Writing as a Process (Lucia Ku)

Composing as a Process

The act of writing is not just an ending result or a final product, it is a long process of exploring, planning, drafting, and revising. It is done in numerous ways and in various different points in our life. By continuously practicing the art of writing, we also end up developing our skills of communicating information, articulating feelings, and sorting out our thoughts about the events that happen within our lives in general.

Shitty First Drafts

The main point of this reading was to talk about the writing process. A typical writing process consists of multiple drafts before finally publishing a final piece. According to Anne Lamott, first drafts are meant to be shitty. It’s the draft where you are supposed to get all your feelings down onto the paper first before worrying about what to revise or rewrite. Once all your ideas are written down in front of you, then it would be easier to start organizing everything and putting everything into coherent sentences that flow together.

Freewriting

Freewriting is the process of writing whatever that is on your mind at the moment, no matter how random it may seem, for an ongoing period of time. By doing this, we take away the process of editing what we write or thinking about what to write about next. This simple activity helps us form ideas and puts all of our thoughts down onto the paper without worrying about how it will end up sounding like. Similar to speaking, it might not begin nicely, but it will soon pick up a sort of connectedness and force that will eventually start to make some sense.

Response

The first draft of a paper is just as important as any other part of the writing process, in the way that it helps you get all your ideas down onto the paper first. Similar to what Anne Lamott speaks about in “Shitty First Drafts” and what Peter Elbow speaks about in “Freewriting”, the first draft is meant for you to write down whatever that occurs to your mind first without worrying about how your paper will end up sounding like. Editing and correcting any mistakes can always come later.

Day 6: Writing as a Process (Erik Alatorre)

Introduction to Composing as a Process

Summary: Writing is a messy process that involves planning, drafting, and revising. The writing process is a compilation of everything leading up to the final product. Writing is an active process, not only are we putting our thoughts on paper, but also creating new ones as we write.

Response: Writing is a long process. However, it is worth the time and effort because at the end of it all, the final product will be the best it could be. Every time you write you learn a little more about your abilities as a writer. For me, writing can be easy once you get into the rhythm of things.

Freewriting

Summary: Normal writing can be restrictive to the writer. With the constant interruptions to fix spelling and grammar, you might lose your train of thought, as a result the paper doesn’t come out as good as it did in your head. Whereas, freewriting allows the writer to be ‘free.’ The writer stops for nothing, simply putting words on paper and eventually the words you wrote will start to make sense.

Response: For me, free-writing isn’t something I’m too fond off when putting ideas on paper. I prefer bullet point lists because they’re quick and concise. Sure in free-writing things don’t have to make sense but then it becomes a hassle to try and make sense of the free-write.

Shitty First Drafts

Summary: The first draft is where you put all your ideas on paper. You might or might not like the ideas but, like the author said, you have to trust the process, everything will work out in the end. Its meant to be a rough outline of what the final draft is going to look like.

Response: The first draft is the first step towards the final draft. There is no masterpiece without a sketch.

Connections

All texts agreed that writing is a process. The first draft or the free-write are usually the first steps in the writing process. Simply jotting down your ideas without fear of being judged. Once the first step is complete, all that’s left is to refine the ideas into a final product that is cohesive and logical.

Day 6: Writing as a Process (Josh Liang)

Composing as a Process

The claim the author is trying to convey to us is writing is a process and not a product. We undergo the process of exploring, planning, drafting, and revising just to produce a piece of writing. However, if we want to write towards better products, we have to practice and develop our skills at writing itself.

Freewriting

This reading tells us that freewriting is an excellent way to write our intentions without our instinct for perfection judging us for our mistakes. We may have a good idea that we want to write on paper, but if we stop to think about how to word the sentence, or how to explain our point, we may lose the idea along those tracks.

Shitty First Drafts

In this reading, the author tells us that crummy first drafts is essential for good writing. Lamott explains that the purpose of the first draft is to jot down everything that we can think of and utilize the same ideas in an orderly fashion for our next draft. Afterward, we need to make adjustments where necessary.

Response

Reading the following texts allowed me to gain more confidence in writing because I often get overwhelmed that my writing is not good enough and is not acceptable. However, these texts explain mistakes are allowed in writing and it is what makes us a better writer. This way, I can write without feeling the urge of my writing required to exceed perfection.

