Quick Takes and the Writing Process - Coursework Example

Quick Takes and the Writing Process Anyone who has ever tried to write anything before has probably been told that writing, like many other things, is a process of trial and error. Supporting this idea, Pamela Arlov in “Wordsmith: A Guide to College Writing” (2006) indicates that all writers, regardless of their experience level, will experience what is typically termed ‘writer’s block’ at some point in their lives. While these simple statements may be temporarily comforting to the individual who has just had to throw away his fifteenth idea, it offers very little assistance in overcoming the blocks that have arisen as a result. Fortunately, Arlov uses pithy clichés only as a starting point to offering real advice on how even beginning writers can improve their writing skills by practicing some simple techniques. These techniques, once learned, also serve as handy tools for the amateur or professional writer to help break the symptoms of writer’s block when it occurs. The basic process advocated by Arlov involves a simple, step-by-step process to writing as well as attention to the five ‘Quick Takes’ she offers regarding this process. The ‘Quick Takes’ offered by Arlov include taking things one step at a time, taking writing seriously, taking it easy, taking it to the limit and taking it with you. Examining these ‘takes’ in backward sequence, taking it with you indicates that an individual who wishes to improve their writing skills should not consider writing to be an occasional activity, only embarked upon when a teacher or supervisor requires it, but should instead be a regular lifetime activity. The more writing one undertakes, the easier the practice will become. Also, by writing often about a variety of topics taken from real life, a writer can find an interesting story or topic to write about in another context. “Sometimes we are so busy looking for something that we don’t realize the answer has been right there in front of us all along” (Bailey, 2006). Journal writing, for instance, provides room for practice writing, building self-confidence, even as it allows space for some forms of prewriting when preparing to write something more public. This ‘quick take’ should also remind one that writing should not be considered a relatively ‘dead’ practice, done only when exploring topics that are somehow removed from the rest of the world. Writing becomes more interesting when one is involved in the topic in some way. In addition, when one explores a topic in the real world, this interest can be communicated to the reader, giving the paper a greater appeal. Taking writing to the real world also helps overcome the obstacles individuals often place upon themselves by self-limiting language, which is what is referred to in the fourth quick take: take it to the limit. While this can, and does, refer to the idea that one should not limit their writing topics but should instead explore every aspect of their imagination that wishes to be expressed, it also refers to the tendency many people have to pass their own work off as uninteresting, untalented or unreadable without making any attempts at improvement or objective assessment. “As in many other activities in your life, the negative attitudes you hold about your writing can sabotage your personal success” (Walch, 1991). A lot of writers, especially beginning writers, will continuously tell themselves that they cannot write or that writing is not among their particular skill sets. This negative self-talk can induce writer’s block faster than a lack of subject. Those writers who ‘take it with them’ will experience less and less negative self-talk as they increase their practice and gain confidence. This negative talk can often be combated further with a little planning prior to the actual drafting of the paper. A great deal of this negative self-talk leading individuals to believe they cannot possibly write and thereby blocking all creativity comes from placing too much pressure upon oneself to perform well. “Students often set themselves up with unrealistic expectations about what they should be able to accomplish or how fast they should be able to improve. And they also discourage themselves by constantly comparing themselves with better writers” (Walch, 1991). When one expects perfection, it is nearly impossible to achieve the goals set. A ‘C’ student should not expect to attain an ‘A+’ overnight. Instead, the goal should be to learn a new skill, take a new approach, correct an old error or develop new habits. “You wouldn’t expect to learn to play the guitar or become a champion swimmer overnight, so don’t expect overnight miracles with your writing” (Walch, 1991). While this sounds like a lesson only important to the beginning writer or the student, it is an important ‘quick take’ to remember even for professional writers. “It’s tempting to believe that you can force yourself to write well, no matter how tired or stressed you feel. But don’t kid yourself – your mind and body are intimately involved in all stages of the writing process” (Walch, 1991). While expectations might be set higher, it should always be remembered that no one is ever perfect. Work should continue to be proofread and care should always be taken in organizing thoughts. As is suggested with the warning the third ‘quick take’ provides to the more experienced writer regarding proofreading, the writer should not take the task of writing too casually. While it doesn’t help to place too much pressure on oneself to perform higher than can be reasonably expected, it also doesn’t help to approach the writing with little to no serious thought. “I think it’s far more important to write well than most people realize. Writing doesn’t just communicate ideas; it generates them” (Graham, 2005). Only by taking a serious approach can one begin to correct bad writing habits and begin to develop new techniques. However, this does not mean that the writing has to take on a boring, no-nonsense tone regardless of the subject matter. Beginning stages of the writing process rely on this serious approach as the paper is planning out and organized. However, a light approach can be taken during drafting, where writing can take place in completely conversational tones and with little regard for grammar and punctuation concerns. Serious concerns come in again when revising and proofreading, yet if the writing started with a more free-flowing form, much of the personality and wit can remain even when the writing is tightened up through this serious after approach. This is what J.E. Bailey (2006) is referring to when she indicates that “perhaps the surest way to learn to write effective copy is to read it.” By reading other people’s work and recognizing good writing when it’s seen, one can begin to understand the ways in which a more casual tone adopted in drafting can come through the final revision to reach out and communicate with the reader. As this discussion of the serious approach might imply, there is a step by step process that can be taken in working to write a good paper, and that is the subject of the remaining ‘quick take.’ According to Arlov, the most important thing to remember in tackling any writing assignment is to approach it one step at a time. “Writing is often a slow process, and it always requires thought” (Arlov, 2006). By taking care to go through each step, allowing oneself room to move backward through the process as many times as necessary, the writer can produce a much better paper regardless of his or her experience. However, not every writing instructor agrees upon the number of steps in which the writing process should be broken down. Walch (2006), for example, suggests a wide range of techniques and processes to try to neutralize negative thoughts and distracting elements from the writing area. “Because different writers have different personalities, they often require different strategies to produce their best writing. All writers need to learn how to develop work habits and methods that work for them” (Walch, 2006). Distractions by their very nature disrupt the natural workflow of a writer, so it is also suggested that as many distractions as possible be avoided ahead of time if possible, such as choosing a little visited corner of the library in which to work rather than the main courtyard or local coffee shop. Most books providing advice on how to improve writing break the writing process down into four major steps. These include the prewriting stage, the drafting stage, the writing stage and the editing stage, each of which bear some detailed explanation. While Arlov agrees with these steps for the most part, she brings special attention to the importance of planning the paper by including this as an additional step among those listed by others. In addition, the writing process is considered to be a recursive process, which means a writer could find him- or herself repeating the drafting and revision stages several times before moving on to the final editing stage. Also, as ideas begin to flow, the writer may find it necessary to return to the beginning and completely reformulate a paper in order to create a better or stronger presentation. The prewriting stage is exactly what it sounds like, referring to anything that is done by the writer prior to writing the first draft of the paper. The actions described by Walch to eliminate any possible distractions from the work environment or exercises to help focus attention on positive thoughts could be considered prewriting. Other activities that could be considered prewriting would include thinking about the paper, taking notes about the paper’s subject, researching the topic at the library, gathering information in the form of interviews, analyzing data collected or creating an outline to help organize thoughts. Prewriting can also include short, simple writing exercises designed to generate thoughts or ideas. “Although prewriting is the first activity you engage in, generating ideas is an activity that occurs throughout the writing process” (“The Writing Process”, 1999). For those writers who have taken up journal writing, prewriting can also have taken place on the pages of the journal two years or more prior to the writing of the paper in question. Arlov distinguishes planning as a separate stage in and of itself although most others tend to group planning as part of the prewriting stage. This tendency to place planning under the umbrella of prewriting takes away from its importance in helping the writer to provide a strong presentation. “Careful and thoughtful planning makes it easier for you to write and for your readers to read” (Arlov, 2006). Outlining is certainly considered part of the planning process, but the extent of the outline can vary depending upon need. The outline can be anything from a bare bones, one word per paragraph hint to a full bodied outline complete with thesis statement, topic sentences and full sentenced bullet points that indicate the body of each paragraph. “Careful planning or lack of it always shows in the final draft” (Arlov, 2006). After the planning stage has been completed, the writer is ready to begin placing his or her thoughts on paper. Paul Graham suggests several ways in which this first draft should be written, all of which completely ignore the rules of grammar and punctuation. “Write a bad version as fast as you can; rewrite it over and over; cut out everything unnecessary” (Graham, 2005). Spelling can also be ignored during this initial draft and conversational tones should be used. Although the writer is busy putting thoughts and ideas into sentences and paragraphs, slang is even okay as long as the writer concentrates on explaining and supporting the thesis of the paper. The ideas become connected, sometimes out of order, but lines and arrows can indicate where these ideas properly belong later. At this stage, it is more important to get them written down. “Regardless of how much thinking and planning you do, the process of putting your ideas in words changes them; often the very words you select evoke additional ideas or implications” (“The Writing Process”, 1999). Instead of being worried about communicating the writer’s ideas to an audience, at this point the writer is simply concerned with communicating to him- or herself regarding what is known about this topic. The last two stages in the writing process are revision, which becomes the key to writing well and creating effective papers, and proofreading, which ensures the paper says what was intended with the strongest support the writer can offer As the writer reads through the initial draft, thoughts are moved from one place to another to improve the paper’s organization. Slang is converted into more standardized writing to appeal to more readers and arguments become focused more upon what the reader needs to know. Sentence structure is corrected, grammar and punctuation are added and checked, uncommon terms are defined and weak arguments are strengthened. “At this stage, you also refine your prose, making each sentence as concise and accurate as possible. Make connections between ideas explicit and clear” (“The Writing Process”, 1999). This revision process may require an entirely new draft, or several, to understand how various elements work with each other and to identify those areas that need more revision. When the revisions are complete and the paper is as strong as the writer can get it, the proofreading stage begins. This is where spelling and grammar are checked for a final time, punctuation rules are researched and implemented and the final polish is added to the paper. This detailed writing process can be seen to work throughout the five quick takes described by Arlov. This is illustrated most obviously in the very first take, which is to take writing one step at a time. In order to complete these steps, it is necessary to take a serious approach to writing so that the paper will end up being as strong as it can be. This includes taking the time to plan the paper and do the necessary research as well as critically evaluating the finished paper during the revision and proofreading processes. Yet, it is also suggested that writers take it easy on themselves when approaching the writing process, not placing their goals too high or putting too much pressure on themselves. The drafting phase can help with this as it encourages free association and unrestrained writing. This free-flow of ideas helps to facilitate the take regarding taking writing to its limit, allowing the imagination to express itself as completely as possible through the process. Taking writing into the real world can be associated with prewriting, as the ideas thought up during the day can become the tremendous paper of tomorrow. References Arlov, Pamela. (2006). Wordsmith: A Guide to College Writing. 3rd Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Bailey, J.E. (2006). “Strategies to Improve Writing Style.” GNC Web Creations. Accessed December 10, 2006 from < http://www.gnc-web-creations.com/writing-strategies.html> Graham, Paul. (March 2005). “Writing, Briefly.” Paul Graham. Accessed December 10, 2006 from < http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html> Walch, J. Weston. (1991). “How to Improve Your Writing.” Term Papers Step by Step. Accessed December 10, 2006 from “(The) Writing Process.” (1999). MIT Online Writing Center. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Accessed December 10, 2006 from Read More