For your first paragraph/ blog assignment, I'd like you to consider your own
writing process. Just what do you do when you write? How do you start?
When do you start? What do you at subsequent stages? How does your
approach to the writing process help or hinder your ability to write
effectively (and on time)?
Check out the first three chapters of the Handbook. Is there anything
there that can help you be a better writer? Or is the whole mess just a
bunch of English teacher BS that you've heard a million times before? If
you argue the latter, you'd better be ready to justify your claim. :-)
Keep in mind that you are being asked to write a paragraph here. In part, your writing will help me determine what you think a paragraph is and how it should look.
Keep in mind that you are being asked to write a paragraph here. In part, your writing will help me determine what you think a paragraph is and how it should look.
1. Don't forget to click "Publish" when posting a paragraph.
ReplyDelete2. Don't forget to identify yourself by name at the head of the paragraph.
3. Get paragraphs on the blog by 5 PM on the day before they are due in class.
http://kjvermilion.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-general-writing-process.html
ReplyDeleteby KJ Vermilion
ReplyDeleteMy General Writing Process
Overall, the way that I prepare and the natural procedure I follow when I write anything is dependent on my knowledge of the subject and my own state at the time of writing. As an example, writing a report for chemistry until 3am after deciding to binge finish my homework usually requires very little prep work, but a few very thorough corrective redrafts. Though, preferably I am more prepared when working. I usually will grab any notes, outlines, previous drafts, or resources that I have pertaining to the project. Then I begin to utilize those objects as tools to guide my writing which allows for more effort to be put into quality than work wasted looking up facts in the middle of typing every few minutes. After I finish the work, I usually like to read it out loud and check for any mistakes in sentence flow and loosely check for grammar mistakes. Then I will check more in depth for grammar related issues using a pen or computer. This structure for writing allows for my speech style to be present in my work more consistently than without dictation. But unfortunately, my method of writing usually takes up much more time than it likely should.
Time spent on the revision and editing of a writing project is not time wasted. In fact, you've apparently skipped a step. Spend some time revising -- looking at the organization and content -- than you describe. Don't skip to the sentence-level problems. The sentence may not be there when you get to the editing phase!
DeleteDavid Krein
ReplyDeleteMy writing process is an unconventional process. I like to start writing without a plan, so as I write my thoughts flow through me into the paper. I start my paper a night or two in advance if it is just a small assignment, however for big papers, I start writing a week or two in advance. There are no stages in my writing process, I just write until my work is done. Sometimes if it’s a big paper I will start a week or two in advance and break it up into paragraphs writing a few at a time. My approach to the writing process hinders my ability to do my best on assignments because of my lack of planning. However, in regards to punctuality, my writing is hinders my ability to do my best on assignments because of my lack of planning. However, in regards to punctuality, my writing is rarely late. The handbook may be able to help my writing in the organization and drafting stages of my writing.
The handbook will also help you with two stages of the writing process you have not described. I also "freewrite" my drafts. However, I don't stop to edit while I'm writing. I realize that I will have to attend to serious revision (first) and then editing. Don't try to do all the stages at once. Spend some time revising -- ordering the content of paragraphs and deciding what belongs and what doesn't. Also, watch for repetitions. Note that you say that you start big projects "a week or two in advance" twice. To summarize: It's okay not to plan. However, you will need to impose some kind of order on the essay during the revision process.
DeleteRyan Ehrhardt
ReplyDeleteI have a writing process that is very unorganized. To begin the process, I usually brainstorm random ideas if there is no given topic. If there is already a given topic, I begin writing about what I personally think about it, as well as including my opinion or beliefs in the essay. After that, I often state facts about the topic and try my best to support my statements. After that, I try to summarize the topic in my own words and give a description of what I think is going to happen next. My spelling is usually on point, as well as my grammar. The key thing that I really need to work on is resisting the ramble of my topic in order to continue the length of my writings.
