Limits of Writing (Spring 2012)

Nelson 1974, DM 36 on writing

"Writing is not simple. As with vision or speech or riding a bicycle, an immensely complex process is being unconsciously pursued. Some people think you make an outline and follow it, filling out the details of the outline until the piece is finished. This is absurd. (True, some people can do this, but that is simply a shortcutting of the real process.) Basically writing is THE TRY-AND-TRY-AGAIN INTERPLAY OF PARTS AND DETAILS against OVERALL AND UNIFYING IDEAS WHICH KEEP CHANGING." (DM 36-7)