The Writing Process

The Writing Process • Cecelia Munzenmaier • http://word-crafter.net/CompII/WritingProcess.ppt

Course Objectives • Develop logical arguments • Provide constructive criticism on writing • Make effective use of constructive criticism on writing • Apply research knowledge and skills to your chosen field • Integrate revision strategies into the writing process

Translation: • Find information people in your field accept as trustworthy • Use that information to form a professional opinion • Explain your opinion and present solid evidence and arguments to prove it • Document your evidence

Another translation: Comp I Comp II

Why? • Capstone • Present yourself as a professional • Terminology • Best practice • Current issues

Major assignments build • Topic Exploration (50 pts) • Research Plan (100 pts) • Draft (150 pts) • Final argument paper (250 pts)

Student Models: Argument • Your paper must follow APA format in-text citations title page reference list

Go with the process

True or False? • There is one right way to write. • Good writing is neat. • Only bad writers get anxious about writing. • What I believe about writing can make me smarter. • The grades on my papers depend on the teacher’s mercy more than on me.

Myth: • There is one right way to write.

Myth: Writing Process is Linear • Get ideas • Get them down • Revise them • Polish/publish

Reality: It’s Recursive • The writing process is anything a writer does from the time the idea came until the piece is completed or abandoned. There is no particular order. —Donald Graves, writing researcher

Reality: Writing Is Recursive • Get ideas • Get them down • Revise them • Polish/publish

Reality: Writing Is Recursive The order doesn’t matter…unlessyou polish too soon

Myth: • Good writing is neat.

Reality:

Who created that draft? • A Hamilton College student who’s repeating Comp I • A returning student whose last comp class was 10 years ago • A Newbery-winning author

Myth:Good writing is neat. Reality:You have to get the bulk of it down, and then you start to refine it. You have to put down less-than-marvelous material just to keep going, whatever you think the end is going to be, which may be something else altogether by the time you get there. —Larry Gelbart, M.A.S.H writer

Myth • My papers are full of mistakes; I can never learn everything I need to know to correct my errors.

Reality • Correcting 20 common errors will correct 91.5% of all grammatical mistakes. source: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/writinglab/errors.htm

Reality: Help is available • Tina Blue: 10 Common but Easily Corrected Errors http://www.grammartips.homestead.com/tenerrors.html • 20 Common Errors:http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/writinglab/errors.htm • Sounds-like dictionaryhttp://wordsmyth.net • Grammar Byteshttp://www.chompchomp.com • Sentence Sense tutorialhttp://www.ccc.commnet.edu/sensen/ • Links to all are available on the course support sitehttp://word-crafter.net/CompII/review.html

Myth • If I have writing anxiety, I’m a bad writer.

You think you have w. anxiety? Anne Lamott describes writing restaurant reviews: I'd write a first draft that was. . . . so long and incoherent and hideous that for the rest of the day I'd obsess about getting creamed by a car before I could write a decent second draft. I'd worry that people would read what I'd written and believe that the accident had really been a suicide, that I had panicked because my talent was waning and my mind was shot. —Bird by Bird

Myth: • Writing is an innate talent—you either have it or you don’t.

Reality: • Your beliefs about writing can make you smarter.

How do I know? • In a study by Carol Dweck, 4th-graders “were given unsolvable problems followed by solvable ones. Once the ‘helpless students’ failed, their strategies deteriorated down to _____ grade level; whereas, the "mastery-oriented students" stayed at 4th grade level despite failures. They rolled up their sleeves and worked harder. The crucial element was whether the student saw the failure as having to do with ability or effort.”

Dweck’s conclusion • “Some students, even some very successful ones, … believe that mistakes mean you're not smart, and wilt when things become difficult. They stop enjoying the task, and they stop doing well on it. Other students, even many who have not done particularly well in an area, love challenge. They see it as an opportunity to learn, they view mistakes as valuable information, and they really rev up when things get difficult.” (as cited in Hopkins, 2005)

Writing takes effort • In studies of writers, which variable made the biggest difference in quality? • How clear their ideas were at the start • How much they liked writing • How much confidence they had in themselves as writers • How much they revised

Myth • No one can survive Comp II.

Reality Grades follow an inverted Bell Curve. mostly Cs Ds and Fs Bs and As A few Ds and Fs A few Bs and As A few Cs Normal Bell Curve Comp II Curve

How to Fail • It’s too hard. • Give up easy points. • Ignore the grading criteria. • Expect your teacher to accept www.google.com as a reference list entry. • Let yourself get behind.

How to Fail • Argumentative essay?!!!?! • Those are big words, so it must be hard!!

How to Succeed • Argumentative essay?!!!?! • What’s that? • Is there an explanation on the course site? • Where’s an example of how to do it? • The grading criteria spell out what’s required: • Arguable topic • At least five sources, including 2 scholarly • APA documentation

Student Models: Topics • “Alcohol Advertising” • “America Has Gotten Lazy” (legalizing ephedra) • “Repeating History: Examining the Motion Picture Industry and Their Adoption of Digital Distribution” how to integrate quotations • Privacy in the Workplace • “Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint” • “C-Sections Should Be Medically Necessary”

Student Models: Location • Models are available atword-crafter.net/CompII/StudentGallery.html

Develop and Use Strategies • Read what people in your field are reading. • Use dictionaries in your field—i.e., Tabor’s instead of Webster for med terms • Use Google’s define: command • go to http://google.com and type define:“judicial activism”

How to Succeed • Find a topic you like • Follow the rubrics for each assignment • Revise • Be here • Keep up with assignments

How to Succeed Explore Plan Draft Final 3 4 6 9 I would advise anyone who may be taking this course in the future to procrastinate as little as possible!! This paper really isn't as bad as it seems on Day One, but if you procrastinate, you will soon find yourself feeling extremely overwhelmed. Also, choose a topic that interests you. You will find it much easier to "get into" your paper if you enjoy the topic you are researching. Jennifer L. Summer 2007

The Writing Process