DRAFT
In the middle of a farm, my grandpa was enjoying of the annual pumpkin harvest. I will never forget how he explained me the process of cropping pumpkins. Grandpa always repeated the wonderful process preparing the ground, seeing the plant coming out, growing up, ultimately, becoming a delicious and tasteful fruit which others will appreciate. I understand writing as a similar process. Ideas are the seeds to create a valuable piece of writing. Nobody can see the ideas while the writer is drafting the essay, like the seeds, ideas grow under the ground. Writer’s thought will come out after the writer prepared the ground and improved it with organic fertilisers. Rhetoric, conventions or multimodal material better the translation of writer’s analysis to the audience. By taking care of the crop, the farmer gets a product that others will delight. Similarly, the writer takes care of each criterion of the process of writing to reach a great piece that others will taste while reading. I am convinced that just as my grandpa’s fruits are necessary for daily living, so is writing. In my career I write for two goals, the first one is extremely personal, I taught in a university, and I am a graduate student, then my personal satisfaction is to translate theories, explanations and so on. While I teach, I can do it orally, but, in the academia, faculty must publish in journals. Currently, I am pursuing my doctoral degree, and I will need to write my dissertation in a couple of years. Writing is essential in my life. In this essay, a core requirement in the English Composition course I am taking at Arizona State University, I aim to describe the process of writing. In doing so, I will highlight the outcomes of writing purposed by the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing – a platform in academic writing, developed in the US, by the Council of Writing Program Administration, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project.
The document mentioned above frames writing primarily in college-level, but as Nathalie Singh-Corcoran argues in her article Composition as a Writer of Passage, writing is “far-reaching” (2011:26) and “lifelong process” (ibid.28). Undoubtedly, anyone who expects a long career should create habits of writing. The dictionary defines a habit as an automatic reaction to a given situation. Then, developing what I will call habits of writing, the writer will write a powerful piece. I include within habits of writing, the habits of mind as well as the outcomes that the Framework for Success Postsecondary Writing considers the foundations for college writing. The document identifies eight habits of mind to approach learning: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. I will discuss them throughout this essay. But while the habits of mind are fostered “through writing, reading, and critical analysis experiences” (WPA, 2011:1), identifying and practising the outcomes will allow them to automatically emerge while the writer comes into the action of writing. Thus, the writer – through experiencing reading and research, in addition to writing – should develop a rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, a flexible writing, the knowledge of conventions, and the ability to composing in diverse settings. Becoming aware of these outcomes during the process of writing, the writer can obtain powerful, persuasive and influential writings.
The influence on the society from speakers such as Socrates in Ancient Greece or Martin Luther King Jr. in contemporary history, or writers, such as Aristotle or Edgar Alan Poe, reveal the importance of rhetoric. The speakers and writers mentioned effectively persuaded their audience. I thought rhetoric was a gift, however, it, like any other ability, can be developed by analysing the audience the writer or the speaker targets and clarifying the purpose of the message. This first step of the writing process will allow to creating readable texts, ultimately engaging the readers or the listeners. The WPA framework defines Rhetorical knowledge as “the ability to analyse and act on understandings of audiences, purposes, and contexts in creating and comprehending texts.” (WPA, 2011:6). This definition reminds me the depiction an appreciated professor did when analysing how to write. He argued that writers have to “telegraph” their message. That assertion made me figure out how I will design my message: what I want to say, and who will read or listen my thought. Simply put, the purpose and the audience. While I write this piece, I am thinking of you, another student concerned in learning how to write and the evaluators of the ENG-101 course, because you are my audience. In doing that, I aim to construct my theory of writing, which is the primary purpose of this essay. The ability to understand the context of the message the writer wants to transmit is called Rhetorical Knowledge. It allows the writer to create texts according to the participants of an ongoing discussion. By linking the expectations of the audience with writer’s thoughts, the communication will be more efficiently.
