Similarities of Writing Process to Design

A story and the process of writing can be likened to the process of design in many ways. The creation of a story and a design spring forth from a visualization of the human mind. The work is a personal creation or extension of oneself. The work starts with a thought, an idea that develops into a concept or story line that includes scenes, characters, dialogue, and perhaps movement and a journey. Artists in the realm of writing or design strive to convey an essence of an original thought that is built upon a structure that evolves and takes the viewer or reader on a journey of experience.

The building of a structure that expresses the idea of a story or design can be compared to the basic elements of architectural design as described by Sir Henry Wotten: commodity, firmness and delight. In William Zinsser’s article, “First, Use Plain English”, Yale professor writes on this subject in his teaching of nonfiction to his students. His objective in starting the course was to train students to “make complex subjects clear and enjoyable and useful to ordinary readers.” To create a piece of work that embodies commodity, firmness and delight, an artist develops his/her ideas in a process starting with beginning drafts or iterations followed with revisions, reworking, modifications, simplifying based on personal questioning and feedback, until the essence of the work is most clearly communicated and understood. Zinsser compares the writing process of revisions to, “pruning of the weeds that were smothering what they [his students] wanted to say.” The teaching of writing as Zinsser describes and the design process are a hands on task that requires discipline and skill.

Once the essence is reached, the work has the greatest chance to be stimulating to its audience and thus delighting them. In its truest form the essence of the work reveals the values and meanings of the artist as a reflection of the culture.

To reach a level of craft that most affects an audience the artist needs to work diligently to reach the highest level of craft and refinement of his/her skill of materials and words. Craftsmanship often involves the understanding and time to develop the finer details of the work. The details help to convey quality, character and differentiates an artist’s work from another. It comes his/her style and helps communicate the essence of the work.

Both a story and a design are created in attempts to engage an audience. The purpose of the endeavor is to touch an audience, enhance the quality of their lives and experiences. The aim is to evoke the unexpected, heighten the curiosity and questioning, touch the imagination and wonderment, educate, motivate, enlighten, inspire and beautify. The ultimate goal is to connect humanity. To most have an impact on the audience the artist must research similar work previously done or precedents to know what could be unexpected, refreshing and delightful.



Citations:
Roth, Leland (2007). Understanding Architecture. Westview Press.
Zinsser, William (2009). On Writing Well.