Why Writing Matters By Kristina Brooks es from art, not chance, True ease in writing com o have learn’d to dance. As those move easiest wh Critic Alexander Pope, Essay on
ism (1688-1744)
Good writing—no, truly great writing—
can tantalize our senses, tease our intellect, surprise our conception of ourselves, and ultimately delight us. We all practiced the fundamentals in school, but it’s a long way from “subject + predicate” to the artistry of Jane Austen or Toni Morrison. How do good writers become great? And is writing still a significant skill in an era of tweets? “Writing is a powerful source of discovery and knowledge in its own right,” says Julie Liss, professor of history, who has been teaching and reading student writing at Scripps College for 22 years. “I always tell students, especially when working on a longer project like the senior thesis, that if they knew everything they were going to say before they even started, something would be wrong. Writing and thinking are deeply connected, which is probably why it is both so difficult and so rewarding.” Indeed, the acts of rewriting and editing are attempts to clarify and refine our thoughts, to arrange our words so that the distance between the writer and reader is bridged. Creating meaning—whether through music, movement, paint, or words—is a powerful process. No wonder students struggle to craft a thesis statement, to hit the required page count, and to escape the instructor’s red pen.
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