Another skill writers must develop through researching, reading and writing are Critical Thinking. According to the framework underpinning the present analysis, Critical thinking “is the ability to analyse a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that analysis” (ibid:7). This outcome of the process of learning to write enhances the capacity to argue, explain, and discuss the analysed topic. Singh-Corcoran in her article explicitly reveals how heuristic is a mechanism to think more deeply about the process of writing. Thus, each question posed for discussion forums, or for writing the writer’s journals, enabled the students to ensemble their ideas and thoughts. It is similar to the research questions. Answering them entails a deep analysis of the topic and the use of methods to validate the arguments, finally, making pronouncements grounded on such analysis.
Rhetorical Knowledge and Critical Thinking enable writers to a better examination of the problem and to introduce writer’s novel thoughts. However, the writer has not started his writing yet (See Writer’s Journal #2). Both outcomes are connected to some of the habits of mind mentioned in the WPA framework. They both foster writer’s curiosity to know more about a topic and the context of writing while opening their understanding to consider novel ideas. The ethics of writer’s thoughts and the ability to continue challenging former ideas reveals the responsibility and the persistence of the writer. The outcomes I will discuss in the next paragraphs shows other habits of mind: creativity to use innovative perspectives engagement with the meanings of the topic discussed; flexibility and reflection or metacognition. You can notice that those habits are close to the process of writing: invention, researching, drafting, revising and editing.
Although Writing Processes is not linear (WPA, 2011: 8), the strategies mentioned above facilitate the process of writing. According to the document grounding this discussion, Writing processes “are the multiple strategies writers use to approach and undertake writing and research.” (ibid: 8). As a process, planning is crucial when writing. A strategy to facilitate the starting point of writing is sketching the essay. To use heuristics, think about: What is the purpose of the essay you want to write? What do you need to achieve in your essay? Brainstorming is a common and traditional method in the first steps of writing; it facilitates the generation of ideas (see Writer’s Journal # 9) and an outline guiding the researching and drafting. The sketch allows the writer to look for evidence supporting the statement purposed in writing. After collecting and validating planning materials and data, the writer can write the first draft of the essay. The general structure of an article includes an introduction, the discussion and the conclusion. The introduction details the importance of the topic, the writer’s thesis statement, and a brief description of what the writer will demonstrate in his/her writing. The conclusion reinforces the must provide important insights or findings of the essay. The draft must be reviewed several times by the writer and by peer reviewers.
Transcribing writer’s ideas to text during drafting does not give a chance to put attention on rules of writing or conventions. Conventions “are the formal rules and informal guidelines that define what is considered to be correct (or appropriate) and incorrect (or inappropriate) in a piece of writing” (WPA, 2011:9). By revisiting the draft, the writer can reflect both 1) the way the piece telegraphs writer’s ideas, and 2) the accomplishing of formal rules. Self-reflective thinking allows the writer to rethink about the writing; its goals, its harmony with the audience, its reasons for including or excluding some ideas, its composition, its structure, and so on. However, others can also comment on the draft of the writing; this process is known as collaborative writing. Also, re-reading and re-visioning a draft allows proofreading and editing it.
Nowadays, technology facilitates revising and proofreading. The commonly used software Microsoft Word facilitates writing and formatting the text Besides, the review option allows to revisiting the text while including new comments facilitating peer revision. The last outcome posited in the WPA framework for college writing is Composing in multiple environments. It refers to the ability to create writing using everything from traditional pen and paper to electronic technologies”(10). In the academic career, researchers have to write long manuscripts for publishing in scientific journals, synthesise the ideas on an abstract, re-elaborate the ideas according to conference proceedings, compress data in audiovisual material such as slides in powerpoint, blogs, short videos, and so on.
The outcomes depicted in the essay show that writing is a process. However, the steps in this process are non-linear but spiral. While invention, researching, and drafting allow the generation of new writing, revising and editing improve the writing each time the work on it.