You've left out the revision stage of the process. Spend a lot of time at that stage. You know you tend to ramble, which I assume means to wander off topic. Look for that problem as you revise the draft, and correct it by subtracting rambling sentences and adding sentences that are on point. Your grammar is fine. However, when you edit (toward the end of the writing process) you should attend carefully to usage, especially for phrases you don't commonly use in speech. For example, "ramble" is used incorrectly. A writer does not "resist the ramble." He or she "resists the tendency to ramble." ("Ramble" is a verb and not a noun.) To summarize: Don't worry so much about rambling when you are drafting. Attend to the issue carefully and repeatedly during the revision stage (and before you edit the sentences).
DeleteWhen writing you start of planning with a rough draft. The biggest part if planning your interdiction in have a thesis statement. After the thesis you continue with the interdiction paragraph; The introduction is interdicting all the topics you will talk about in the paper. Then you get to you main body paragraph, you will talk about one or two issues of conflicts about your topic. You can do more than one body paragraph discussing different topics you are writing about. The body will be very descriptive. The last thing is a conclusion. To do the conclusion you will reenter your thesis statement and sum up the overall paper.
ReplyDeleteAllie, see http://www.thefreedictionary.com/interdiction
DeleteYou've described the product of writing pretty well. Personally, I try to avoid summing up in the conclusion. In short essays, summaries just make you sound like you're repeating yourself. (We'll talk about alternative strategies later in the semester.)
DeleteHow much time do you spend revising and editing? Do you look at the assignment to make sure you've fulfilled it? Do you attend to organization and content on the paragraph and essay levels before you edit? How much time do you spend on editing, especially on the sentence level? This paragraph has some of such "surface-level" errors, which will jump right off the page as the average professor reads it.
Erin Fannin
ReplyDeleteMy writing process is one that I have developed and worked on throughout my high school career. This process starts when I get the assignment and I begin to brainstorm ideas. I think about what needs to included, such as quotes or research as well as keeping in mind what my teacher is looking for. Whether the paper is to be written in a formal or casual context in kept in the back of my mind throughout my writing process. Then I begin the actual writing of the paper. When I write, I do it late at night. This is the time when I have the most motivation. Unlike much of what I had been taught and what is mentioned in The Little Seagull Handbook, I jump right into the composing of the first draft without much prewriting such as outlines. In truth, my system of composing papers is often inefficient and leads to several typos, which is my Achilles Heel when it comes to writing. I often go through two to three drafts before I get the final result, and that is what I turn in. In reading the sections from the handbook, I saw many writing pointers that I have heard before and have helped me. The idea of pre-writing is one that I haven’t used in a long time, but it is one that can make me a better writer by getting me to think more about the topic I need to write about, rather than just diving into a paper head first without much of a road plan.
Don't discount your writing process. You DO pre-write. Your initial draft is produced by a form of prewriting called freewriting or zero-drafting. As you note, you'll have to spend a lot more time on the revision part of the process. You'll have to organize the resulting mess :-) in revision, but you know that ahead of time and don't let it slow down the freewriting process. Let's face it. There's no better feeling than to see some words on a page as long as you realize that you can and will fix the problems later.
DeleteHowever, at least a scratch outline might help to keep you on track. If a sequence of arguments is the first thing to come into your head, jot it down. If it's not the best order of ideas or if you've left something out, you can fix that later, as well.
Gopika Nair
ReplyDeleteOne of my teachers once said to me, "Think before you ink." Those are the words that I live by when it comes to my writing process, and I take it quite literally. All I really do is think and then write. Terrible as it is, my process involves skipping several stages that some others (and several writing guides) consider integral. For one thing, I have never been able to make comprehensive outlines before I begin writing. Oddly enough, employing that method has resulted in some of my worst work. I believe that the reason behind that might be that my outlines have a tendency to restrict my thoughts from straying. Whether or not that's a good thing is debatable in a lot of cases, but as someone who prefers penning thoughts directly on to the paper as and when they come, the outlines act as a censor. That being said, before I write, the first thing I do is mentally jot down important points that I want to get across. For whatever reason, I don't find mental outlines nearly as debilitating as the ones on a piece of paper. In the end, I proof-read and make changes wherever necessary. However, my method does have a few gaping holes that I want to acknowledge firsthand. The biggest one that I've noticed is that it makes me extremely wordy, to the extent where I've often exceeded word limits. As a result, I have had to forcefully wind up ideas that I was working on, and in turn, I've produced unsatisfactory endings, especially when I've had to write something under a time constraint. I haven't found a way to remedy that just yet, but that's exactly what I hope to work on soon.
