Writing: Art Vs. Science

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate January 2002

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

Downloaded 12 times

Writing is a tool that has been used for many years, and has numerous different uses. Writing is used to accomplish numerous different goals, such as communicating, expressing ones' feelings, or recording fact. Although writing can be used in so many ways, it can be broken into two basic categories, the art and science of writing. The artistic side of writing consists of the creative use of words to express thoughts or feelings. The scientific side of writing is much more straightforward and direct. While the artistic side can be colorful and mystifying, the scientific side is rigid and clear. In simpler terms, scientific writing can be considered objective, while artistic writing is subjective. These two subsections of writing contrast very drastically, however one could not exist without the other. When writing, the author must balance the art and science, and allow each half to coexist.

Writing is an art form, a way of expressing the deepest feelings within us.

Artistic writing can be seen in many different examples, such as, musical lyrics, poetry, story telling, and essay writing. The author decides how the words shall fit and creates his own writing style. Artistic writing has no boundaries and is shaped only by the authors' imagination. Artistic writing is generally more subjective and paints a picture that forces the reader to determine what the author is trying to portray. Artistic writing can take on many different meanings to different audiences. As Alice Walker explains in her poem Reassurance "and written in a very foreign tongue. and in the hourly making of myself no thought of Time to force, to squeeze the space I grow into."(294) What Alice Walker is describing is the discovering of meaning in her writing. Artistic writing is elusive and initially may not make sense, but this...