ABSTRACT

This chapter attempts to answer the question How do we write? by looking beyond writing as a problem-solving process to consider the writer as a creative thinker and a designer of text. The aim is to take a step toward a general account of the processes of writing, and to resolve some of the seeming contradictions in studies of writers, such as:

Writing is a demanding cognitive activity, yet some people appear to write without great effort.

Most writing involves deliberate planning, but also makes use of chance discovery.

Writing is analytic, requiring evaluation and problem solving, yet it is also a synthetic, productive process.

A writer needs to accept the constraint of goals, plans, and schemas, but creative writing requires the breaking of constraint.

Writing is primarily a cognitive activity, but it cannot be performed without physical tools and resources.