Metawriting for better writing

Metawriting, a.k.a. metadiscourse, is writing about writing. Of course the real challenge of metawriting is the fact that in order to write about writing you must also think about writing.

The purpose of metawriting is to help the writer more fully understand what happens when writing so as to better manage future writing tasks and understand the writer's individual strengths and weaknesses.

Many struggling writers think the only way they can improve is for someone else to help them become a better writer, but in truth a good writing teacher is more of a coach or guide and knows when to get out of the writer's way. The path to better writing begins with metawriting. Even if you have the best writing teacher in the world there will come a day when you need to leave that teacher behind and write on your own. That is why good writing teachers prepare you for that day by helping you become a self-regulated writer. Key to this process is metawriting -- your intensive, thoughtful study of your own writing.