Content selection, information presentation, editing, reader assessment, and stimulating additional thought and works are all examples of connections between critical thinking and writing. Writers and readers are frequently unaware of these connections. People can be taught how to make these connections and can practice critical thinking while writing. Experts agree that thinking critically while writing or reading does not come naturally to most people and must be learned.
The first link between critical thinking and writing is content selection. When writing something, a person must gather information, either from memory or through additional research. He must decide what information is relevant to the writing topic during this process, using specific criteria to justify what to include.
Even if a person knows that content is important, he must decide how to present it. This entails considering what would be the most logical and straightforward solution. It also considers a variety of cultural constructs that may cause a person’s ideas or words to come across differently than intended, in addition to basic rules of syntax, grammar, and organization. Writers must be conscious of how they spin their work and the words they choose. The fact that the “best” way to present information is subjective is what distinguishes one writer from the next, with different literary “voices” essentially indicating different critical thinking and writing paths.
Another way critical thinking is linked to writing is through the editing process. During this time of writing, a person must consider what data is most important, isolating the most important elements so that cuts can be made. When editing necessitates the addition of new transitions or connections, the writer must brainstorm ways to make one section flow smoothly into the next after the cuts have been made. This step is critical for precise, clean writing.
The reader’s evaluation also connects critical thinking and writing. When a person reads, he draws on his own experience and knowledge to determine whether what the writer is saying makes sense, even if the ideas presented are fantastic. If it doesn’t make sense, the writer risks losing the reader’s trust. Readers may also consider what made the writing particularly persuasive, emotional, or cognitively stimulating. Critical thinking is also used readers to make predictions about where the author will take the work.
The stimulation of additional creative thought is the final way writing and critical thinking are linked. A writer can expand on many smaller ideas, scenes, or characters in each piece of writing. After completing a piece of writing or reading, a person can consider other avenues to pursue based on the original material. As a result, creative writing produces more creative writing.