Writing is an art, and an art is an intuitive and creative endeavour.
While there are many methods and approaches to writing, there is no tried and true algorithm—a silver bullet—to producing a piece of writing.
As a creative endeavour, writing has an infinite number of possibilities for how that writing can be constructed.
Writing is about how we bring together words and ideas to provoke the ideas in another’s mind. How we go about that process through writing is the art of writing.
There are, however, some general ‘algorithms’ that can be used to make writing easier and more efficient, especially for those newer to writing. An algorithm for writing can be helpful for those unfamiliar with writing, but ultimately those who master writing can then deviate from that structure.
In WILCOX WRITING’s Writing Center, we have several writing learning documents for how to approach writing academic essays. The Wilcox Writing method is outlined by a number of steps you can do to get your ideas into an academic essay form. It resembles an algorithm, or an easy recipe to pumping out essays.
Nonetheless, I always highlight that writing is still an art.
Generative AI systems can pump out information using the expectations and standard form of a writing genre, but would we call that an art?
Any genre of writing has expectations of form and content. Academia can be very stringent on adhering to that form, especially for students in the learning process. Periodicals and journals have strict expectations of style, format, and content. There are expectations of what a piece of writing should look like and what content should go where.
During my time studying professional writing, I was introduced to the genre standards of different writing genres. Biographies, feature articles, resumes, cover letters, technical documents, and emails all have expected standards. They have traditional elements that are relegated to specific places in those writings, where an experienced writer can pump out writings like a machine once they understand that general form. Even poetry, the most artistic of all the writing types, has expected standards. Take the haiku or limerick, for instance. They are not haikus or limericks without their expected structure.
Yet, writing can still mystify and wow. With any piece of art, a deviation from the norm can be a statement in itself and lead to some reactions (hopefully good reactions). If you study writing academically, you will be told how to format a particular genre of writing. However, in my program, I was also told to “forget about academic writing.” This was one of the bigger insights I learned when writing for genres that aren’t academic in nature.
We might sometimes learn in high school or college the structure and features of essays. We can often import that into our non-academic writing. This can make writing seem technical, dry, and mundane. We prize form over content, or a ‘science’ of writing over the art of writing.
Again, we must remember that writing is an art. It’s an artistic expression through the ordering of words. We might think of writing like a dance, as a sequence of moves. How boring would dancing be if all dancing were merely the same sequence of moves?
Limericks and haikus, despite having the same structure, differ by the included words. Sometimes, poetry even has an artistic display, by incorporating those lines in different structural arrangements. The haiku, with its 5-7-5 syllable structure, has been written most likely over a million times. For instance, the haiku below is not just words, but is incorporated into a comic.
Many great writers have challenged conventions to make a point by writing unconventional words or structuring them unconventionally. For instance, the German 20th Century philosopher Martin Heidegger created his own words to highlight abstract concepts we didn’t yet have the language for. He wrote some words like en-framing or Be-ing with a hyphen to emphasize the distinct nature of the word. The modern French philosopher Jacques Derrida purposefully misspelled words. Derrida used the word Différance to show that a misspelling can have many implications (Jacques Derrida, “Différance,” 1968). Seriously, go read his work, it’s a thought-provoking one. You can find it in the book Margins of Philosophy translated by Alan Bass, 1982.
You too can take on the art of writing.
Go out there and explore. Try new things. Challenge writing norms.
Purposefully miss-spell a word.
Bold when you like.
And, start a sentence with “and.”
Make your writing stAnd OUt.
Let us not all dance the same dance. Dance to the melody of your own thoughts.
Just keep in mind the expectations of your writing’s audience.
WILCOX WRITING offers copywriting, editing, and personalized writing tutoring services. Feel free to contact us on our website for any of our services and inquire about how we might help you. We’re here to help you bring your best word forward! Subscribing to our newsletter also gives you access to our Writing Center, full of free writing learning documents and resources.
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