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
title page
reference list
in-text citations
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
1.
2.
3.
4.
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…
unless
you 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 dictionary
http://wordsmyth.net
•
Grammar Bytes
http://www.chompchomp.com
•
Sentence Sense tutorial
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/sensen/
•
Links to all are available on the course support site
http://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 "masteryoriented 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

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
A few Ds and Fs
A few Bs and As
Normal Bell
Curve
Ds and Fs
A few Cs
Comp II
Curve
Bs and As
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 at
word-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
3
Plan
Draft
Final
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