Recently, I got an email newsletter from Jonathan Stark titled, "Why Editing = Thinking" which got me thinking about writing, editing, and crystallizing your thoughts.
Writing is always unstructured in the beginning: you just plop words onto paper. Yes, there are systems and ways of structuring words, writing outlines, etc., but at the end of the day even the best writers in the world still have to go back and edit. (Or pay for editors, I suppose.)
But, it all starts with plopping of words down.
I'd argue that no one can spell out their ideal thoughts on a subject until they've sufficiently edited their writing on it. The process of wrestling with the word vomit produces structure, both on the page, and in your mind.
I get frustrated when I start writing, clumsily batting my idea around the page, until finally, exasperated, I zoom out to read the whole cohesive unit and find… it’s not cohesive at all. My random ideas trailing through every paragraph, contradictory sentences mere words apart, the whole jumbled mess feels even more distracted than the original thoughts I wanted to write down.
I have to remember: this is part of the process.
Writing is a cyclical, non-linear process. (Just like thinking!) Wrestling with my thoughts is what helps form better thoughts.