Writing. It Is one of the Most Fundamental Ways of Communication

Writing. It is one of the most fundamental ways of communication. Concise, precise, and logical. The words must flow together for maximum efficiency to impact the reader. As an engineer, I have now learned to apply this systems thinking methodology to the art of writing. And in deed, there is a method to writing. Drafting, outlining, revising. I have learned that the process is just as important as the final product. Efficiency is also key to have the most impact on the reader. Fewer words can be much more powerful than long-winded sentences; getting to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible is much more effective than prefacing your point-of-view with another essay!

On the first day of class, Professor claimed that our writing style would change over the course of the semester, from superfluous writing to succinct essays. As a writer, I am quite juvenile, being more comfortable with numbers than letters. When I received feedback on my first essay, I went through the comments. I learned that my thoughts were scattered, sentences were awkward, and my “writing voice” was missing. I was taken aback at theses comments as no other teacher had every really honed in on the deficiencies of my essays so clearly.

These changes, I learned quickly, are very difficult to perfect. I am still trying to create a logical flow to my sentence structure while at the same time infusing my personality into what I am trying to say. The first thing that I immediately implemented was the writing process. Previously, writing had always been a chore, where words were flung onto a page, never to be thought of again. Now, I have taken the time to appreciate the methodical approach of drafting first, outlining second, and revising third.

In a machine, extra parts always hinder the performance and designers make sure that only the essentials are included. Similarly, the detailed outline helped me realize the extent of my verbiage. When we had to write what