91 Wrapping Up

Writing Through Your Lifetime

As we conclude this chapter, remember that writing is a recursive process. It’s a set of steps or stages that you can work through, repeat, and adjust as you go, in other words. Also, Goldberg urges us to “trust the process.” That is, try the steps outlined in each section of this chapter. At first, you may find it helpful to try the steps in order, from understanding the assignment to revising, but later when you’re more comfortable with these steps, repeat some or all of the steps as needed or skip around. As we said at the beginning of this chapter, discover what works for you.

And give the process time to work by giving yourself time to do the work. You are not going to produce your best work by waiting until the last minute to write a 1,000-word essay or produce a 5-minute video. Even reporters, who are trained to write fast and efficiently, build time into their routines. They recognize that, even when they find “the flow,” writing takes real time. The more challenging the project, the more time the writing process will take. The more you have going on in life, school, or work, the more time you may need.