Although much research has
been done on the writing
processes of skilled and
unskilled writers, researchers
cannot generalize or even
understand why the
participant performs
particular actions.
Self-Evaluation of My Writing
Process Portrayed in Freshman
Composition
WHITNEY BROWN
Produced in Heather Wayne’s Fall 20 09 ENC1101
Introduction
Writing processes are often misunderstood because the writing process is unique to
every individual. However, research on skilled and unskilled writers allows us to better understand
the individual writing processes. Sondra Perl and Carol Berkenkotter are skilled researchers who
conducted studies to provide us with this better understanding of writing processes. Sondra Perl
focused specifically on the process of an unskilled writer. Before Perl conducted this research, it
was often assumed that unskilled writers had no planned process. However, Perl disproved this by
conducting experiments on five unskilled writers. The five unskilled writers composed their essays
aloud, speaking the thoughts that came to their heads, while Perl recorded their thoughts and
actions. Tony, one of the five subjects, composed aloud with the researcher in four 90-minute
sessions to “externalize [his] thinking process.” In one additional session, the unskilled writers
participated in an open-ended interview in which each reflected on his or her own writing
experiences (Perl 185). She discovered that although an unskilled writer’s process may seem
arbitrary, there is actually a deeply embedded process. The writers display these processes each
time they are presented with a writing task (191). Carol
Berkenkotter conducted a similar study on Donald M. Murray,
a professional and very skilled writer. Murray composed his
essay aloud like Tony but did so in his natural setting, with no
time limit (Berkenkotter 201-4). Berkenkotter discovered that
each person has a unique set of processes that make up the
way he or she writes.
Although much research has been done on the writing
processes of skilled and unskilled writers, researchers cannot
generalize or even understand why the participant performs
particular actions. That is because only the participant can
understand his specific writing process, actions, and why he
acts the way he does. Therefore, I conducted research on my individual writing process. I
discovered that my planning and drafting processes are very similar and it is difficult to
differentiate between the two.
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
2
Methodology
I conducted a study similar to Perl and Berkenkotter on myself, in which I performed the
think aloud protocol. I recorded my thoughts as I composed my essay. When Perl conducted the
experiment, Tony was required to respond to a prompt within 90 minutes. Murray, on the other
hand, had an unlimited amount of time and could stop the process whenever he chose. I, too, had an
unlimited amount of time, but I composed the entire first draft in one sitting of three hours. I
recorded myself as I composed and kept the recording going during any distractions. To record
myself, I used the sound recorder on my laptop.
The assignment during which I completed the think aloud protocol was to compose a
synthesis essay about the article written by Berkenkotter, “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning
Strategies of a Publishing Writer.” I would have preferred to perform the think aloud protocol on a
different assignment as recommended; however, I did not have any writing assignments in other
classes. Another writing assignment would have allowed me to better distinguish between
distractions and thinking about the assignment. When writing the synthesis essay, I noticed that I
seemed to put more effort into making the essay perfect. Although I do typically put a lot of time
and effort into completing my work, I still noticed an increase. I felt compelled to present my
process as well as possible. In doing so, I believe I may have altered my process slightly, but, overall,
I believe the results are representative of my process.
In analyzing my writing process, I created a code to enable me to do so easily and
effectively. This code classified my process into four basic categories with multiple subcategories.
The four main categories consisted of planning, drafting, revising and miscellaneous/unrelated
activity. The subcategories are the individual activities such as typing/writing, talking about the
assignment, pausing and reading sources. After coding my paper, I determined how often I did each
activity and created a table to represent this information, as shown in Table 1. In addition, I created
a table that lists the subcategories in order by percentages from most common to least common, as
displayed in Table 2. These two tables enabled me to compare the frequency of my individual
actions and to determine how often I plan, draft, revise and do miscellaneous/unrelated activities.
