"Murray-2"

"Murray-2"

Read "Response of a Laboratory Rat- or, Being Protocoled" (WaW 592-609)

Questions for Discussing and Journaling 1, 3, 4 (WaW 608)

QDJ 1, 3, 4 (WaW 608)

1. What was your impression of Murray's writing processes as they're described here? How do they compare to yours? What do you do the same or differently?

- Murray was very particular in the way he wrote. He would revise and check his paper over and over again. I, on the other hand, do not revise my paper which comes after I've written it. I edit and revise my paper as I go. I only read over my paper at the end. I never change anything at the end unless I have missed a significant mistake which normally doesn't happen because I check while I'm writing. It is a lot easier for me to change certain things about my paper as I'm writing it.

3. How did the study change Berkenkotter's understanding of writing processes, particularly planning and revision?

- Her study revealed that more time was needed to be put into what is normally put in for revising, at the end of a paper, and planning, which is before the paper like an outline. Every person has a different revising process and it can take thirty minutes or it can take two hours.

4. What problems with existing methods for studying writing process does Berkenkotter identify? If you read Perl, did you notice any of these problems in her methods? What do you think they might mean for Perl's findings? In what ways is Berkenkotter's newer approach to studying writing processes able to solve the weaknesses in other method's? Do any weaknesses remain?

- The time management of writing a paper. It specifically targets the revising and editing of the paper. Perl did point out significant problems with editing, and he says that a person may need to put more effort or time in on editing the paper, but many people won't follow this because they don't agree with that approach. Some people, like myself, don't take a lot of time out for editing because they do it as they are writing.

"My Writing Process"

     My writing process is not a drawn out or detailed, complex process. It is a lot simpler than what people actually think. I am a detailed person but I don't go overboard, especially on the outline and how I write my paper. I let most of my words flow.

     I begin with  choosing my topic or I may already have the topic chosen by my teacher which I usually do, so I will start with that. When my teacher gives me the writing assignment, I research articles, or newspaper clippings or just opinions from other people that I can find to mold an idea for my paper. The opinions give me an idea of which direction I'm going to follow throughout my paper. Say it was an argumental essay. I would have to decide whether I am going to go against or go with what the person is trying to defend or offend. After I have decided what direction I am going to take, I look for more concrete details and facts for my paper in books or articles that are written by more reliable people than before because I want my information to be correct. As I am doing this, I write all of my sources down and I put down small comments telling me something about this source and what his/her main point is and how it is relevant to my paper. Also, if a word or phrase sticks out to me, then I will write that down in the comments as well, so that I remember to insert it into my paper.

     During my thinking time or when I brainstorm, I interview people like friends, family, and even past teachers or professors that I have today. This helps me because I get real experiences and get a person's true opinion on something or I may learn something that would be applicable to my paper in some way, shape, or form. As I actually start to brainstorm ideas, I begin to write in paragraphs. This helps me to organize my thoughts and put certain facts, that are relevant to each other, together. If it does not fit, I try to fit it into another paragraph and if that does not work, then I simply throw it out. This way I remember what it actually mean and how I'm trying to interpret the concept of the paper instead of how the actually person that wrote it is trying to reflect onto the audience.

     This is where structure comes into my sentences and paragraphs. I begin by going through each sentence, one by one, through one paragraph and then I read the whole paragraph all together. As I am reading, if I find errors, I will correct them then because when I do not, I forget the mistake is even there, especially smaller mistakes that are really easy to miss while I am typing like commas, or apostrophes.

     After going through everything and I finish proofreading my paper of grammatical and spelling errors, I read through its entirety one more time, and I'm done. I do not go through every step that the writing process tells me to go through. I always have made my own path for writing, especially when it comes to my thoughts and opinions.

     

     

Read "Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language: A Cognitivist Analaysis of Writer's Block" (WaW 533-46)

Questions for Discussion and Journaling 1, 2, 4 (WaW 545)

QDJ 1, 2, 4 (WaW 545)

1. Create a list of rules that, according to Rose, interfere with the "blockers' " writing.What rules, if any, do you find yourself forced to follow that seem to get in the way of your writing?