REFERENCES CITED
- WPA (2011), Framework for Success in Post-secondary Writing
- Singh-Corcoran, Nathalie (2011). Composition as a Write of Passage in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 2,
In the middle of a farm, my grandpa was enjoying of the annual pumpkin harvest. I will never forget how he explained me the process of cropping pumpkins. Grandpa always repeated the wonderful process preparing the ground, seeing the plant coming out, growing up, ultimately, becoming a delicious and tasteful fruit which others will appreciate. I understand writing as a similar process. Ideas are the seeds to create a valuable piece of writing. Nobody can see the ideas while the writer is drafting the essay, like the seeds, ideas grow under the ground. Writer’s thought will come out after the writer prepared the ground and improved it with organic fertilisers. Rhetoric, conventions or multimodal material better the translation of writer’s analysis to the audience. By taking care of the crop, the farmer gets a product that others will delight. Similarly, the writer takes care of each criterion of the process of writing to reach a great piece that others will taste while reading. I am convinced that just as my grandpa’s fruits are necessary for daily living, so is writing. In my career I write for two goals, the first one is extremely personal, I taught in a university, and I am a graduate student, then my personal satisfaction is to translate theories, explanations and so on. While I teach, I can do it orally, but, in the academia, faculty must publish in journals. Currently, I am pursuing my doctoral degree, and I will need to write my dissertation in a couple of years. Writing is essential in my life. In this essay, a core requirement in the English Composition course I am taking at Arizona State University, I aim to describe the process of writing. In doing so, I will highlight the outcomes of writing purposed by the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing – a platform in academic writing, developed in the US, by the Council of Writing Program Administration, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project.
The document mentioned above frames writing primarily in college-level, but as Nathalie Singh-Corcoran argues in her article Composition as a Writer of Passage, writing is “far-reaching” (2011:26) and “lifelong process” (ibid.28). Undoubtedly, anyone who expects a long career should create habits of writing. The dictionary defines a habit as an automatic reaction to a given situation. Then, developing what I will call habits of writing, the writer will write a powerful piece. I include within habits of writing, the habits of mind as well as the outcomes that the Framework for Success Postsecondary Writing considers the foundations for college writing. The document identifies eight habits of mind to approach learning: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. I will discuss them throughout this essay. But while the habits of mind are fostered “through writing, reading, and critical analysis experiences” (WPA, 2011:1), identifying and practising the outcomes will allow them to automatically emerge while the writer comes into the action of writing. Thus, the writer – through experiencing reading and research, in addition to writing – should develop a rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, a flexible writing, the knowledge of conventions, and the ability to composing in diverse settings. Becoming aware of these outcomes during the process of writing, the writer can obtain powerful, persuasive and influential writings.
The influence on the society from speakers such as Socrates in Ancient Greece or Martin Luther King Jr. in contemporary history, or writers, such as Aristotle or Edgar Alan Poe, reveal the importance of rhetoric. The speakers and writers mentioned effectively persuaded their audience. I thought rhetoric was a gift, however, it, like any other ability, can be developed by analysing the audience the writer or the speaker targets and clarifying the purpose of the message. This first step of the writing process will allow to creating readable texts, ultimately engaging the readers or the listeners. The WPA framework defines Rhetorical knowledge as “the ability to analyse and act on understandings of audiences, purposes, and contexts in creating and comprehending texts.” (WPA, 2011:6). This definition reminds me the depiction an appreciated professor did when analysing how to write. He argued that writers have to “telegraph” their message. That assertion made me figure out how I will design my message: what I want to say, and who will read or listen my thought. Simply put, the purpose and the audience. While I write this piece, I am thinking of you, another student concerned in learning how to write and the evaluators of the ENG-101 course, because you are my audience. In doing that, I aim to construct my theory of writing, which is the primary purpose of this essay. The ability to understand the context of the message the writer wants to transmit is called Rhetorical Knowledge. It allows the writer to create texts according to the participants of an ongoing discussion. By linking the expectations of the audience with writer’s thoughts, the communication will be more efficiently.
Another skill writers must develop through researching, reading and writing are Critical Thinking. According to the framework underpinning the present analysis, Critical thinking “is the ability to analyse a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that analysis” (ibid:7). This outcome of the process of learning to write enhances the capacity to argue, explain, and discuss the analysed topic. Singh-Corcoran in her article explicitly reveals how heuristic is a mechanism to think more deeply about the process of writing. Thus, each question posed for discussion forums, or for writing the writer’s journals, enabled the students to ensemble their ideas and thoughts. It is similar to the research questions. Answering them entails a deep analysis of the topic and the use of methods to validate the arguments, finally, making pronouncements grounded on such analysis.
