WRITING TO LEARN Book

If you’ve read On Writing Well, you should read this book too. If you haven’t, you should read them both. Writing to Learn does a great job of summarizing the idea of “Writing Across the Curriculum.” It gives examples, justifications, and inspiration. I would sum up the book like this:
1. Writing helps us think.
2. Clear writing is clear thinking.
3. You can (and should to truly learn) about any subject.
4. Everyone (not just “writers”) writes.
5. We learn by imitation.
6. Every subject is accessible through clear writing.
7. Every field, subject, domain... has a literature.
8. There are two kinds of writing: explanatory and exploratory.
9. We can learn from anywhere, anyone.
10. We should look at the best examples in any field to learn.

Zinsser gives examples from the worlds of science, math, art, music, physics, chemistry, psychology. As a teacher, this book inspires me to find good examples from the worlds of technology, comedy, video games, cooking, sports, movies, and other fields that my students are really into.

Quote:
“Therefore, for the purposes of this book, I’ll generalize outrageously that there are two kinds of writing. One is explanatory writing: writing that transmits existing information or ideas. The other is exploratory writing: writing that enables us to discover what we want to say. Call it Type B. They are equally valid and useful.” (Loc 832 via Kindle)

Often exploratory writing is neglected in schools because it seems to “not have a point” or “not be graded” in the same way as final writing assignments might be. The irony, of course, is that the final writing assignment won’t be any good if the writer hasn’t explored the topic beforehand. This book helps explain how to to do that.

Other quotes too good not to share:

“...writing is a form of thinking, whatever the subject.” (Loc 36)

“But every discipline has a literature - a body of good writing that students and teachers can use as a model; writing is learned mainly by imitation.” (Loc 36)

“Clear writing is the logical arrangement of thought; a scientist who thinks clearly can write as well as the best writer.” (Loc 46)

“I thought of how often the act of writing even the simplest document - a letter, for instance - had clarified my half-formed ideas. Writing and thinking and learning were the same process.” (Loc 55)

“Learning, he seemed to be saying, takes a multitude of forms; expect to find them in places where you least expect them to be.” (Loc 180)

“Contrary to general belief, writing isn’t something that only “writers” do; writing is a basic skill for getting through life.” (Loc 188)

“Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly should be able to write clearly - about any subject at all.” (Loc 188)

“Students should be learning a strong and unpretentious prose that will carry their thoughts about the world they live in.” (Loc 228)

“...there’s no subject that can’t be made accessible in good English with careful writing and editing.” (Loc 429)

“...a piece of writing is a piece of thinking.” (Loc 761)

“If clear writing is one of the foundations of a democratic society, don’t count on getting it from men and women with a college degree.” (Loc 1033)

“Writers and learners will write better and learn more if they understand the “why” of what they are studying.” (Loc 1267)

“Nonfiction writing should always have a point: It should leave the reader with a set of facts, or an idea, or a point of view, that he didn’t have before he started reading.” (Loc 1959)

“Writer’s who think they are being criticized when only their writing is being criticized are beyond a teacher’s reach.” (Loc 3035)

“If writing is learned by imitation, I want every learner to imitate the best.” (Loc 3156)

“Moral: think flexibly about the field you’re writing about. Its frontiers may no longer be where they were the last time you looked.” (Loc 3243)