The Making of a Mathematician: Personal and Professional Growth Through Writing

It is standard practice for writing instructors to view and present writing as a way of thinking and as a way to nurture ideas and the writers who practice holding them. In my mathematical career I have found that writing has often served these roles for my own personal and professional growth. Some writing projects helped me process and resolve teaching dilemmas, while others helped me enhance and expand my own perspective on mathematics. In this note I share some examples of writing projects that have had significant impact on my path as a mathematician and through their analysis converge to some (admittedly idiosyncratic) guidelines that might offer some hope for those who do not see themselves fit “the mathematical mold” and want to pave their own paths.