Rhetorical Knowledge and Critical Thinking enable writers to a better examination of the problem and to introduce writer’s novel thoughts. However, the writer has not started his writing yet (See Writer’s Journal #2). Both outcomes are connected to some of the habits of mind mentioned in the WPA framework. They both foster writer’s curiosity to know more about a topic and the context of writing while opening their understanding to consider novel ideas. The ethics of writer’s thoughts and the ability to continue challenging former ideas reveals the responsibility and the persistence of the writer. The outcomes I will discuss in the next paragraphs shows other habits of mind: creativity to use innovative perspectives engagement with the meanings of the topic discussed; flexibility and reflection or metacognition. You can notice that those habits are close to the process of writing: invention, researching, drafting, revising and editing.
Although Writing Processes is not linear (WPA, 2011: 8), the strategies mentioned above facilitate the process of writing. According to the document grounding this discussion, Writing processes “are the multiple strategies writers use to approach and undertake writing and research.” (ibid: 8). As a process, planning is crucial when writing. A strategy to facilitate the starting point of writing is sketching the essay. To use heuristics, think about: What is the purpose of the essay you want to write? What do you need to achieve in your essay? Brainstorming is a common and traditional method in the first steps of writing; it facilitates the generation of ideas (see Writer’s Journal # 9) and an outline guiding the researching and drafting. The sketch allows the writer to look for evidence supporting the statement purposed in writing. After collecting and validating planning materials and data, the writer can write the first draft of the essay. The general structure of an article includes an introduction, the discussion and the conclusion. The introduction details the importance of the topic, the writer’s thesis statement, and a brief description of what the writer will demonstrate in his/her writing. The conclusion reinforces the must provide important insights or findings of the essay. The draft must be reviewed several times by the writer and by peer reviewers.
Transcribing writer’s ideas to text during drafting does not give a chance to put attention on rules of writing or conventions. Conventions “are the formal rules and informal guidelines that define what is considered to be correct (or appropriate) and incorrect (or inappropriate) in a piece of writing” (WPA, 2011:9). By revisiting the draft, the writer can reflect both 1) the way the piece telegraphs writer’s ideas, and 2) the accomplishing of formal rules. Self-reflective thinking allows the writer to rethink about the writing; its goals, its harmony with the audience, its reasons for including or excluding some ideas, its composition, its structure, and so on. However, others can also comment on the draft of the writing; this process is known as collaborative writing. Also, re-reading and re-visioning a draft allows proofreading and editing it.
Nowadays, technology facilitates revising and proofreading. The commonly used software Microsoft Word facilitates writing and formatting the text Besides, the review option allows to revisiting the text while including new comments facilitating peer revision. The last outcome posited in the WPA framework for college writing is Composing in multiple environments. It refers to the ability to create writing using everything from traditional pen and paper to electronic technologies”(10). In the academic career, researchers have to write long manuscripts for publishing in scientific journals, synthesise the ideas on an abstract, re-elaborate the ideas according to conference proceedings, compress data in audiovisual material such as slides in powerpoint, blogs, short videos, and so on.
The outcomes depicted in the essay show that writing is a process. However, the steps in this process are non-linear but spiral. While invention, researching, and drafting allow the generation of new writing, revising and editing improve the writing each time the work on it.
