The Writing Process

This past week I had you all think about your writing process. We've had people write about it needing to be quiet, needing it to be noisy, needing it to be dark, needing it to be the night before the paper is due, and needing cookies next to them. All of you have your own writing process and they're all right - they may not always work out perfectly but they aren't wrong. When I was in fifth grade I remember the bright pink construction paper signs that had the writing process written out on them. There was Prewriting, Writing, Revising, Editing, and Publishing. I understand that as a fifth grader I needed something simple like that to understand how write. The problem was that not everyone follows that writing process and for some people that writing process can be more harmful than helpful.

In high school many of you may remember having to do a research project where you had to have 50 notecards with information. If you didn't have all 50 cards you got a lower grade. For some of you this may have been really helpful in being able to visually move cards with facts/quotes around to see where they would make more sense. For others of you it was a waste of 50 notecards and your time. People are different. I'm not a science/math person, some of you say you aren't English/writing people. If we can all understand that then why is the writing process taught that this is how your write?

The steps given above (prewriting, writing, revision, editing, and publishing) are good starting points but we need to remember that writing is recursive. It doesn't happen in one motion. Sometimes you start a paper three times before you get to the revision part. You don't have to follow those steps in order (though it'd be hard to "publish" before you write). If waiting until the last minute works for you to write a paper and you don't need to prewrite, edit or revise then that's great - however just thinking how well that process is working for you. If you're getting C's on your papers it isn't probably the best process. If you stress out because you wait until the last minute to write a paper then maybe waiting isn't a good process for you. I know habits are hard to break but sometimes you've got to put forth a little effort.

The final thing I want to say on this topic is that you don't have to be able to label your writing steps (in my opinion). I could throw out information from various rhetoric/composition sources that say the writing process is really this or that or that we need to teach students that this is the right way but I'm a strong believe of don't fix it if it isn't broken. If your writing process is working well for you then I'm not going to spend tons of time explaining different ways you can write papers. However, if you don't think your writing process is working for you then we can talk.
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Next Blog Topic: For your next blog topic I want you each to write about whatever you want. It can be something new and original, you can read other posts and continue the conversation on them, or whatever you want. Each post must be more than 250 words - that means you need to put some thought in to the post. Also make sure that you're communicating with other students throughout the week through the blog and the comment option.

Below this post will be a "comments" option. Most, if not all, of you have found it. Click on it to read y specific responses to your posts and to read about my writing process.

Now that we all got our first time out of the way...

So I think almost everyone has posted at least once on here and though there were some problems it doesn't seem like they were too big of a deal. I don't want this blog to be too artificial so I'm going to post questions and such that I want you to answer however don't feel like that is all you can write about. Address my questions but feel free to go off on something else - it doesn't even have to be related to class.

For your second posting I want you all to think about how you write. Write down what your writing process is. There is no right or wrong answer here. Do you have to wear your yellow duck slippers that squeek on the kitchen floor and drink chai while listening to James Taylor full blast in the middle of the night? Do you need it totally quiet and you have to start by writing the entire paper out on a yellow legal pad before you can type it? Maybe it's more simple than any of that and you need to start with an outline and then write you introduction, your body and then your conclussion. Whatever you do. It may be boring, it may be interesting, but it's how you do it. I also understand that maybe you've never really thought about it so you might want to wait until after you start paper 1 this week to see how you write (and I also know that maybe you don't have a set way you write - maybe it's different for every paper and that's okay too). Just let me know where you all stand.

I will post my response later this week as a comment to this post most likely and I will also respond to what you've all said so make sure to check back and to respond to your classmates responses as well. Have a good MLK Day and I will see you all bright and early on Tuesday!