Table 1: Frequency of Actions
Planning
Activity
Occurrence
Percentage
Reading sources
24
5.58
Re-reading what you’ve written
3
0.7
Re-reading question/assignment
18
4.19
Looking at structure
10
2.33
Taking notes from sources
3
0.7
Questioning/analyzing
7
1.63
Time constraints/word limit
8
1.86
Thinking “ums"
0
0
Talking about assignment
60
13.95
Typing Outline
11
2.56
Refocusing
13
3.02
Reading Outline
5
1.16
Total
162
37.67
Drafting
Activity
Occurrence
Percentage
Typing/ Writing
62
14.42
Speaking/ Writing
8
1.86
Total
70
16.28
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
3
Revision
Activity
Occurrence
Percentage
Reading what is written
1
0.23
Revision: Word Choice/ Lexical
13
3.02
Revision: Structure
4
0.93
Revision: Syntax
3
0.7
Revision: Spelling/ Typing
20
4.65
Total
41
9.53
Miscellaneous/Unrelated
Activity
Occurrence
Percentage
Pausing
45
10.47
Sighing
7
1.63
“um”: Filler
12
2.79
Laughing
24
5.58
Technical difficulties
5
1.16
Thinking about thinking out loud/
narrating
9
2.09
Singing/whistling
0
0
TV
0
0
Texting
2
0.47
Internet
0
0
Facebook
0
0
Bathroom
1
0.23
Eating
4
0.93
Socializing
0
0
Spacing out
0
0
Talking about environment
7
1.63
Talking about personal/emotional
state
12
2.79
Talking about functions
8
1.86
Talking about typing/writing
4
0.93
Incomprehensible talking
3
0.7
Random Talking
1
0.23
Thinking gestures
2
0.47
Talking about other assignments
6
1.4
Whining/ complaining
3
0.7
Coughing
1
0.23
Yawning
1
0.23
Total
157
36.51
Table 2: Frequency of Activities
What I did: most common to least common
Percent
Activities
14.42
Typing/Writing
13.95
Talking about Assignment
10.47
Pausing
5.58
Reading Sources, Laughing
4.65
Revising: Spelling/ typing
4.16
Rereading Question/ Assignment
3.02
Refocusing, Revision: Word Choice/ Lexical
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
4
2.79
Um: Filler, Talking about emotional/ physical state
2.56
Typing Outline
2.33
Looking at Structure
2.09
Thinking about thinking out loud
1.86
Time constraints/Word Limit, Speaking/writing, talking
about functions
1.63
Questioning/ analyzing, Sighing, Talking about
environment
1.4
Talking about other assignments
1.16
Reading/ referencing outline, Technical difficulties
0.93
Revision: structure, eating, talking about typing/writing
0.7
Rereading what you’ve written, Taking notes from
sources, Revision: syntax, Incomprehensible talking,
Whining/complaining
0.47
Texting, Thinking Gestures
0.23
Reading: what is written, Bathroom, Random talking,
Coughing, Yawning
What I Already Knew about My Process
When composing my synthesis essay, I had to alter my writing process slightly in order to
perform the think aloud protocol. I had to adjust my natural environment. I wrote the essay in one
sitting of three hours. Normally, when I write an essay, I break the assignment up and work on each
piece at a different time. For example, if I had written the synthesis essay as I would any longer
essay, I would have broken it up into three parts. Part one would be writing the general outline,
which I would do at one time. Part two would be filling out the outline to make it more specific,
which I would do at another time. Finally, part three would be composing the actual essay. Because
I like to compose my essay in “chunks,” writing it in one sitting was a little different for me but I
don’t believe it misrepresented my process.
Changing my natural environment is more likely to have an effect on my writing process.
