To write a great essay, think and care deeply (2015)
theatlantic.com
theatlantic.com
Link to snippets of his talk if you're short on time: https://twitter.com/LBacaj/status/1668446029610352641
If you've got more time, you should watch the whole thing, it's a masterclass in understanding what writing actually is, and what it does for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtIzMaLkCaM
He mentions being forced to write an outline before the essay, and doing it the other way around. I've heard this so many times that it makes me wonder, why is that even a thing? Like, where did that practice come from, and why are we still using it in schools?
Are there really people who prefer to do it that way? Is it even possible to do it that way? It sounds like, first you come up with the software architecture, and then you write the software, and of course the architecture is perfect the first time! Whereas, in reality, any time you build something nontrivial, the process of building it inevitably reveals flaws in your initial best guess about how to build it... just as nontrivial writing will reveal gaps in your knowledge, or flaws in your logic.
In my professional life, I’ve found that I do start with outlines, but only for specific forms of writing. I spent a bunch of time writing instructional/tutorial content. Stuff like “How to achieve <outcome> using <feature(s)> in <product>”.
I was starting from a position of having expert product knowledge and having to boil that down into a useful post for people who were either beginners, or had knowledge of the product, just not how to achieve <outcome>.
Starting with outlines helped me think about what things this audience would find most useful before diving into the writing process. But that was just a starting point, and the outline would evolve quickly as I got into the actual writing process.
Outside of this, I’ve never found outline-before-writing useful, and see this as an iterative or post-writing exercise if I want to see a high level overview/arc of the content.
Conversationally, however, I'm the opposite - I often need to be very comfortable with someone to achieve anything even approximating that level of flow, and if I'm with people I've just met, then I overanalyse and second guess my words to the point where it can sometimes just gum up the works entirely and I mostly sit out of the conversation. And leading the conversation, thinking of something to say, new topics to talk about - at best I can hope to keep that up for half an hour, after a few drinks, if it's a situation like a date where failure is not an option (well, not a good option).
I envy people who have a high level of conversational fluency, wit, and charm. It's as if it just comes so naturally to them that it doesn't take any real effort.
Je ne pense qu’aimant.
Which means roughly: I only think by loving.
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/writing-third-order-2006...
I also think that making a convincing story is more about retorica then logic.
It's much easier to write better essays when you care a lot about something, really want to make it convincing and spend effort polishing your technique based on actual reader feedback. Even the "form" taught at school doesn't really matter because different audiences and topics require different arguments and require you to focus on different details, so the best kinds of essays often look nothing like say full score GRE writing test essays.
Of course there is no one true best form for essays of all kinds, so in some cases a less common structure should be used. Even then, at least a familiarity with some of the most common high-level structures of introduction, extrapolation, and conclusion can provide a starting point for adapting that basic style to the circumstances at hand. In the same way a pianist studies scales early in their learning not because scales are beautiful music, but because it provides a baseline of skills that can help them to make beautiful music upon.
A finer point: the five-paragraph essay that was popular -- no, required -- in my 90s-era American high school is a great format for creating forgettable text. It's a succinct recipe for making an outline slower to read. Thankfully, we have ChatGPT for that now. But still, real writing can aspire to something more visceral, or raw, real, or just damned interesting.
(For the record, I had excellent English teachers... but the tyranny of the prescribed essay spares no one. No slights, Mr(s). Neely, Vosovic, Dewar, and Green!)