writing is a process, not a paper

I started my first day of field observation yesterday at Middletown High School. The first impression that I took away from this first day is that the school district is really gung ho about having every student comply with a step by step writing process. The process includes taking notes on note cards, then constructing an outline, then a rough draft, then a final draft etc. I was a little turned off by the rigidness and lack of flexibility by this approach, probably because I never followed all these rules. My writing has always been a more spur of the moment process. After reading Williams, I see a lot of benefits to a set writing process, but I also feel that there needs to be room for flexibility for each individual within this approach.

I think that outlines are wonderful things, but I never traditionally followed a step by step outline filled with roman numerals and A-E instructions. Williams writes “Outlines begin when writers list the major points they want to address in their papers, without worrying much about order” (108). Thank God he says this. I think it is insane to expect a grade of 250 students to all construct the same outline with the same structure. I believe that outlines should have the same general purpose, but can come in different shapes and sizes. If a student wants to draft her outline on note cards, that works for me. If a kid wants to use a Venn diagram to construct his outline, why not? The teacher should be more concerned that each student is finding meaning and comprehension within the outline process, than checking to see if the student listed step A before step B.

I was also pleasantly surprised to read about Williams take on drafting. Personally, I believe that a piece of writing is never completely finished. Writing can always be improved or transformed. Williams writes, “How many drafts should students produce before a paper is finished? There’s no answer to this question. Every paper is different; every paper has its own context and requirements. Sometimes a single draft will be sufficient, other times a paper may require 5, 6, or even 10 drafts” (116-117). This truly proves that writing is a process, and not just a single paper. Students need to have the opportunity to grow and evolve within their writing. I believe that teachers should offer students to revise upon “final drafts.” If a teacher does not give students the opportunity to revise a paper that they hand in, they will never learn from their mistakes and grow as a writer. Writing should not be about a final grade. It should be about a process or journey in improvement. I agree with Longinus, and feel that students should have time in between drafts to revise and edit their work. It often takes a while for students to get some distance from their words. A creative writing teacher at my previous university advised his students that we should not even attempt to make changes to our work until after a couple of months. I value this advice. Sometimes we get too emotionally attached to our writing and we are unable to get past these attachments to change our writing for the better.

I believe that peer editing workshops are both scary and necessary. In high school and even in college I was one of those students that only thought I was writing for my teacher and no one else. Students should not be writing for invisible audiences or deaf ears. Even though other students can be overly critical and sharing one’s work with others is a vulnerable process, I believe that it is a necessary feat to overcome and learn from. However, I believe that teachers should be careful about teaming up students. They should be aware of the interactions between workshoppers and should not allow a student to be paired with another student that is not constructively critical.