When I write an essay, I have a very specific environment in which I like to write. I like to sit on one
of the benches in the library with my feet propped up and my laptop on my legs. When I am told to
write in another setting, it is not that I cannot write but I it takes me longer to form my ideas and I
feel as though the final product is only mediocre. One of my least favorite writing environments is
in a classroom setting with pen and paper in front of me. When I am in a classroom setting, I
experience a form of writer’s block. One particular day in class, our professor had us respond to the
same prompt Berkenkotter had Murray respond to in the laboratory setting. The prompt required
me to explain death to children between the ages of 10 and 12. Although we were only given a few
minutes to respond to the prompt, I can say I would not have been able to produce a response even
if I were given a couple of hours. During the time we were given, I was only able to write one word
and that word was “Death.” Even though Murray was a professional and very skilled writer, he also
had trouble responding to this topic in an unnatural setting. Murray was given one hour to respond
to the prompt. In that hour, Murray produced but one sentence. As Berkenkotter states, “Under
these circumstances, Murray clutched, producing two lines of text: ‘Dear 11 year old. You are going
to die. Sorry. Be seeing you. P. Muglump, Local Funeral Director’” (Berkenkotter 203).
Because I know my writing process and understand in which environments I write well, I
know the process I demonstrated in the classroom is not representative of my traditional writing
process. Had a researcher analyzed this situation, he may not have known that my process was
misrepresented; therefore, the results would have been significantly skewed. In the given setting, I
panicked because I had very little time to write and was unfamiliar with the topic. I did not have
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
5
Had Perl and Berkenkotter
studied my writing process,
they could have developed a
pattern to explain my writing
process; however, they would
not be able to understand why I
choose to construct a detailed
outline, why I edit my outline
before I write my essay or why I
became distracted when I did.
time to familiarize myself with the topic and audience or plan what I needed to talk about;
therefore, I skipped the most important parts of my writing process.
What I Learned about My Process
At first, when I analyzed the data, I looked at the four general categories (planning, drafting,
revising and miscellaneous). When doing so, I found that I spent most of my time planning
(37.67%). Miscellaneous/unrelated actions also consumed a large amount of time (36.51%).
Drafting only consumed 16.28% of my writing process. I spent the least amount of time revising,
which accounted for 9.53% of my total actions. However, I did not find this representative of my
true writing process. Therefore, I adjusted my method of analyzing the data and compared the
individual activities that are like subcategories to the general categories. Comparing the
percentages of how often each individual activity occurred seems to be the most accurate method
for comparing the data. Table 2 shows the individual activities in order from most common to least
common. When looking at the individual activities, the majority of my actions consisted of drafting:
typing/writing (14.42%), talking about the assignment (13.95%), and pausing (10.47%). I found
this method of comparing the data much more useful, partially because it is more specific than my
original method.
When I was coding my transcript (see Appendix) from the think aloud protocol, I realized
that my planning and drafting process were very similar. For example, in my outline I typed,
“Murray was studied in natural settings with an unlimited amount of time while writing as well as
in the research lab with a one- hour time limit.” When I “transferred” this sentence to my actual
draft, I simply expanded my thought to be more inclusive. When typing my first draft, many times I
follow my outline in order. Because my processes are so
similar, I had a difficult time differentiating between the
two processes. During my planning process, I created
an outline of questions. This is to develop the overall
structure of my paper and to ensure that I include all
the information that needs to be included. Next, I
answered the questions and referred to my sources to
provide support. When answering the questions, I often
became so detailed that my planning and drafting
processes overlapped. Because my planning and
drafting processes overlap, a comparison of the overall
categories—my first method of comparison—is not an
effective method for analyzing my writing process.
Comparing how often each individual activity occurred
represented my process much more accurately.
Not only did I construct my outline in a detailed manner, I also revised it for misspellings,
typing errors, wording and structural improvements. I make structural revisions when writing my
outline because it is easier for me to determine if I have effectively illustrated my point when
looking at the overall flow of my paper. After typing the questions in the order I expected to write
my paper, I stopped to see if I liked the flow of the paper or needed to add anything else. When I
paused, I said, “Okay so I will probably kind of compose my essay in that way because that actually
makes sense because it’s going from…” (Transcript 1). I also made spelling, typing and grammar
corrections when writing my outline because Microsoft Word points out mistakes as I go. For
example, when I forgot to capitalize “murray,” I paused and said, “Let me capitalize the M in Murray
because it is underlining it” (Transcript 1). I find it easier to go ahead and correct the mistakes as I
notice them. Although I do edit my paper as I am writing my draft, I have most of the major
components of my composition figured out before I even start to write my “first draft.” Most of the
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
6
changes I made while writing my draft consisted of using better words and correcting spelling or
typing errors. When I was writing my essay, I paused because I typed “5” instead of “five” and
thought, “I should spell ‘five’ out” (Transcript 10). To me, the planning process is extremely
important to successfully writing a well-structured essay.