REFERENCES CITED
- WPA (2011), Framework for Success in Post-secondary Writing
- Singh-Corcoran, Nathalie (2011). Composition as a Write of Passage in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 2,
FINAL DRAFT
In his farm, my grandpa annually enjoined the pumpkin harvest. I will never forget how he explained me the process of cropping pumpkins. Grandpa always repeated the wonderful process preparing the ground, seeing the plant coming out, growing up, ultimately, becoming a delicious and tasteful fruit which others will appreciate. I understand and enjoy writing as my grandpa did, cropping pumpkins. Ideas are the seeds to create a valuable piece of writing. Nobody can see the ideas while the writer is drafting the essay, like the seeds, ideas grow under the ground. Writer’s thought will come out after the writer prepared the ground and improved it with organic fertilisers. Rhetoric, conventions or multimodal material better the translation of writer’s analysis to the audience. The writer takes care of each criterion of the process of writing to reach a great piece that others will taste while reading. Similarly, by taking care of the crop, the farmer gets a product that others will delight. I am convinced that just as my grandpa’s fruits are necessary for daily living, so is writing. In my career I write for two goals, the first one is extremely personal, I taught in a university, and I am a Ph.D. student, then my personal satisfaction is to translate theories, explanations and so on. While I teach, I can do it orally. But, in the academia, faculty must publish, scientific articles in journals, or books. Currently, I am pursuing my doctoral degree, and I will need to write my dissertation in a couple of years. Undoubtedly, writing is essential in my life; it is a challenge, it is an instrument. In this essay, a core requirement in the English Composition course I am taking at Arizona State University, I aim to describe the process of writing. In doing so, I will highlight the outcomes of writing purposed by the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing – a platform in academic writing, developed in the US, by the Council of Writing Program Administration, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project.
The document mentioned above frames writing primarily in college-level, but as Nathalie Singh-Corcoran argues in her article Composition as a Writer of Passage, writing is “far-reaching” (2011:26) and “lifelong process” (ibid.28). Certainly, anyone who expects a long career should create habits of writing. The dictionary defines a habit as an automatic reaction to a given situation. Then, developing what I will call habits of writing, the writer will reach a powerful piece. I include within habits of writing, the habits of mind as well as the outcomes that the Framework for Success Postsecondary Writing considers the foundations for college writing. The document identifies eight habits of mind to approach learning: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. I will discuss them throughout this essay. But while the habits of mind are fostered “through writing, reading, and critical analysis experiences” (WPA, 2011:1), identifying and practising the outcomes will allow them to automatically emerge while the writer comes into the action of writing. Thus, the writer – through experiencing reading and research, in addition to writing – should develop a rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, a flexible writing, conventions, and the ability to composing in diverse settings. Becoming aware of these outcomes during the process of writing, the writer can obtain powerful, persuasive and influential writings.
The influence on the society from speakers such as Socrates in Ancient Greece, or Martin Luther King Jr. in contemporary history, or writers, such as Aristotle or Edgar Alan Poe, reveal the importance of rhetoric. The speakers and writers mentioned effectively persuaded their audience. I thought rhetoric was a gift, however, it, like any other ability, can be developed by analysing the audience the writer or the speaker targets and clarifying the purpose of the message. This first step of the writing process will allow to creating readable texts, ultimately engaging the readers or the listeners. The WPA framework defines Rhetorical knowledge as “the ability to analyse and act on understandings of audiences, purposes, and contexts in creating and comprehending texts.” (WPA, 2011:6). This definition reminds me the depiction an appreciated professor did when analysing how to write. He argued that writers have to “telegraph” their message. That assertion made me figure out how I will design my message: what I want to say, and who will read or listen my thought. Simply put, the purpose and the audience. While I write this piece, I am thinking of you, another student concerned in learning how to write, and ENG-101 course evaluators, because you and they are my audiences. In doing that, I aim to construct my theory of writing, which is the primary purpose of this essay. The ability to understand the context of the message the writer wants to transmit allows the writer to create texts according to the participants of an ongoing discussion. By linking the expectations of the audience with writer’s thoughts, the communication will be more efficiently,
Another skill writers must develop through researching, reading and writing are Critical Thinking. According to the framework underpinning the present analysis, Critical thinking “is the ability to analyse a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that analysis” (ibid:7). This outcome of the process of learning to write enhances the capacity to argue, explain, and discuss the analysed topic. Singh-Corcoran in her article explicitly reveals how heuristic is a mechanism to think more deeply about the process of writing. Thus, each question posed for discussion forums, or for writing the writer’s journals, enabled the students of the ENG-101 course to ensemble their ideas and thoughts. It is similar to the research questions I am preparing for my dissertation. Answering them entails a deep analysis of the topic and the use of methods to validate the arguments, finally, making pronouncements grounded on such analysis.
