Often when writers begin to write, they explore ideas that they may not have even known they had before they began writing. There is a definite synergistic aspect to writing that can only occur when the pen meets the paper and the creative process kicks in. Writing actually helps to generate more ideas to write about by encouraging the artistic process to evolve. By putting words together to express ideas, more ideas are generated and thoughts expand.
Although you may believe that writers have fixed ideas in their heads before they write, this is often the opposite of what actually happens. Much as an artist might pick up a brush without knowing what he will paint, a writer becomes motivated by the writing process, which then inspires and fuels ever-evolving thoughts. The idea that writing is a medium for expanding thought is important because it suggests that the act of writing itself has various constructive applications: to solve problems, to identify issues, to construct scenarios, to reconsider perspectives, to rehearse concepts.
The insight that writing is an implement of creativity helps us to understand the process of drafting and revising as exploration and discovery. The writing process leads to more inspiration, which leads to more refining and more succinct and stronger writing. This literary refinement is much more than simply correcting the mistakes in an early draft- it is the very essence of creative expression.