When writing my first draft, I already have an extremely good idea of what I want to say.
Therefore, I usually start typing my essay and don’t stop to revise as I go unless something jumps
out at me. I begin drafting my actual essay on page 10 of my transcript and end on page 13.
Between these pages, I get on a roll and just type, with a few pauses where I say things like “I should
add a quote here” or “I spelt…wrong” (11). After typing for a relatively long time, I stop and point
out that “I am not really saying anything but that I because I have been typing for like this entire
time… I did stop at one point to think about what time it is…” (Transcript 10). For the most part, I
type the first draft without stopping to edit the paper. After I finished drafting the paper, I reread
the paper and moved one paragraph to the end of the paper, saying, “And that’s it” (13). The next
day, I made a few basic changes, but I was at the library and unable to record myself. The changes
were no more than a word here and a sentence there.
Discussion/Conclusion
I have concluded that I do have a defined writing process. My writing process is functional
because it allows me to write at my best capability. I believe it is important for each individual to
understand his or her unique writing process. Had Perl and Berkenkotter studied my writing
process, they could have developed a pattern to explain my writing process; however, they would
not be able to understand why I choose to construct a detailed outline, why I edit my outline before
I write my essay or why I became distracted when I did. It is important to look at not only how we
write but also why we have developed our writing processes. Understanding the process and the
reasons driving this path can help us to create more constructive ideas of writing and eliminate
ineffective processes.
Works Cited
Berkenkotter, Carol. “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer.”
Wardle and Downs 200-16.
Perl, Sondra. “The Composing Processes of Unskilled College Writers.” Wardle and Downs 184- 96.
Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs. I am a Writer in the World: Researching Personal and Academic
Literacies. Acton: Copley Custom Textbooks, 2009. Print.
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
7
APPENDIX
Writing Process Transcript
ning Microsoft word. [Pause] oo
studying writing processes that Berkenkotter identifies? So I need to identify existing problems.
Existing problems I am just kind of making an outline now so on what kind of things I need to include.
problems. Did you notice the exist... [Backspace] Did you notice them? I am just going to type that for
What do
they mean? B
How did this
study change Berkenkotter’s understanding of the writing process? It says I spelt Berkenkott
a. Planning and Revision.
relationship with his audience seems complicated. Try to describe it, and then Compare it to your own
sense (or lack thereof) of audience [pause], how much are you thinking about your audience when you
Murray’s… sense of audience seems complicated
[Pause] Sub a. Describe it. b. compare it to your own [pause] sense of audience. And c. how much do
you think about audience when you write
process as they are described here? So what was your impression of murray’s writing process? Let me
capitalize the M in Murray because it is underlining it. [Pause] Sub a. Hoe not hoe how [laughing] how
do they compare to yours? Sub i. What do you do the same? Differently? Does your comparison seem
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
8
there is diversity between every persoDoes
your
ractices among
writers? Okay so I will probably kind of compose my essay in that way because that actually makes
sense to do it because it is going from existing problems to talking about studies so talking about how
he writing process and mainly planning and revision and then it
iting process
analyze what I am doing now. So e
because then I will remember everything I thought. [Laughing] alright so how they compare and then
talking about how they compare to mine and how it connects that they are all different. So I think that
is a good outline. Is there anything else I need to talk about? [Unintelligible reading] I probably need to
explain what the existing problems were described as so a. are they? I am not going to type all that out.