Rhetorical Knowledge and Critical Thinking enable writers to a better examination of the problem and to introduce writer’s novel thoughts. However, the writer has not started his writing yet (See Writer’s Journal #2). Like my grandpa prepared the ground for seeding it, rhetoric and critical thinking prepares the writer. Both outcomes are connected to some of the habits of mind mentioned in the WPA framework. They both foster writer’s curiosity to know more about a topic and the context of writing while opening their understanding to consider novel ideas. The ethics of writer’s thoughts and the ability to continue challenging former ideas reveals the responsibility and the persistence of the writer. The outcomes I will discuss in the next paragraphs show other habits of mind: creativity to use innovative perspectives; engagement with the meanings of the topic discussed; flexibility and, reflection or metacognition. You can notice that those habits are close to the process of writing, which includes: invention, researching, drafting, revising and editing.
Although Writing Processes is not linear (WPA, 2011: 8), the strategies mentioned above facilitate the process of writing. About the writing process, the document grounding this discussion defines it as “the multiple strategies writers use to approach and undertake writing and research.” (ibid: 8). As a process, planning is crucial when writing. A strategy to facilitate the starting point of writing is sketching the essay. To use heuristics, think about: What is the purpose of the essay you want to write? What do you need to achieve in your essay? In the course discussion, brainstorming emerged as the most common and traditional method in the first steps of writing. This spontaneous production of ideas facilitates to (see Writer’s Journal # 9) outline of the researching and drafting. The sketch allows the writer to look for evidence supporting the statement purposed in writing. After collecting and validating information or data, the writer is able to start the first draft of the essay. The general structure of an article includes an introduction, the discussion and the conclusion. The introduction details the importance of the topic, the writer’s thesis statement, and a brief description of what the writer will demonstrate in his/her writing. The conclusion reinforces the most important insights or findings of the essay. The draft must be reviewed several times by the writer and by peer reviewers reflecting on and proofreading it
Transcribing writer’s ideas to text during drafting does not give a chance to put attention on rules of writing or conventions. Conventions “are the formal rules and informal guidelines that define what is considered to be correct (or appropriate) and incorrect (or inappropriate) in a piece of writing” (WPA, 2011:9). By revisiting the draft, the writer can reflect both 1) the way the piece telegraphs writer’s ideas, and 2) the accomplishing of formal rules. Self-reflective thinking is a technique that allows the writer to rethink about the message in the text; its goals, its harmony with the audience, its reasons for including or excluding some ideas, its composition, its structure, and so on. However, others can also comment on the draft; this process is known as collaborative writing. Also, re-reading and re-visioning a draft allows proofreading and editing it. During the course, we worked on both self-reflection and collaborative writing. The social aspect of writing makes me acknowledge the importance of academic lectures, which I talk in my Writing Project #2 as part of my community.
The software Microsoft Word, commonly used nowadays, facilitates writing and formatting, as well as revising and proofreading. The review option allows to revisiting the text while including new comments facilitating peer revision. The last outcome posited in the WPA framework for college writing is Composing in multiple environments. It refers to both: “the ability to create writing using everything from traditional pen and paper to electronic technologies”(ibid 10). In the academic career, researchers have to write long manuscripts for publishing in scientific journals, synthesise ideas on an abstract, re-elaborate the ideas according to conference proceedings, compress data in audiovisual material such as slides in powerpoint, blogs, short videos, and so on, and technology facilitates it. I cannot figure out how my professors could write without a software to write. Can you imagine, writing 20 pages long again because peer reviewers made observations on it.
Rhetoric and critical thinking are to my grandpa’s ground preparation as Conventions and technology are to ferlizing and taking care of the crop. By detailed and delicate care seeds become fruits, as thoughts become writings. However, the practice of writing is a non-linear process; but spiral, I think. While invention, researching, and drafting allow the generation of new writing; each revision and edition improve the writing and conventions. Ultimately, obtaining a great performance which others will enjoy. I enjoy my final-writing harvesting as my grandpa did with his pumpkins.
