Spring 2004

English 101.10 -- Language and Composition I

Process Writing

Each paper you turn in will be accompanied by a process writing. As a writer it is important to cultivate the ability to reflect on your writing. A process writing is a reflective piece in which you think about how and why you wrote your paper the way you did, why you made the choices you did, what might have happened if you had gone about things differently, and what the next step would be for further revising the paper. Always be aware of the possibilities; that's the first step to becoming a more dynamic writer. The following are examples of what you might include in a process writing:

• How did you choose your topic? Did you automatically know what you wanted to
  focus on, or did something you read or wrote help you to discover the idea?
  
• What was your purpose for the writing? What were you hoping to accomplish?
  
• How well do you feel you succeeded? Why or why not?
  
• What was your intended audience? How did you use your knowledge of that audience as you made decisions about what to include in the paper?
  
• What kinds of peer responses did you receive? Which ones did you use and why?
  Which ones did you not use and why?
  
• What problems or difficulties did you encounter while working on your drafts?
  
• How did you resolve (or attempt to resolve) these?
• What strengths or successes did you notice while working on this paper?
  
• If you were to revise this paper, what would you change? What would be the
  next step?

Sometimes it can also be helpful to learn about how you work best: (However, I should I also stress that being flexible and being able to work under a variety of conditions is an important skill to develop. Get used to writing in the labs and in class even if it's not your best thing.)

• Where did you write the paper?
  
• Did you have any distractions? Were these helpful or unhelpful? Explain.
  
• How long did it take to write the paper?
  
• Did you write the paper by hand first, create it directly on the computer, or did you use some other method?
  
• Do you need any special items when you write, such as working best with a glass of ice water nearby, or with your favorite CD playing?
  
• Is there a certain time of day when you write best?

The process writing should be written as one or more paragraphs, not as a list. 1-3 pages is a good length for your process writing. The quality and depth of the analysis and detail you provide in your process writing is part of how you paper(s) will be evaluated.