Writing Process

 

Your students have learned in their composition classes to think of writing as a process.  Their writing for you in non-composition courses is likely to be more effective if they understand that you value process-writing.  They typically think of this process in four stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. If you are conferencing with students about their writing for your class and want to take advantage of what they have already worked with in composition, here are some ways to work on each of these stages during the writing conference.

Prewriting

Prewriting or planning is the "thinking-it-through" stage. Writers at this stage are trying to clarify their purpose and determine the message they wish to convey about a topic. Through a variety of strategies, they ask such questions as: What am I writing about and why? What do I know and what do I need to find out about my topic? What exactly do I want to say about it?

In the conference, it may be helpful to recommend one or more of the following prewriting strategies, in order to help students break the ice:

Freewriting is almost always helpful.  It gets the reluctant student to use pen and paper to write down ideas without worrying about the form of the ideas, or even whether they will be useful later. Reflection and concentration upon ideas elicited in freewriting can come later, as a part of brainstorming.

Brainstorming can apply to many topics.  Students need to carry it beyond list-making to grouping, finding subtopics, and ordering. Ideas and order found in brainstorming need not be slavishly followed while drafting.

Item analysis is a structured prewriting activity in which writers ask themselves a standard set of questions, such as Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?, that they then apply to the topic. Item analysis is often helpful for broad or complex topics.

Clustering is a form of brainstorming that groups ideas as they are listed. Students who are visually oriented might prefer this strategy to others.

Drafting

Drafting is the "writing-it" stage—getting all the ideas down on paper in sentences and paragraphs. Writers in this stage explore, through actual writing, the message they wish to convey. At this point, they should be more concerned with content than with organization.

Because drafting is generally an individual activity, your role may be minor. If you are conferencing with students at this time, however, here are some suggestions you can make to students:

If the student finds the blank page formidable, urge them to use the consulting time with you to begin writing.  You might have him/her talk through the main idea:  What I am going to show (or argue) is:___.  As they talk, you can act as scribe, so that something it written on the paper.  If the introduction is difficult, the writer might begin someplace else.

Encourage students to jot down idea prompts as the session ends, so they will have a place to begin at home.

Make an appointment for the student to return with a rough draft completed on a certain date.

Give suggestions for ways the writer can deal with writer's block, such as free writing, skipping difficult sections, or writing a conclusion first.

Remind the student to turn off their "editor" as they write. On-the-spot editing is one of the main causes of blocking and incoherence for inexperienced writers.

Revision

Revising is the "getting it right" stage. What are the most effective ways to open and close this piece? In what order should the supporting information be placed? Does each part connect clearly and logically to the whole idea, purpose, or message? Is the tone both appropriate and consistent? Are the sentences both clear and fluid? Is the organization both logical and effective? And most important, how will the audience respond to what I have written?

Consider having students do peer review sessions before using your conference time to work with the paper. If the consulting session is to focus upon revision, the student should bring a draft to the session and the peer review feedback, if available. It is best to read completely through a student's draft before making comments. Make some positive remark(s) before suggesting what changes could be made.

Global or Higher-Order Concerns (HOCs)

Look first at global or higher-order concerns:

Thesis or main idea: What is the writer trying to show or argue? Paraphrase what you think it might be, or point to the sentence that you think might contain it. Even if you're sure, ask anyway; the student may have something else in mind. Does the thesis meet the constraints of the assignment? Could it be clearer or more specific? Is it narrow enough to be covered in the specified length?

Form: The writing assignment to which the draft responds may or may not require a specific form—and may not have a "thesis" in the traditional sense. Has the student followed an expected or conventional, acceptable form? Where is a model that illustrates the form you expect?

Supporting information: Does the student have enough supporting information to make the paper believable? Here are some questions to ask: I'm not sure what you mean here. Can you explain it further? Would your audience need more explanation, too?  Are you sure you've given enough information in this section? Have you given all the steps?  In addition, you may need to look section by section to see if each part has the information appropriate to it. Are there theoretical considerations from the course that need to be applied? Does anything seem irrelevant to the purpose/thesis of the paper?

Organization: Does the structure of the paper match the content of the paper?  Does each idea follow logically from the one before? Can the writer explain how and why B follows from A? Are transitions used when necessary for clarity? Can the writer explain words or phrases that indicate the relation they are attempting to establish? Does any information need to be moved from one place to another for logic or effectiveness?

These are the components of global revision, or what some call higher order concerns.  If the student has much revising to do at this level, you might suggest that the student make another appointment with you or with the Writing Center tutors to look at a new draft.

Local or Lower-Order Concerns (LOCs)

Look at lower-order concerns:

Voice: Is the paper written in a formal or informal tone? Is the voice consistent? Is it appropriate for the topic and audience? A lab report, for example, will require a more formal, objective tone than a personal essay.

Clarity: Are the student's sentences clear and easy to comprehend? If not, why not? Are they too long, too short? Wordy? Repetitive? All the same structure?

Diction: Are the student's word choices precise, concrete, not needlessly mundane or repetitious? Are they audience-appropriate?  Is professional terminology used, if required?

Editing

Editing is the "clean-it-up" stage. This is when writers check spelling, punctuation, and grammar as a final step before presenting their message to an audience.

It is helpful for students to know that their errors interfere with the effectiveness of their communication. Tell the writer when an error makes you re-read the text. Remind the student that errors will undermine credibility in the eyes of the audience. On the other hand, if the conference deals exclusively with editing, the student writer will leave thinking that the ideas in the paper count for little. 

To hit a satisfactory medium, consider saying something like this:  "Be sure you edit carefully for commas."  If the writer seems confused, point out a few problem areas or recommend the Writing Center for more help.

Presentation

Even if students have learned a formatting style in their composition classes, you are likely to be most satisfied with the paper you receive if let students know your expectations.  Be sure to include your citation style preference.  Students will learn MLA in composition and will have access to both MLA and APA in their handbooks.  If you prefer another style, it is best to give them a guide sheet and an explanation of the style.

An earlier version of this document was written at Writing Consulting, the University of Kansas.
This version of the document was revised by Mary Pat McQueeney at JCCC, August 12, 2000.