What I Learned at the War College: Writing to... what?

In this third installment of the “What I learned at the War College” series, I’ll be sharing an adaptation of a framework taught at the U.S. ArmyWar College’s Basic Strategic Art Program. As always, many thanks to Dr. JP Clark.

Writing to Learn

Writing to Think

Writing to Communicate

We often describe the writing process in two steps: drafting (with research as a subset), and editing. The “writing to…” model below focuses on the author’s purpose and goals at each step in the process. This helps them write more efficiently by leveraging research, drafting, and editing skills at their most opportune time in the process.

Writing to Learn

Purpose: Getting started, making notes, organizing your knowledge base, and filling in gaps.

Process:

• Prepare: Understand the requirement/purpose of your piece, plan out your process, and think through your thesis (or story arc).

• Research: Identify your knowledge gaps and approach them with discipline. Don’t just Google your subject or pick out the first books you find. Identify foundational knowledge on the subject, specific knowledge gaps critical to your argument, and the experts in the field who are markers of credibility.

• Draft: Don’t get bogged down by details. Don’t worry about refining language; focus on putting the pieces of your argument in the order in which you plan to present them. Check out this post for more tips!

Writing to Think

Purpose: Adjusting your argument based on what you have learned. Iterating on the purpose and execution of your argument. Writing to think is an acknowledgement that you have learned since you began (which you have if you’ve done honest research), and allowing your writing to guide your thought process instead of forcing it into your outline.

Process:

• Draft: While continuing the drafting process, identify and fill logical gaps in your initial outline. Follow tangents (with discipline) to their logical conclusions. Avoid setting aside counterarguments; approach them head-on.

• Research: Poke holes in your argument and go back to research. When you find a solution or answer that fills the gap in your logic, add it to your piece.

• Editing (Developmental): When you explore counterarguments and discover they are legitimate enough to destabilize your argument overall, you are still early enough in the process to make developmental changes to your format, argument, or hypothesis.

Writing to Communicate

Purpose: Take all of the work you have done and distill it into a clear, communicable, and polished piece. This can be the most challenging part, especially when you have to cut ideas you spent hours developing. Check out this post on end-stage cutting for some helpful guidance!

Process:

• Research (Refinement): By this time, research should be limited to adding strength to your weaker arguments. If you find major holes or structural issues, go back to the previous phases.

• Editing (Line): Different from developmental editing. Here is where you’ll delve into the details for correctness and precision.

• Finalizing (Tone, Pace, Word Choice): Carefully consider your audience for this final step. Your grammar, spelling, and punctuation may be flawless, but ineffective! Think through your word choices, pacing, and tone.

And just for fun, let’s tag on a visual at the end to drive these concepts home. Why? Because I’m a staff officer and I can’t help myself!

How to divide your efforts at different stages in the writing process. Don't forget, this is iterative! When something isn't adding up, just go back to the previous steps.