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| Effort | 39% | 676 votes | Total: 1742 votes | |
| Insight | 61% | 1066 votes |
Effort
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Add to FavoritesInsight is an intangible gift. Effort is a more definable, and tangible transaction. It is easy to attribute the more difficult achievement, insight, to greatness in anything, especially writing. But in order to gain great insight, great effort must be made. Insight is the serendipitous event where enlightenment comes from having the prepared and open mind, and it takes a lot of examination, learning, taking in of information and practice to have such a mind.
The great writer may have begun to write later in life, after having been exposed to unusual or grand events in life and in the world, or after the disturbing and arduous process of interviewing those who have done the same. It follows then, that the writer would give the impression of having some unusual, unattainable gift of spark of brilliance, when he or she actually has a significant lifetime of incredible processes.
The great writer may be younger and blessed with a stellar education, unusual experiences in life, or unusual skills or abilities in observing and processing what is going on around him or her. The great young writer may have developed some insights before the writing began, or may develop insight as the writing is re-read, edited and developed.
Insight comes from many processes, including the intuitive process. But insight can come from learning how to develop the intuitive process into a more reliable set of cognitive skills. Also, insight can come from non intuitive processes, such as studying a situation, being closely involved enough to develop deep understandings, clearly identifiable feelings, and far more well developed perceptions than someone who has not had the experience.
A reader who did not directly witness events or complete the detailed study is grateful for the great writing which grabs the heart and mind with clarity and brilliance. But intuitive processes are far easier to use in attributing impossibility to work that anyone and everyone has the native ability and wit to accomplish, given the proper cognitive tools, experience and training.
But the bottom line is that any writer relies on writing ability, storytelling ability, and do it yourself editing abilities to put the whole work of art together and in a form that has a good organization, use of language and flow. In that process, insight happens and the work is re-worked in order to incorporate the new conceptual frameworks, epiphanies, and intellectual breakthroughs that come from the process of translating thoughts and memories into words, music, or any form or symbolic expression.
Doing the art changes the artist, and the changed artist improves the art.
Learn more about this author, Elizabeth M. Young.
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Insight
Good writing requires effort. The process of producing great writing may differ dramatically from one writer to the next. One will write in spurts and grind to a halt. Another will just carry on until the work is completed. Some may battle from sentence to sentence. The process of writing itself - particularly great writing - is a creative process. The creative process does not require effort. The creative process needs insight and inspiration.
The creative process is governed by the right hemisphere of the brain. When the right brain activity comes to the fore, the creative process becomes more or less automatic. Picasso often said that he allowed his hand to do the painting. The less thought he applied, the better the work. The right brain must be freed to produce the work.
My best work (no, I'm not suggesting that I am a great writer!) happens as a flow. When in a creative frame of mind, the effort is minimal. My best work has all been produced in this way. Once I have sufficient knowledge about the topic the effort becomes minimal. There is a difference between different types of writing - creative, academic, or writing for articles that are aimed at providing knowledge or a skill. It is when the left brain thought processes interfere that my writing suffers.
The effort required in writing lies in the development of writing skills. Learning and developing skills is a life-long process. Acquiring new knowledge, gaining insights into new topics, people and the world continues for life. This knowledge becomes internalised. Using the knowledge to write becomes a matter of intuition. Insights emerge as the creative process unfolds.
I know very little about the process followed by the great writers of the world. I can only guess at the creative process followed by writers such as Chekov, Jack London, Shakespeare or James Joyce. Reading War and Peace with its hundreds of characters and complicated story line leaves me with the distinct impression that Chekov just wrote from beginning to end. His internal knowledge of people, places and society - his vast insight - were enough to drive the entire process. Perhaps he mapped out the book before starting. Perhaps he planned the book's structure and outlined the story-line. Whatever the case, I imagine the words flowing directly from his mind to paper.
Artistic work relies on creativity. Creativity is governed by the right brain. When you start thinking too much the left brain takes over. The left brain is the logical side of the brain. We need it to function in the day to day world. When it comes to creativity the left brain has no idea. Writer's block is often a result left brain interference. The writer knows what he wants to write, but the words just don't come out right.
One way of stimulating creative right-brain activity is to listen to music while writing. It works every time. Even business reports require an element of creativity. There may be a need for a major effort in terms of gathering information, weighing up the arguments and making appropriate recommendations. Similarly, fictional works may require much detailed research. Research requires effort. Research, investigation, information gathering all require skills that reside primarily in the left brain.
The information must be processed and turned into something that the reader will want to read. No matter how much left brain activity is required to gather the information needed to facilitate the writing process, the act of writing - or more particularly the act of great writing - is a right brain process. The major problem faced lies in making the transition. Once the left brain has been active it does not easily let go. It can bring together the information required for a technical report, but the words just don't sound right. The document becomes difficult to read. Being able to switch from left brain to right brain is something that a writer must do to produce good work.
Reading about the writing process recently, one writer described the process as follows. He writes the complete story in one process without a break. He then re-reads the piece, adds to it and perhaps changes certain parts. Correct any factual errors of changes in the story-line. The second re-reading looks at the more technical writing aspects - grammatical errors, spelling, detail. A process that is similar, if not identical, to mine.
Great writing has to rely on insight. Effort may be required in collecting information. But when it comes to the actual writing, too much effort can only hamper the process.
Learn more about this author, Barry Marcus.
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