Gopika,
DeleteIf you jot ideas down, you have an informal outline. Think of it that way. If you evaluate the order of the points and the completeness of your informal outline, you will write better essays in the long run.
Don't worry about wordiness when you are drafting. Tightening your prose is an editing matter. You shouldn't start editing until you have first drafted and then revised. Why edit if you're not particularly sure if a given sentence is going to be in the essay. Revise and edit from big issues down to little ones, and you'll save yourself a lot of time and effort.
When I sit down to write anything the first thing that I want to do is brain storm and gain ideas that will help my peice tell the best story. Next I start with a paragraph that sums up my top brainstormed Ideas. Then I would write personalized paragraphs for each topic that I briefly explained In the first paragraph. And to finish I would sum up my piece again with the ideas from the first paragraph.
ReplyDeleteIMO, you should avoid summary conclusions in short essays. You'll sound like you're repeating yourself. We'll discuss other methods later on in the semester.
DeleteWhat do you do after you draft? Is there anything in the Handbook that might help you?
DeletePeter Hamblett
ReplyDeleteI feel as though writing comes easy to me. I am the type of person who thinks ahead for everything! I always put myself in others shoes, maybe that’s a bad thing but when it comes to assignments I think on how the teacher will interpret my writing and what will pop into there mind when they read my writing. Like most people I will procrastinate when it comes to school work, but if the subject really interest me I will dive in right away mostly because I feel proud and excited to show either what I know or what I have found out and learned. When I get into the topic I am writing about I like to break it up, sometimes I’ll take a break and come back to it if I am ever in a subsequent stage or maybe I’ll pause and reread over what I have written to regain my interest in the writing. Sometimes it actually gives me an insight on what I can write about next, more so it keeps me on track as I can drift off into my thoughts regularly. My main goal in writing is to keep the person reading in interested and wanting to keep reading, there is nothing worse then reading something that is bland and original. Weather or not its adding a few explanation points to try and make the reader think it’s important, to trying to talk to the reader instead of just telling them. In high school I was never truly coached on how to write it was more the teacher leaving comments and moving on there was never a discussion on what would better my writing. After reading a couple chapters in the handbook it opened my eyes to some new ways of writing. Yes I’ve heard about a thesis statement and such but when the handbook was talking about “Getting a Response” it opened my eyes when it was explaining about the transitions, stance, and tone. I had never viewed it like that because sometimes I can just ramble on about BS that really will push the reader away. That I feel, can really enhance my writing!
What was it about “Getting a Response” that might cause you to write differently? What exactly "pushes the reader away?" All the issues that you mention can and should be fixed during revision. You know what your typical errors are (good!). Take each one in turn and attend to them during separate revisions. Engage in that part of the process before you correct a single run-on sentence or comma flaw.
DeleteAlso, don't trust your spell checker. "Weather" is a perfectly acceptable word, but it's not the right one here.
Alexis Ramirez
ReplyDeleteTo be completely honest, my writing is unorganized as I tend to not begin the writing process right away. How quickly I begin on an assignment depends on how important it is, which is not an ideal strategy. This delay in starting the process prevents me from going through several drafts. The major issue I must correct is how early I begin the process because, as of right now, my process does not allow me to go through drafts, revise them and come up with the best product.
What exactly do you do? Do you try to draft, revise, edit, and proofread all at once? Is there any advice in the handbook that might help you?
