The UVic Writer's Guide
Writing As A Process
In Greek legend, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, was born fully
armed from the head of Zeus. Unfortunately, this is the only recorded
instance of instant wisdom. Especially in the medium of the written
word, the communication of complex ideas is a process--a process
that requires thinking and rethinking, working and reworking.
The student who claims to have dashed off an 'A' essay at one
in the morning the night before it was due is either a liar or
a genius.
Writing is a complex process; it is a learned craft which requires
a lot of practice, and no formula can guarantee a good essay.
What we suggest in the following section is a workable linear
model for preparing and writing an essay--it could be summed up
in a chart, thus:
But the actual process you will probably go through will be far
more complicated, more like this:
The important thing is to keep the simple model in mind. As you
become more proficient, you will become more confident in developing
your own study practices and writing techniques.
Topics About Essays
Back To The of Contents
Start Over
Index
Copyright, The Department of English, University of Victoria,
1995
This page updated Wednesday, April 5, 1995