Writing as a Process (Surojnie Deonaraine)

“Introduction to Composing as a Process” Summary

Writing is a process that is allowed to be recursive and performed however many times it needs to be. The process of writing can be never-ending as need be because it allows new ideas to arise and also improves communication. The process itself helps with knowing how to express your ideas as well as figuring out the best possible way to do so.

“Shitty First Drafts” Summary

There are stages in getting to the final draft of a written piece. The first stage is a childish and beginner piece that is predetermined to change. This stage allows all thoughts to be on paper so that when you look back later ideas can be triggered or there might be something that you see that can be used. Using this step can get rid of the fear of not knowing what to write or how to write it, for the time being. Once there are thoughts on the paper then, you can work with what you have and add or edit. The second draft is where you fix it and the last draft is where you examine it with a fine toothed comb.

“Freewriting” Summary

Freewriting or “babbling” for ten or fifteen minutes daily can help your writing get better. This is because you get down any thoughts in your head at the moment and do not stop. It helps to let your thoughts and feelings out and then never look back at them again. Freewriting makes you think less about editing and having your writing be errror-free that the writing itself gets lost. When we write we have more time to edit as opposed to when we speak. Therefore, we choose to deny certain ideas from being in our writing. It is a constant burden to have to get the piece of writing ‘right’ therefore, editing happens at the same time as producing which causes confusion and certain aspects not making sense.

Response

The act of freewriting and getting down all your thoughts before you actually start editing is what all three articles were trying to emphasize. This is because this step is the first stage of writing which can be repeated so many times until the writer is ready to go on to step two which is to edit and fix it up. It’s similar to doing the research and then using the information to write and expand on the research. While reading I noticed that the writing process itself is exciting only if you make it that way. The freewriting example was actually entertaining because it was written in voice that was relatable and in a sense humorous rather than restricted after editing.

Day 6: Writing as a Process [Tristen Chau]

“Introduction to Composing as a Process” Summary

Pulitzer-winning writing professor Donald Murray once stated that “Writing is a process, not a product”. This is completely true; no one can achieve their finished work without getting help from others and revising it. The writing process starts with exploring, planning, drafting, and then revising. This cycle is repeated over and over again until writers are satisfied with the end product.

“Freewriting” Summary

Freewriting sounds as carefree as it seems. It is a time where you can write about anything and not have to think twice about your word choices or grammar. What you write may not necessarily make sense, but that is the whole point of freewriting. It may serve as a stress reliever or just an exercise to improve your writing. When you freewrite, you are not supposed to edit your work, just continue to write. Over time, the freewriting exercise will make your writing more cohesive.

“Shitty First Drafts” Summary 

Writing bad drafts are a must in order to create the perfect writing piece. This is the beginning stage to get out all your ideas onto the page without anyone judging you. Sometimes it is hard to accept that after the first one or two drafts, you still have no idea what direction you want to take your writing. It is okay to feel frustrated because that exactly what drafts are: something to perfect over and over again.

Response

I agree that freewriting and writing drafts are an important first step to creating a fantastic writing piece. You are not expected to bang out a perfect essay in one sitting. It has been very helpful to me in the past to get a different perspective on what I am writing about through peer edits. For me, I jumble a good amount of my words when writing an essay, so I like experimenting with different words and ideas at in the draft-writing stage.

Day 6: Writing as a Process – Jean Estrada

Day 6: Writing as a Process

Introduction to Composing as a Process,” Seth Graves (pg 93)

Although the product is the most appreciated stage of writing, the process is the most substantial. This process is composed of the exploring, planning, drafting, and revising of a writing piece. This cycle, as Seth Graves states, is recursive in the composition of all types of writing spaces.

“Freewriting,” Peter Elbow (pgs 97-99)

Peter Elbow’s freewriting strategy allows for an unfiltered, continuous stream of thinking that can lead you in the right direction of thought. By just writing thoughtlessly, writers rid themselves of inhibition and the constant emphasis on editing. This practice of nonediting directly makes an individual’s writing “less blocked” as it is your unstrained voice.

“Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott (pg 94-96)

With writing, the idea that it will be clear-cut and a first try experience is misleading. In reality, the experience from beginning to end can best be described as tedious and, as Anne Lamott describes it, shitty. The “shitty first draft” in particular, is something that should be accepted and welcomed as the predisposer to a good essay.

Connection

The writing process, to most, could be described as a strict format of writing, editing, and repeating and this can sometimes prove too restrictive. The practice of freewriting and “shitty” first drafts may sometimes prove more beneficial to some writers than the conventional practices. Regardless of preference, limiting editing and allowing your inner voice to seep through more is unarguably a good.

The Process of Writing (Eunice Ban)

Writing is a long process. Writers have to plan out what they’re going to write, write the drafts, then revise and revise again. writing is not just the final product but is all the work that went into getting to that product. In order to have a good final product, all writers need to go through the process of drafts and also free write so that they can develop and practice to better their writing

Research shows that writing helps us put our thoughts into words and also helps us think of new ideas during the act of writing itself. This is shown in our first drafts and when we free write. Our first draft, it is the base and foundation of the final piece. Because of this, our first draft will always be the worst. Anne Lamott states that the first draft can be considered the “child’s draft”. Since no-one is going to see it, we can put down every single idea we have on that first draft. Then we can thank our first drafts after we find likeness in something we wrote 2 pages later. First drafts are important because they allow us to write down every idea we have, which makes us think of new ideas, which then helps lead to the final best idea. 

Free writing is also a way of putting thoughts into words and creating new ideas from that. First off, free writing is a writing technique where there is no stopping. Even if you run out of things to write, you can just write random things and it still makes sense. Regular writing allows you to edit while the main point of free writing is to restrict you from editing. While free writing, we are constantly writing things down which can potentially increase the chance of finding a sentence you like or can use. Peter Elbow also uses metaphors in his writing- comparing free writing to vacuums. He says that free writing is a vacuum that sucks up some of our voice, force, and connectedness which we then can carry over to our regular writing. This is an interesting analogy because I just realized that the characteristics of free writing and vacuums are similar to each other. 

Free writing and first drafts are very important in their own ways. While free writing allows us to keep the flow and keep writing, first drafts allow us to write down every idea and every detail that can possibly be used. Both free writing and first drafts invite us to pick out ideas that were scrambled in our minds.

 

Composing As a Process (Lok-See Lam)

Introduction to Composing as a Process: Writing is a repeating cycle of exploring, planning, drafting, and revising, and it’s about the process of the writing piece, not the finished piece. In order to become a better writer and create better products, we must practice the skills necessary. According to research, it has been shown that writing “helps us discover and reach new ideas during the act of writing itself.”

Shitty First Drafts: When writing and formal writing piece, it is best, if not a must, to have three stages: the first draft of just getting everything down on paper, the second draft to edit what doesn’t belong or what needs to be added, and the third or final draft to touch up and make it the best writing piece it can be. Regardless of what the writing piece is, it is crucial to use the first draft to get every thought down first, whether it sounds good or not, important or not, just get it down. I absolutely love that I’m being told by writing individual that getting it all down first is very important. I’ve had so many experiences where I had a great idea pop into my head but didn’t write it down yet because it didn’t quite belong in the spot I was on, but then would forget the idea before I can get it on the paper.

Freewriting: Freewriting is a very helpful way to practice writing down anything and everything pertaining to the writing topic even remotely. It encourages muting and ignoring the voice of reason in your head that is trying to make the first draft the perfect draft. Over time, regular freewriting exercises will stop the writer from the bad habit of refraining to put down a thought just because it isn’t 100% perfect, whether because it’s not in the right spot, or sound the right way or conveying the right information. Don’t try to create and edit at the same time, create THEN edit. I’ve always been told that daily freewriting will make someone a better writer but was never explained how or why; now I completely understand.

Putting it all together, to become a better writer and to create the best writing pieces one can make the first draft a shitty one just to get every idea out there. Meanwhile, don’t let anything stop you from writing an idea down because that voice in your head that’s saying “no, don’t write that” comes in later on to edit the second draft. Don’t create and edit at the same time, create then edit, that’s what the second draft is for.