DeleteThe first thing that stands out the most to me when I think about my writing process is the difficulty I have when I try to start a paper, essay, or whatever it may be. I always find that I struggle and just stare at the blank white paper in front of me. Yes, pre-writing would usually be the answer to this solution, but it doesn't seem to help me very much. However, once I get passed the opening paragraph I seem to just get into my “zone” and I am able to crank out a decent paper rather quickly. Also, I like to write my entire paper in one sitting instead of doing say, one page a day for a week. I find that I am able to keep the paper fresh in my mind as I continue on to the next paragraph, thus keeping my focus on the point I am trying to make. This strategy may hinder my ability to revise my paper many times because I tend to complete the paper two days or one day before it is due. One thing I found in the handbook that may help out my issue is organizing my thoughts into a thesis. By beginning my paper with background, a quote, and my thesis statement, this should help me get through the stages of staring at the white blank screen because I'm focusing my ideas on a central topic.
ReplyDeleteI draft in a great rush, as well. I've found that if you finish two days ahead, you'll have plenty of time to engage in the revision and editing process after you have drafted.
DeleteI have also faced the problem of writer's block. When I was in graduate school, I went into a wise, old prof's office with a ton of research. "I just can't seem to get started with the writing," I said. He looked at me kindly and then said almost in a bellow, "FORCE YOURSELF." So I did. in the interim, I've found that if I get an early start, I have plenty of time in the post-drafting phases to turn my writing into something more than just the fulfillment of some assignment my editor gave me.
My drafts are terrible, but I always say to myself as I'm writing, "I can fix this trash later."
David Herbawi
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty my writing process is inefficient and inconsistent, and has seen little change since I wrote my first paper. Usually the hardest thing for me is picking a topic. I either can’t come up with any good topics, or I have several and can’t make a decision on which one to go with. On top of that, I usually change my topic several times once I begin writing, because I picked a bad topic, or I find a better or more interesting one. Another serious problem I have is procrastination. I rarely get a head-start on my papers, and when I do I over estimate my progress and find that I still need to work till the last minute. The lack of time usually results in me having only one or two drafts and one quick read-through to check for grammatical errors. I think the only reason I’ve wrote like this for so long is because it works—I get ‘A’s for most of my papers, both research and creative, so I’ve never felt significant pressure to change my process.
Be careful, David. You will find that your college teachers are far more demanding than your high-school teachers ever were.
DeleteWhen I was an undergraduate, I discovered that a conference with the class instructor worked wonders when I couldn't find a topic. They are quite happy to help guide you to an interesting topic that has plenty of outside sources you can draw upon.
I'd recommend getting a fast start because you recognize the possibility you might have to change topics. Anticipate that you might have problems, and leave yourself the time to fix them.
Susan Ugalde
ReplyDeleteMy writing process consists of an initial outline of ideas with a thesis statement being written as well. I then dive right into writing the meat of the work. I write what comes to mind and go off on tangents that I later edit to make the work flow better. I write the introduction last so as to know what I wrote about and therefore be able to give an accurate portrayal of what the reader can expect. Generally I start writing about halfway through the time given to me; I tell myself it’s so that I can find inspiration but honestly it’s simple mental preparation. I also like to leave my work at different intervals throughout the process so that I can look at it with fresh eyes multiple times before finalizing it. My process causes issues when it comes to working in a timely manner, my work is never late but sometimes requires me to stay up later than I’d like since the whole ordeal is a bit scattered. I also have issues with transitioning my paragraphs and overall thoughts, which I believe the handbook can assist me with.
TSIS is all about transitions, Susan. Check it out. Your writing process sounds pretty good to me.
DeleteThe best way to avoid the frantic rush is, of course, to start earlier. As you know, the separate stages of the writing process each take time. I start the preliminary research on a project the day it is assigned. Cram your head with relevant information early. Inspiration will come soon -- as if by magic and without any effort on your part if you do your homework ahead of time.
Mallory Torr
ReplyDeleteI believe that my overall writing process is very similar with every essay/ paper I write. I always start out doing somewhat of an outline and figuring the layout of my paper. Though, shameful to admit, I always feel that I procrastinate and end up doing the paper at the last minute. With this being said I always do feel that I could have improved the paper in some aspects. I definitely believe that with the right mindset it can definitely help. If you have a bad attitude towards it and really don’t care about it I definitely think it will negatively affect the work you put into it. Whereas having a positive attitude is more helpful. Overall, I think that my writing could always be improved, for example, giving the paper more time and working on it several times instead of just a few times.
