Writing and Editing  From the earliest times, people have wanted
to communicate with other people, and one of the best means of
communication is language. Before the invention of writing,
people could only transmit information orally. After writing was
invented, which may have occurred in Sumer in approximately 4000
B.C., writers could communicate with people who were not within
speaking distance. Written communication took various forms in
various cultures, and over the centuries a wide range of forms
came into existence. As time passed, these forms were developed
and refined.  The term literature, which derives directly or
indirectly from litterâtûra, the Latin word for "alphabet," is
often used loosely to refer to many genres, or types, of
writing. Among these genres are novels, short stories, plays,
poems, and essays. To most people, the term literature means
writing of high quality. Some novels, for example, although they
may be popular, are not considered literature. In general,
literature is considered