The Art of Writing
Good writing is clear thinking made visible. That is really all there is to understanding writing. But to learn to write well, the craft must be practiced, practiced again, and then practiced some more. Note-taking, letter writing, Progymnasmata, and short essays are all fundamental writing exercises that help students develop good writing skills.
Note-taking is a skill that exercises the listening muscles and requires the student to practice categorizing, prioritizing, and connecting ideas effectively.
The art of Letter Writing has been largely lost in the age of email but it is still relevant. Because letter writing requires the student to focus on relating both intellectually and emotionally with the other through the medium of writing, they develop important skills in observation, thoughtfulness, and in recognizing ambiguity and nuance in communication. Plus, letter writing a good opportunity for the student to slow down and practice good handwriting—another art that is slowly fading in our digital age.
The Progymnasmata (προγυμνάσματα meaning “fore-exercises”) “are a series of preliminary rhetorical exercises” practiced by students during the classical and renaissance periods. As rhetoric was one of the key purposes for writing, the Progymnasmata were crucial in classical pedagogy.
Essays are an attempt at asserting one’s opinion, idea, observation, or discovery about a particular subject. Some of the kinds of essays include: Personal, Evaluative, Comparison/Contrast, Argumentative, Definition, Persuasive, Process, and Problem-Solution.