• Always catch the audience that will read the paper.
• Write grammatically
• Do one paragraph at a time and stay on that specific paragraph until it is done.
• uncomplementary injunctions

- In school, especially high school, there are many set rules in writing from grammer to spelling, certain words that a person needs to use or does not need to use, what order to put a paper in, how long the paragraphs are, how many words are in the paper, if it sounds formal or professional, are the sources correct, does it sound exciting, the thesis statement needs to catch the reader's attention, etc, There are many things that a person has to remember and think about while writing a paper. It is very stressful, confusing, and it restricts the mind from using those actual writing skills. When a person has a lot of guidelines to follow, their ability to write the paper starts to fade because they are either rushed or too focused on rules to even think about how the paper actually sounds. The imagination and where a person could take a paper is cut off by so many rules being thrown at them at one time. There are hundreds of rules and regulations. This is when a person cannot even focus on the actual purpose of the paper. Most of the time, I am focusing on how to write the paper and what is wrong with the grammer that I get caught up in it. I forget what I am actually writing about and I lose focus on the paper. At that point, I might as well start over because my paper does not clearly say anything about my topic.

2. Describe the difference between the rules that blockers in Rose's study were following and those that non-blockers were following. What accounts for the difference?

- Many of the non-blockers took the paper out of context because they focused way too hard on everything. They focused in on one aspect of the paper and expected the rest of the paper to come together. It is like Ruth in Rose's article. She would always focus her attention on grabbing the reader's attention, or if her sentences were not grammatically correct that the sentence was not useful to the paper. Martha focuses so much on her outline that it becomes too complex and most things get thrown out because they are not clear or are not relevant. With non-blockers, they are very laid back with planning and outline and how they write a paper. Like Ellen for example, she always has a general outline in her mind, but she does not go overboard with the outline like Martha. Ellen does not complicate things with her outline. They are also less restricting by keeping things in mind instead of forcing themselves to do it exactly as the rules say. If it does not sound sensible to what they have experienced in their life then they do not use the rule.

4. Based on Rose's study and descriptions of writers and their rules, write a "rule" explaining what makes a rule good for writers, and what makes a rule bad for writers. You'll get bonus points if you can tell whether your rule is an algorithm or a heuristic.

- If a rule is restricting the fluency of your writing then do not use this rule. If it is a rule that does not make sense, but it helps in writing your paper, then it is a bad rule that you should follow. This rule is heuristic.

"Writing Process of Famous Author"

Jodi Picoult

Jodi is my favorite writer of all time. Her books are very detailed and they are filled with so many emotions and feelings. They have great, solid plots, but there are twists and turns everywhere and the reader can never know what is going to happen. She has told some journalists that she has never really had a writing process because, most of the time, she never knows what is going to happen in her books either. Jodi mentioned times that she was typing and her character comes to life on its own. "I love the moments when my characters get up and walk off on their own two feet." She recollects a story of her talking to her mother on the phone and telling her mother that she would not believe what is happening to Ellie, which lead to her hanging up on Jodi. Her she was scared because Jodi Picoult has never really had a writing process that can be put into an outline, especially with her daily, weekly and even monthly schedules with tours, spending time with her children and her husband. She says that writing can be like riding a bike down a hill with a smooth, and cool breeze, but sometimes it is like riding a bike through mud. In her alone time, she will write in the attic just to get one more scene in before dinner, which apparently turns into three because she cannot take her eyes off of the page when she is typing her stories. With some of her stories, she thinks of them and starts to type but with some, she actually goes out and experiences them for herself. In Plain Truth a lawyer, after a newborn baby was found dead in an Amish family's barn, has to stay with them for a couple of weeks until their trial is over. Jodi Picoult went to stay at an Amish families house for a week before writing her book. She milked cows at four thirty in the morning, helped cook meals, participated in bible study, and got to know the people for who they really are. For Change at Heart, she visited Death Row in Arizona, and interviewed many people there, including guards and officers. Her writing process is going our before she writes and taking real life stories, and bringing them to life in her books with different characters. She  rarely ever sits at home and writes a whole book. Jodi gets her inspiration and writing process from the real world, and not from her imagination.

