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Writing is Understanding

  • Article

As my regular blog readers may know, I am writing again.  I am working on a big project - "Building Business Intelligence Solutions with SQL Server 2008" (for MSPress to be published later this year).  When I am writing, I need a few things:

1) Quiet time - to organize my thoughts
2) Physical Exercise - to balance the mental gymnastics that accompany writing
3) Inspiration - to keep me motivated for the long-running task

I often find the third one by experiencing the work of other creative people - musicians, visual artists, and especially, other writers.  Occasionally I'll come across something that resonates particularly strongly - almost like finding a kindred spirit.  I recently experienced this pleasure when reading page 208 of Symmetry by mathematician Marcus du Sautoy.

Writing is Understanding

Browse Inside Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature by Marcus du Sautoy

Comments

  • Anonymous
    April 16, 2008
    So true! Sometimes when you understand a topic so completely and it's second nature to you, the hardest part is conveying it to others. Especially in writing. I'm looking forward to your next excellent book! :)

  • Anonymous
    April 16, 2008
    I agree with your comment.  What's challenging when discussing the familiar is keeping yourself interested first and keeping your discussion at a level that is appropriate to your readers. As trainers we call this 'hitting the middle'.  Finding that middle can be quite tricky.  It's a topic that I give a good deal of thought to.

  • Anonymous
    April 16, 2008
    fourth stage doing it on webcast live

  • Anonymous
    April 16, 2008
    I've been told that I am a better talker than writer several times, so for me, writing takes more effort than webcasting. I usually do webcasts with others.  This format is natural for me and seems to play well with my audiences (at least based on what they tell me). So, webcasting is a language and writing is another, kind of like music and art -- both have their place, both require different preparation.

  • Anonymous
    April 23, 2008
    I think stages of understanding blur together.  In med school, I sometimes didn't 'get it' until explaining it to a study buddy. I don't think being able to explain something in writing is a stage of understanding.  It's more like a stage of understanding your audience. That understanding is what makes Lynn a great speaker and writer.

  • Anonymous
    April 23, 2008
    Thanks for the kind words Larry.  Translating the content for my particular audience is something that I focus on. It doesn't matter what is said, rather only what is understood.

  • Anonymous
    April 23, 2008
    I couldn't have understood that any better ;)