In his farm, my grandpa annually enjoined the pumpkin harvest. I will never forget how he explained me the process of cropping pumpkins. Grandpa always repeated the wonderful process preparing the ground, seeing the plant coming out, growing up, ultimately, becoming a delicious and tasteful fruit which others will appreciate. I understand and enjoy writing as my grandpa did, cropping pumpkins. Ideas are the seeds to create a valuable piece of writing. Nobody can see the ideas while the writer is drafting the essay, like the seeds, ideas grow under the ground. Writer’s thought will come out after the writer prepared the ground and improved it with organic fertilisers. Rhetoric, conventions or multimodal material better the translation of writer’s analysis to the audience. The writer takes care of each criterion of the process of writing to reach a great piece that others will taste while reading. Similarly, by taking care of the crop, the farmer gets a product that others will delight. I am convinced that just as my grandpa’s fruits are necessary for daily living, so is writing. In my career I write for two goals, the first one is extremely personal, I taught in a university, and I am a Ph.D. student, then my personal satisfaction is to translate theories, explanations and so on. While I teach, I can do it orally. But, in the academia, faculty must publish, scientific articles in journals, or books. Currently, I am pursuing my doctoral degree, and I will need to write my dissertation in a couple of years. Undoubtedly, writing is essential in my life; it is a challenge, it is an instrument. In this essay, a core requirement in the English Composition course I am taking at Arizona State University, I aim to describe the process of writing. In doing so, I will highlight the outcomes of writing purposed by the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing – a platform in academic writing, developed in the US, by the Council of Writing Program Administration, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project.
The document mentioned above frames writing primarily in college-level, but as Nathalie Singh-Corcoran argues in her article Composition as a Writer of Passage, writing is “far-reaching” (2011:26) and “lifelong process” (ibid.28). Certainly, anyone who expects a long career should create habits of writing. The dictionary defines a habit as an automatic reaction to a given situation. Then, developing what I will call habits of writing, the writer will reach a powerful piece. I include within habits of writing, the habits of mind as well as the outcomes that the Framework for Success Postsecondary Writing considers the foundations for college writing. The document identifies eight habits of mind to approach learning: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. I will discuss them throughout this essay. But while the habits of mind are fostered “through writing, reading, and critical analysis experiences” (WPA, 2011:1), identifying and practising the outcomes will allow them to automatically emerge while the writer comes into the action of writing. Thus, the writer – through experiencing reading and research, in addition to writing – should develop a rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, a flexible writing, conventions, and the ability to composing in diverse settings. Becoming aware of these outcomes during the process of writing, the writer can obtain powerful, persuasive and influential writings.
The influence on the society from speakers such as Socrates in Ancient Greece, or Martin Luther King Jr. in contemporary history, or writers, such as Aristotle or Edgar Alan Poe, reveal the importance of rhetoric. The speakers and writers mentioned effectively persuaded their audience. I thought rhetoric was a gift, however, it, like any other ability, can be developed by analysing the audience the writer or the speaker targets and clarifying the purpose of the message. This first step of the writing process will allow to creating readable texts, ultimately engaging the readers or the listeners. The WPA framework defines Rhetorical knowledge as “the ability to analyse and act on understandings of audiences, purposes, and contexts in creating and comprehending texts.” (WPA, 2011:6). This definition reminds me the depiction an appreciated professor did when analysing how to write. He argued that writers have to “telegraph” their message. That assertion made me figure out how I will design my message: what I want to say, and who will read or listen my thought. Simply put, the purpose and the audience. While I write this piece, I am thinking of you, another student concerned in learning how to write, and ENG-101 course evaluators, because you and they are my audiences. In doing that, I aim to construct my theory of writing, which is the primary purpose of this essay. The ability to understand the context of the message the writer wants to transmit allows the writer to create texts according to the participants of an ongoing discussion. By linking the expectations of the audience with writer’s thoughts, the communication will be more efficiently,
Another skill writers must develop through researching, reading and writing are Critical Thinking. According to the framework underpinning the present analysis, Critical thinking “is the ability to analyse a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that analysis” (ibid:7). This outcome of the process of learning to write enhances the capacity to argue, explain, and discuss the analysed topic. Singh-Corcoran in her article explicitly reveals how heuristic is a mechanism to think more deeply about the process of writing. Thus, each question posed for discussion forums, or for writing the writer’s journals, enabled the students of the ENG-101 course to ensemble their ideas and thoughts. It is similar to the research questions I am preparing for my dissertation. Answering them entails a deep analysis of the topic and the use of methods to validate the arguments, finally, making pronouncements grounded on such analysis.
