On Writing as Thinking 

How do you use writing to aid your thinking in your professional/intellectual/scholarly/research practice?


Coco Fusco
School of Art

February 2025
Issue 1

I often tell my students that writing is like drawing. I use writing to make sense of ideas that pass through my mind and eventually expand on them.

 
My outlines in writing are like the preliminary outlines of a drafted form. Once I have that outline, I may or may not fill in the details. I can provide context for my ideas and arguments just as a draughtsman might add background to a drawing to locate subjects more concretely. I can flesh out the details of figures with descriptions much in the same way that a more realistic rendering creates a vivid impression of place and character. I can use adjectives and adverbs to add different tonalities to my text much in the same way that a visual artist might use color and shading. 

  Writing is always my starting point. The ideas I find words for can end up as a performance, or a film, or a proposal for an exhibition. Sometimes, the final outcome of the thought process is writing – a review, an essay, or a book. Because I grew up before computers were available, I still write by hand when I am beginning to give shape to ideas. I keep a legal pad next to me at my desk, I take a notebook with me when I leave the house, and in recent years I have begun to use my Notes App on my iPhone to jot down ideas when I am on the subway or in my car. There was a time when I had to write first drafts of essays on paper, but I have long grown accustomed to typing on a screen. I will make lots of changes and read my words to myself over and over before deciding that a piece of writing is finished. That surprises people who are used to sending out text messages without a second look. But to produce writing that truly represents my thoughts and conveys my ideas accurately, I do need to review and listen to the words.