Homework: September 23rd

Read "Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers" (WaW 576-89)

QDJ 1, 3, 5, and 7 (WaW 587-88)

Read "The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own  Manuscripts" (WaW 610-14)

Questions for Discussing and Journaling

p. 610-14 1, 3, 5, and 7

1. Sommers says that the language students use to describe revision is about vocabulary, suggesting that they "understand the revision process as a rewording activity" (para. 9). How is that different from the way she argues that revision should be understood?

-Revision is rewording because it is the afterthought after the writing process, and it should be understood because if a person does not know what revision is then they do not know that there is an afterthought. The theories that she has listed all conclude to it being an ending stage to the writing process. That is what it is understood as, but Sommers thinks otherwise. Revision is an afterthought in speech just like it being distinct in the linear models or else, it is counterproductive.

3. In her introduction and in analyzing students' description of revision, Sommers focuses quite a lot on the difference between speech and writing. In other words, what is she saying that difference is between two, and why is this difference relevant to how we understand revision?

- Revision is the afterthought. Well, when you are giving a speech, there is an afterthought that cannot be said, but with writing, it can be put into the paper since you have time to let revision happen. Revising is going back and changing words, "Rewording", or it is changing a phrase statement.

5. What do you think Sommers means when she says that for experienced writers, revision is based on a non-linear theory in which a sense of the whole writing both precedes and grows out of an examination of the parts? What does she mean by "the whole writing"? What does it mean for writing processes to be non-linear (not a straight line of progress from beginning to end)? And why do you think that experienced writers see writing as non-linear but student writers tend to see writing as linear (pre-write_write_edit)?

- Non-linear writings do not have a sense of direction. They are usually everywhere, and linear has more distinct stages and steps to go by. This is why student writers know a linear way of writing more than they do a writing based upon non-linear. Students have always been taught the same writing process. First there is the outline, then the draft and the student may write that multiple times. Then, the final draft comes. Most students think that it is easier to write inside of an outline because it keeps the person on topic and inside the lines of what the teacher wants or asks for.

7. Sommer's research, she says, makes her believe that student revision practices don't reflect a lack of engagement, "but rather that they do what they have been taught to do in a consistently narrow and predictable way." Where do you think students got the idea that they should see writing as transcribing and revising as changing words? Does this match what you have been taught about writing and revising? If not, what has been different in your experience?

- It has definitely been matched to what I have been taught. Most teachers would read my final draft and tell me to change many words in my writings because they were not professional or formal enough to present or that the paper does not fall in the guidelines of the topic or of the outline that we had received from them. We had to do the same thing in every paper that we had written and it was predictable. We were taught to make an outline, start writing out a rough draft, a final rough draft, a final draft, then a typed out final draft to turn in. This would always keep us inside the guidelines that we had to follow. It was also based upon the rules for writing. Our teachers would read this book on writing, and that is what the teachers would follow as there daily lesson plan when we were writing out our outlines and drafts. My teachers have never talked about revision, but we did have to go back and change certain things in our papers due to the rules of writing.

"Prior"

Questions on Discussion and Journaling 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7 (WaW 526)

QDJ 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7

2. Adding up the various aspects of the process Prior writes about, make a list of everything involved with tracing the writing process. (Hint: Your list probably should include most of the terms  and ideas Prior uses as headings throughout the part of the chapter called "Methods and Applied Analysis.")

- Collecting and Keeping Track of the Textual inscriptions themselves.
- Analyze how the Text Itself is Related
- Trace Intertextual Relations between Talk and Text
- Relating Text to an Initiating Text
- Relating Text to Source Texts
- Intertextual Analysis

• Participant Accounts
• Concurrent Acounts (Think loud Protocols) - Reading aloud, Vocalizing the Words You Write, Saying Aloud What You Are Thinking About.

