Students do not want to write because it is boring or tedious to them. But most of all, students do not want to write because they are afraid that they cannot do it. They have been given years worth of papers marked up in red where the teacher was trying to take their voices and make them her own. If teachers understand that writing can be learned by every individual, and that every individual has a voice, the teaching of writing will become a much more beneficial discipline. I am convinced that the problem occurs because those who have the inherent gift of writing often teach those who do not. Thus, the gifted writers expect their students to simply know how to write. Instead, these are the writers who may need the most detailed instructions about crafting prose, creating characters, and composing poetry. If we all looked at writing as something that can be learned, but also comes naturally to others, we will better know how to address writers of all abilities and desires who come to the experienced writer to learn how to write. In addition to this important inclusion in Keegan's piece, the author also discusses how experienced writers create their writing. He argues that all writers simply write, not because they are better at crafting one genre than another, but because one genre or the other just comes out when they put their pen on paper. Keegan describes writers as "human beings who could develop characters,...

In this description of how writes come to write, Keegan makes an important point for both the experienced and the inexperienced writer -- writing is composed of steps or categories. Like anything else, good writing is composed of good sub-categories, for instance, characters, dialogue, plot, and themes, like Keegan points out. For the writer of non-fiction, it might be arguments, sentence strategies, tone, and voice. The quality of a person's writing can be judged by the quality of its parts. Of course, those parts must work together in order to achieve a moderately successful big picture, but they are the stuff upon which writing is judged. Thus, this takes some of the mystery out of the craft of writing. So many writers, both beginners and experienced writers, sit down and expect words to just start flowing. This may be the case for some, but it is not the case for all. Allowing writers to actually see what writing is composed of allows them to form a checklist of what they can do in order to succeed -- writing has a roadmap; it is not as metaphysical as it may seem.
Thus, Alex Keegan's, "The Short and the Long of it," discusses how writers write, what writing is, and how others can write. By seeing writing as both a craft and an art, and recognizing that writing does come with a roadmap, writing can be more accessible to learn and to teach.