Rhetorical Knowledge and Critical Thinking enable writers to a better examination of the problem and to introduce writer’s novel thoughts. However, the writer has not started his writing yet (See Writer’s Journal #2). Like my grandpa prepared the ground for seeding it, rhetoric and critical thinking prepares the writer. Both outcomes are connected to some of the habits of mind mentioned in the WPA framework. They both foster writer’s curiosity to know more about a topic and the context of writing while opening their understanding to consider novel ideas. The ethics of writer’s thoughts and the ability to continue challenging former ideas reveals the responsibility and the persistence of the writer. The outcomes I will discuss in the next paragraphs show other habits of mind: creativity to use innovative perspectives; engagement with the meanings of the topic discussed; flexibility and, reflection or metacognition. You can notice that those habits are close to the process of writing, which includes: invention, researching, drafting, revising and editing.
Although Writing Processes is not linear (WPA, 2011: 8), the strategies mentioned above facilitate the process of writing. About the writing process, the document grounding this discussion defines it as “the multiple strategies writers use to approach and undertake writing and research.” (ibid: 8). As a process, planning is crucial when writing. A strategy to facilitate the starting point of writing is sketching the essay. To use heuristics, think about: What is the purpose of the essay you want to write? What do you need to achieve in your essay? In the course discussion, brainstorming emerged as the most common and traditional method in the first steps of writing. This spontaneous production of ideas facilitates to (see Writer’s Journal # 9) outline of the researching and drafting. The sketch allows the writer to look for evidence supporting the statement purposed in writing. After collecting and validating information or data, the writer is able to start the first draft of the essay. The general structure of an article includes an introduction, the discussion and the conclusion. The introduction details the importance of the topic, the writer’s thesis statement, and a brief description of what the writer will demonstrate in his/her writing. The conclusion reinforces the most important insights or findings of the essay. The draft must be reviewed several times by the writer and by peer reviewers reflecting on and proofreading it
Transcribing writer’s ideas to text during drafting does not give a chance to put attention on rules of writing or conventions. Conventions “are the formal rules and informal guidelines that define what is considered to be correct (or appropriate) and incorrect (or inappropriate) in a piece of writing” (WPA, 2011:9). By revisiting the draft, the writer can reflect both 1) the way the piece telegraphs writer’s ideas, and 2) the accomplishing of formal rules. Self-reflective thinking is a technique that allows the writer to rethink about the message in the text; its goals, its harmony with the audience, its reasons for including or excluding some ideas, its composition, its structure, and so on. However, others can also comment on the draft; this process is known as collaborative writing. Also, re-reading and re-visioning a draft allows proofreading and editing it. During the course, we worked on both self-reflection and collaborative writing. The social aspect of writing makes me acknowledge the importance of academic lectures, which I talk in my Writing Project #2 as part of my community.
The software Microsoft Word, commonly used nowadays, facilitates writing and formatting, as well as revising and proofreading. The review option allows to revisiting the text while including new comments facilitating peer revision. The last outcome posited in the WPA framework for college writing is Composing in multiple environments. It refers to both: “the ability to create writing using everything from traditional pen and paper to electronic technologies”(ibid 10). In the academic career, researchers have to write long manuscripts for publishing in scientific journals, synthesise ideas on an abstract, re-elaborate the ideas according to conference proceedings, compress data in audiovisual material such as slides in powerpoint, blogs, short videos, and so on, and technology facilitates it. I cannot figure out how my professors could write without a software to write. Can you imagine, writing 20 pages long again because peer reviewers made observations on it.
Rhetoric and critical thinking are to my grandpa’s ground preparation as Conventions and technology are to ferlizing and taking care of the crop. By detailed and delicate care seeds become fruits, as thoughts become writings. However, the practice of writing is a non-linear process; but spiral, I think. While invention, researching, and drafting allow the generation of new writing; each revision and edition improve the writing and conventions. Ultimately, obtaining a great performance which others will enjoy. I enjoy my final-writing harvesting as my grandpa did with his pumpkins.