The Inner Game of Writing

Analytical work requires a peculiar sort of writing: First, its audience is busy, unlikely to reread something to see if it makes sense. And the audience is rather well defined in its concerns, whether they be decision makers or scholars. Second, deadlines are set by other bureaucratic and political agendas, and a document that is good enough and on time is valuable. Late is worthless. Hence there is finite time to do the work. There may be no extensions, and surely no incompletes. Third, the reader demands, as well, that conclusions be explicit, that recommendations be up front. The writing must be transparent. And no matter how long the report, it must be scannable-structured, blocked out, with informative headings and epitomizing lead sentences. This is written work that, like a Bauhaus tool or instrument, has form and function nicely congruent. Much writing advice, while helpful, does not address the immediate needs of on-the-line analysts. And the busy, demanding, overloaded reader is rarely the concern of grammar and style manuals, or of books on free expressive writing as a means of loosening up. Surely the best book is Howard Becker's Writing for Social Scientists.' I would also recommend D. McCloskey's work on the rhetoric of economics.2 Still, none of these provide me with a suitable cure for my paralyzed students and equally paralyzed bureaucrat friends. In my teaching I discovered that a sequence of many small steps and stages (preliminary idea, roughest outline, draft sections of chapters . . .) removes some of the fear and anxiety. Insisting on high quality and proper format (including spelling) gives students well-defined goals, and the self-respect engendered by discipline. Treating their writing difficulties as solvable problems (versus deep ones), problems subject to corrections rather than punishment-Do this next! Try this!-seems to work. I become a coach

Chaos, Complexity, and Education · Economic Theory and Institutions · Psychology

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