Top-Down Writer vs. Bottom-Up Writer
How do you write? Do you open your favorite editor and just start typing? Do you begin with an idea and see where it takes you, even if you don’t have a clear idea when you start writing? I call this type of writer a bottom-up writer—you start from the very basic building blocks of writing: the writing itself. You start with words, build up sentences, then paragraphs, and eventually create an entire text.
Or maybe you have a concrete plan for writing. You know exactly what you want to say and when you want to say it, and you just need to write it down. I call this type a top-down writer—you start with the structure of the piece, knowing how it will start and end, and how you will guide the reader from the beginning of your thoughts to the final catharsis. You start with the big picture of how you see the text and then work down to the specific words you want to use.
Of course, this is a spectrum and not a binary choice between types of writers. I've been thinking about this distinction a lot recently. I find myself to be a top-down writer in some cases and a bottom-up writer in others.
For example, when writing blog posts for this website, I usually have an idea for a post—usually a single line of insight or thought that I want to explore—and this is all I need to start writing. I put that line in the header and just start pouring everything out of my head. I don’t plan; I just write and eventually just post it. This is bottom-up writing.
On the other hand, when I write longer pieces of text, such as university assignments, I always plan. I start with the structure, expanding each high-level description or headline into smaller pieces until I know what each section will contribute to the main text and what I will write in it (in a rough sketch). I start from the top.
Why do I have different writing styles? Maybe because university work tends to be longer and has more consequences (I’m being graded for it), so I want it to be more planned and coherent. Maybe I’m writing this blog bottom-up because I want to build a habit of writing in this blog and the hardest part for me is just starting to write.
I’m curious if you find yourself on this spectrum at all, or maybe it’s just me who looks at writing this way. I would love to hear your thoughts if you want to share them with me.