Fluid, Elegant, Even Beautiful: Academic Writing as an Artistic Skill

Abstract

For students, there is often a disconnection between enthusiasm for their chosen subject, and their perception of academic writing as a tedious chore: restrictive and uninspiring. What if this perception could be altered – with academic writing seen as a joyous and sparkling creative act? This paper suggests two ways for developing such an approach. Firstly, it explores how principles of visual art can be applied to writing. Secondly, it considers the metaphors which can help students appreciate the ‘shape’ of a text. As a way of piquing curiosity and offering fresh perspectives, this approach can benefit students from any discipline.