William Stafford's Essay: A Way Of Writing

As individuals that are rather fond of the concept of perfection, we tend to minimize the fact that it is simply a concept and maximize its actuality. As a result of this fault, we expect for things that require multiple tries to come out as perfect and the outcome often leads to disappointment. A great example of this would be the writing process--most people believe that great writing is the result of one being gifted. That a person can just wake up one evening and write their best work without any effort. This misconception often leads to individuals discouraged to write and create myths about the process of writing. Truthfully, writing requires a lot of efforts. Even the most experienced writers face difficulty with finding inspiration to write and often depend on methods to facilitate their writing. …show more content…
He states that “a writer is not so much someone who has something to say as he is someone who has found a process that will bring about new things he would not have thought of if he had not started to say them”. Stafford insists that writers should not worry as much about what to say to find a method by which they can express their ideas. It is easier to just express the ideas and later organize them. Furthermore, the process by which one approaches may differ; some might choose to read certain styles of writing to inspire good thoughts and others might exercise before. Julia Alvarez, author of “Writing Matters” acknowledges that she must read pieces of prose and essays in her native language and place a fresh bowl of water on her desk to help her with her writing. Additionally, she mentions how writing is not forced but it is a journey--as she writes down her thoughts, she receives ideas of what to do and inspiration of good “unforeseen”