Most writting, essay, notetaking guides promote an idealized version of how writing works. They claim the process has 4 mains steps:
- Come up with idea
- Research
- Plan
- Write
They also admit, that in real life, however, this clean process is rarely the case. So what is the point of teaching it or trying to apply it?
In realty the process is circular. We think something, we research, we change our understanding, we change our idea, we do more research, we write, we get new ideas, and onwards.
The process is messy and impossible to fit into a rigid structure. That’s why we need a fluid system for it as well.
Quote
“if you go with the recommendations of the Writing Center of the University of Wisconsin, the rough order is always the same: Make a decision on what to write about, plan your research, do your research, write. Interestingly enough, these road maps usually come with the concession that this is only an idealised plan and that in reality, it rarely works like that. This is certainly true. Writing can’t be that linear. The obvious question is: If that is true, why not root the course of action in reality instead?”
Connections
Turning Book Notes into Permanent Notes
Reference
Book: How to Take Smart Notes Author: Sönke Ahrens Location: 746