Research on Composing Processes

1. Research on Composing Processes Monday, 1/27/2014 Reading Covered: Berkenkotter (“Decisions and Revisions)

2. Summary of Findings from Berkenkotter’s Study • Writing seems to be easier, to come easier to the writer, when s/he knows a lot about what s/he is writing about. Similarly, writing seems to be slower, choppier, and require more planning when the writer does not know a lot about her/his subject. (Writing is especially slower and choppier when the writer isn’t in her/his own environment and when the writer is confronted with a time-crunch.) • “When the writer was thoroughly familiar with his subject, he dictated with great fluency and ease. However, when he was breaking new ground conceptually, his pace slowed and his voice became halting; often the drafts broke down, forcing him to return to his daybook before attempting to dictate again” (221).

3. Summary of Findings from Berkenkotter’s Study • Revising and Planning can be similar/complementary activities—together, such activities might lead a writer to “reconceive” a writer-based text s/he is writing in terms of rhetorical goals (i.e. go from writing for oneself to writing for an audience, considering what the writer wants that audience to take away from her/his text, what the writer needs to know, what the writer will be anticipating, etc.). • “When the writer saw that major revision (as opposed to copy-editing) was necessary, he collapsed planning and revising into an activity that is best described as reconceiving. To ‘reconceive’ is to scan and rescan one’s text from the perspective of an external reader and to continue re-drafting until all rhetorical, formal, and stylist concerns have been resolved, or until the writer decides to let go of the text” (223).

4. Summary of Findings from Berkenkotter’s Study • Writing is not a linear process—it’s actually quite messy! For example, writers often do not (and perhaps should not) think, outline, write, revise, edit in a straight line, each activity separate from the others. Instead, writers move between all these activities (in addition to others), striving to get to a place where they know what they want to say, who they want to say it to, why they want to say this to these people, and have a plan for how to go about delivering such information to these particular readers… • “In the act of composing, writers move back and forth between planning, translating (putting thoughts into words), and reviewing their work. And as they do, they frequently ‘discovery’ major rhetorical goals. In the episode just cited [see page 224] we have seen the writer shifting gears from editing to planning to reconceiving as he recognized something missing from the text and identified a major rhetorical goal—that he had to make the concept of the self still more concrete for his audience…” (225). • “[D]ecisions and revisions form an elaborate network of steps as the writer moves back and forth between planning, drafting, editing, and reviewing” (227).

5. Summary of Findings from Berkenkotter’s Study • When writing, it might be useful to think of yourself, the writer, as having a job to do. When writing, that job, generally speaking, is to show/teach/explain/argue something to readers. Therefore, it might be useful to start drafting in order to figure out what you have to say, to figure out what you think, what you are arguing, why it matters, what your main point(s) is/are. However, as you continue drafting, at some point(s), you must also think about WHO you are trying to convince/explain something to, etc. Thinking about your audience often involves revising (re-planning) your draft and re-articulating the goals of your writing for yourself (which, will likely result in more revising so that your writing clearly conveys/achieves those/that goal/s). • “‘But, that’s when I realized . . . the word hierarchy ah, came to me and that’s when I realized that in a sense I was making this too complicated for myself and simple what I have to do is show the reader . . . I’m making a note here . . . Job not to explore complexities of revision, but simply to show the reader how to do revision’” (225). • “From a revision of his goals for his audience, Murray moved quickly into planning activity…” (225)

6. Summary of Findings from Berkenkotter’s Study • The writing process does not stop just because we move away from a draft—writing does not just involve sitting at a computer typing out complete sentences, forming paragraphs... The writing process might be carried out by making lists, having conversations, thinking while doing mundane activities, etc. Think about Murray, his writing process involves lists, writing groups, imagining readers, planning, thinking, re-planning, stating goals, re-planning, taking more notes, thinking about structure, dictating, reading, taking more notes, dictating, editing, etc.! • “‘While I was shaving, I thought of another title” (226).

7. Summary of Findings from Berkenkotter’s Study • Internal revision is important… • Murray’s definition: “‘everything writers do to discover and develop what they have to say, beginning with the reading of a completed first draft. They read to discover where their content, form, language, and voice have led them. They use language, structure, and information to find out what they have to say or hope to say. The audience is one person, the writer” (228). • HOWEVER, despite what Murray says, internal revision takes into account external audiences… • “The writer, however, does not speak in a vacuum. Only when he begins to discern what his readers do not yet know can he shape his language, structure, and information to fit the needs of those readers” (228).

8. Discussion • Select ONE of the questions, take 2-3 minutes to think about/jot down a response, and then prepare to share your response with the class: • What was your impression of Murray’s writing processes as they’re described in the reading? How do they compare to yours? What do you do the same or differently? • Murray’s relationship with his audience seems complicated. Try to describe it, and then compare it to your own sense of audience: How much are you thinking about your audience while you write? (And, when do you start thinking about audience in your writing process?) • How did this study change Berkenkotter’s understanding of writing processes, particularly planning and revision? Take out a piece of paper –or- open up a document in a program that allows you to draw, etc. Spend a few minutes drawing or mapping out what you think your writing process looks like…