Understanding the Writing Process and Your Personal Style

1. The Writing Process

2. Rationale • The act of composing a document is a process • Everyone’s writing process is different • By becoming aware of your personal writing process you will be able to better understand your strengths and weaknesses

3. Writing is a Process: Donald M. Murray • Three stages of composing: prewriting, writing, rewriting From “Teaching Writing as a Process Not a Product”

4. Prewriting according to Murray • Takes the most time • can include activities such as • Daydreaming • Brainstorming • Note taking • Outlining • Free-writing

5. Writing • Shortest part of the process • Can be intimidating

6. Rewriting • Can include editing

7. Muriel Harris • Known for her study of drafting processes • Two extremes • one-drafters • multi-drafters

8. One-drafters • Do most of the planning mentally • Sometimes will use brief notes • Outlines are not really helpful • Rarely rewrite a paper

9. Pros and Cons • Pros: • Efficient • produce good quality drafts • Cons: • limit their exploration • Procrastination • less likely to enjoy writing • less likely to revise

10. Multi-drafters • Exploration through writing • Continually revising and rewriting

11. Pros and Cons • Pros: • Deep exploration of ideas • More likely to enjoy writing • Cons: • Often miss deadlines • Can get lost in own writing • First drafts might not look great

12. Other spots on the continuum • Writers who plan in advance • Writers who discover ideas through writing • Writers who spend equal time on planning, writing, and revising • Writers who delay

13. What about you? • Take a few minutes and think about where you would fall on the continuum • Put yourself on the board