Start early. (Force yourself by thinking about the consequences if you don't.) Do a little preliminary research on the topic, and you just might find that you discover some point of controversy that you find interesting or that you can care about. Careful preparation can make drafting a joy instead of a headache. Write quickly, and please, please, please, for your own sanity, save plenty of time to first revise and then edit. You just might discover that writing is (or can be) a rewarding and pleasant experience even if you don't care so much about the topic.
DeletePan Niyomthai
ReplyDeleteThough there was a MLA standard for writing most Lang & Lit papers back in High School, I still feel the necessity of 'throwing' ideas out onto a paper, metaphorically speaking. I always believed that the first draft should be typed as fast as possible - with the ideas as fresh as possible. However there are times when cramming can take its toll and the first draft would usually turn to chum. And I wouldn't say that my papers proliferated throughout each and every single draft - there were times when the teachers thought my second draft was like my fourth and vice versa. So in this case, technicality such as grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation checks can turn the tide really well. They assist me to become more meticulous, to scrutinize each and every line in order to show big improvements from the first to the second draft. But again, this could backfire and drain me out of ideas for improving the second to the third, which would then lead to a biased feeling of "Oh I think this draft is a lot better than the last one!" It tends to become a confusion when I start to lose grip of my judgement of whether the previous draft showed any improvements from the last at all. Respectively I must say that this is probably my biggest fright in writing. Ergo, I tend to write too fast, or take too much time on the small bits, leaving me with an unbalanced time and work management; probably the biggest aspect I want to improve.
Writing the draft quickly is okay so long (as you note) you attend to the problems in a later revision stage. I've also gone back to parts of earlier drafts. That's why it's SO important to save every draft under a slightly different name (WA1.1, WA1.2 . . . WA1.40). Writing theorists call the writing process "recursive." Good writers always go back to judge whether what they've done is effective.
DeleteYes, it's hard at first. After a bit, it gets easier. The learning process is much like learning to ride a bicycle. At first, you're thinking, "I'm peddling. I'm turning the handlebars. Is my grip too tight? Will I fall down." But soon you're riding without thinking about the process too much. It has become a matter of muscle memory.
The same goes for writing. As you learn to write, eventually the steps become a natural part of the process. The process becomes a matter of muscle -- or, rather -- mental memory, which becomes far less painful than the early stages of learning to write.
During my writing process, I think my biggest problem is the organization of the language. Before start, I will think about my topic and the mean idea of the essay or mail very seriously. More important I will find some argument to support my point. So I have very rich material to write in the paper. The question is that I cannot organize all lf them in a reasonable order. I mean I know which should be mention at first and which should be the last. But in the interval of two arguements, I donot know what should I write. So I am looking for to practice my ability of organization of the writing. Another point worth mentioning is that the grammar and the vocabulary, cause the English is my second language, so sometimes I cannot understand the grammar or express my idea accurately. So I think I know what should I write in the essay but I do not know how to express it.
ReplyDeleteHe Xuzhou
Fear not, Ricky! Organization, especially on the paragraph level, is what this class is all about. Creating an argument is done in a certain way in the western, and we'll be discovering the general sequences that writers use to create an argument.
DeleteAs for the second-language issue in your writing, time and a lot of writing are the best solutions. In the meantime, I can help. You might also consider the most effective service we have on campus: The Writing Center. Pay them a visit, and describe your problem.
My writing involves a lot of organization. I start off by writing an introduction paragraph that states the topic that I will be writing about and my position on the topic being written about. I then state different points about the topic being written about. I then later divide these points up into their own paragraphs where I will expand on these points and describe them in greater detail. These are what end up making up the body of my writing. Lastly, I write a conclusion paragraph that restates the topic that I am writing about, my position on the topic being written about, and the points about the topic that made up the body of the writing.
ReplyDelete