. This approach assumes that writing is simply about transferring fully-formed ideas from our minds to the page. But writing to understand offers a different approach to academic work.

I’ve come to realise that I usually don’t know what I think until I write it out. I typically don’t have a clear idea of what I want to say until I start putting words onto the page. It’s like I have the vague outline of an idea, and writing is the process by which I give it shape. After years of doing this, I’ve learned that my clearest insights emerge through the act of writing itself, not from endless preparation.

Most productive writers share the feeling that the first draft (and most of those that follow) is an opportunity to discover what they have to say and how they can best say it.

Donald Murray (1973). The maker’s eye: Revising your own manuscripts.

Writing to understand

When we write, we’re not just recording what we already know – we’re actively engaging in the process of knowing. The act of putting words on the page forces us to make connections, identify gaps, and clarify our thinking in ways that reading alone never can.

Writing is the process by which you realize that you do not understand what you are talking about. Importantly, writing is also the process by which you figure it out.

Farnam Street. Why write

Instead of waiting until you know enough to write, what could you discover by writing about what you don’t yet fully understand? Let your writing be a space for discovery, not just delivery. You might find that the clarity you’ve been searching for emerges not from reading more papers, but from engaging with your own thoughts on the page.


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