- Retrospective Accounts of Writing

• Conventionalization
• Simplification

- Using Naturalistic Accounts

• autobiographical or biographical narratives or in interviews

- Process Logs

- Semi-Structured Interviewing

• Semi-structured interviews move between scripted questions and open-ended conversations

- Stimulated Elicitation Interviewing

• external stimulus
• some object that can trigger and support memory as well as serving as a source for new reflection.
• Text-based interviewing 
• Discourse-based interviewing 
• Ask writers to draw their writing process and contexts
• Using videotaped or audiotaped records of the composing as a basis for interviewing 

- Observation of Writing

• Participation Observation
• Field notes and photography 
• Recording events- videotaped recording of participants writing, settings where people have to collaborate on their writing

- Integrating Data from Multiple Sources

- Conclusion- understand where texts come from (authorship and social contexts), careful tracing of history.

                  

3. Using your own words, explain the difference between composition and inscription. Does  one always or usually seem to come first?

- Writers not only inscribe their writings but they also go back multiple times at different times to revise their paper by reading their notes, rough drafts that they have written or materials from the sources that they have found. There are also times when they do not know what to type or write, so they stop to think and plan what they are going to write next. There is no placing one before the other because they happen at different times during the writing process.

4. Why is it important to distinguish different kinds of authorship as Prior does with animator, author, and principal?

- These roles are divided, not fused. An animator actually writes the words down. The author selects those words that the animator laid out, and the principal is represented by its position in the words that the author chose.

5. What does Prior mean when he argues that to trace process you have to trace the structure of participation in a text? What sorts of participation in creating the text does he include?

- 

7. Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the several kinds of writer accounts Prior discusses (concurrent, retrospective, naturalistic, process logs, and semi-structured and stimulated-elicitation interviewing). In reading about them, do you find you have a favorite?

- Concurrents are closed off because you cannot tell what they are thinking, reading, or composing. This is for more writers that want to be alone. They do not think out loud. Retrospective counts deal with a person's memory. Some people cannot recollect moment-to-moment thinking and actions. The naturalistic at times, appears in autobiographical or biographical narratives or in interviews. A process log is a log or journal where a person writes all of their writing processes in which the writer discusses the processes, and how it relates to other writings in the class. Semi-structured interviews are planned out questions in advance of the interview but also leaving the script. Stimulated elicitation interviewing is based on semi-stimulated interviews, but it deals with a trigger that can support the memory instead of completely going off of memory alone.

" Review of Literacy Narrative"

     There are many mistakes in the paper that I see now that I did not pay attention to before I turned the paper in like transitions between paragraphs, making sure I stayed in the correct tense, making sure that my grammar was correct, but I would have also went into more detail with my stories. I made myself a copy of my paper before I turned it in. When I looked back at my paper, I realized that some of my smallest mistakes, I missed but they made a significant difference in my paper when I read it. Especially the details that I had left out in some of my stories which would have made them more interesting.

     Sometimes during transitions, I do not know the particular word that needs to be used. There are many transition words that a person can use like, first, second, third, then, in conclusion, etc, but these words are simple and I do not think that they are appropriate in a higher English course. That is what I have been taught. Especially during senior year when we were writing our research papers. In many cases, the teacher would tell me to use different transitions at the beginnings of my paragraphs because they were too simple and I never understood what to use and how to use transition words. I never use first, second, third, next, or then to transition. I may use now ever so often, but it is only when I have to. Now, I take what I was explaining or describing in the last sentence of the paragraph before, and apply it or try to connect it with the paragraph I am working on, so that it stays on subject and flows throughout the paper smoothly, and if I do that, I will hopefully succeed in good transitions between paragraphs. 

     Another thing that I had issues with was staying in the same tense. I do not have a lot of trouble with this all the time, but I will slip into a different tense without even noticing that I did, and then slip back into the correct tense. Even when I go back to read it, I still do not see the mistake sometimes. I need to learn how to proofread my paper better, and as I'm reading be able to notice that it does not sound correct when I do slip in and out of different tenses.

     I also needed to add more details to my stories. I felt that I could have specified more on certain ones so that the reader could understand and feel more from my stories. I needed to show more, not tell. I tried to apply that in my experiences, but I have trouble going into details about things that I really can not remember. The younger stories that impacted me the most, I only know the basics of those, which is understandable. The ones that I did not specify on that happened when I was much older and could remember a lot of the details, I should have put more into those stories to fill them out, and I should have told more stories in general because I have many stories. I held back a lot in that department for some reason.