That is probably good for existing problems. [Unintelligible reading] I wonder if this thing is actually
recording like if it can hear everything. Hopefully my microphone is working good because if not that
o check recording] Okay so I checked it out
and the sound seems to be working fine. So that is good. Okay so now going back to answering the
Okay so move that out of the way. Here we go. Okay so the existing problems. What are they?
[Laughing] What were the they? Okay so the existing problems. What were they? According to
Berkenkotter, she said [unintelligible reading of article by Berkenkotter] her main concern seemed to be
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
9
necessarily just talking about the Perl article. So let me look at the thing again but that is definitely one
of the Monitoring the writing process in a laboratory… laboratory setting. Mk that was one of the
problems she identified and one I actually identified as well. [Unintelligible reading of article by
talking out lThe problem
with talking out loud is they may edit what they are
thinking?[unintelligible reading] I read this a little while ago so I kind of forgot what all of it said so right
now I am kind of just rescanning the pages. I think those are the two main ones with talking out loud is
that they may edit what they are thinking and what was that word again. I liked that word. Analyze
they may edit and analyze their thoughts. More analyze but since I thought of edit, I am just going to
sandwich but I may not actually say it I might just think i
completely invented that would be VERY helpful because then everything you think is going to be
coming
know. You see I like I saw my pencils on my d
tell what the problem is. Stupid computers I hate em sometimes. Okay so did I notice the problems
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
10
umm yeah, I kind of did I mean
talking about the problems I am going to put yes, I noticed them once I thought about them. Yes, once I
took a moment to think about the things that caused potential errors or
bias in the research. Let me pull up that article that I typed
when I answered
main thing I thought about was what
Berkenkotter thought about the problem with them not being in their own environment. Cuz like right
now I am not in my natural environment because my natural environment I like typing in the library I
basically talking about making sure they were in the environment they wanted to write in. Like I was
like being in the rooms. I like being in
a comfortable chair. I always sit on the coaches with my laptype when I type up a paper. Okay [pause]
have my no
I
talked about the Hawthorne Effect- when they change their behavior when they know they are being
lly know too much but I just thought it would be helpful if it listed anything. [Unintelligible
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
11
where my pajam
conducted her research. I am going to
am listing that as a problem. Before Berkenkotter conducted research on a professional, skilled writer, it
was difficult to tell how the research methods affected oh my gosh Whitney come on type the
participants. It always say I spell Berkenkotter wrong but I am sure that is right. What do the existing
bias. There is bias
and inaccuracy in her findings because of these problems. But
R
they make me happy but this is the last one so that makes me sad. I had a six-pack of Reese's. They
were good. Last one. I am taking a break while I eat my Reese'o I am
back from eating my Reese'g. I think
her findings were significant
ate? I
think I will use that for now [pause] I think it is closest to what I am trying to say and they were adequate
for proving
90 seconds [I meant minutes but
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
12
better writer than I appear on those tests [drank milk] [unintelligible reading] oh it w
[Unintelligible reading] yeah for proving umm... how unskilled writers write,
showing how unskilled writers write showing… proving that the processes can be analyzed in a
systematic way which is kind of ss peop like people also consider that a problem but for me because she
is creating it before and saying this is how you write it is just comp a formula to compare [pause] I am
always worried this things not like recording so I always have to check [laughing] cuz
and explaining what it shows... Mk
[pause] [backspace] … how understanding the process
effects… *Backspace+ can help teachers develop more effective
methods for teaching. This is how my drafts end up being second drafts because right now I pretty
much have mine draft together like once I finish my outline. How did this study chang
understand her perspective change [unintelligible reading] does it have a place for that. Okay here is
going to change number four to writing process. Writing process as that [enter] make that a. (What was
-work which I th... I
Does a lot of prewriting- [pause]
makes copious I am not really sure what that word means I need to look it up I kind of think I know what
notes in daybook.
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
13
ible reading] Yeah I
The problem with another text [laugh] the Problem with
Berkenkotter’s research in the natural setting is that Mr. Murray often end the sessions and she was
unable to keep track of all of his thoughts that related to writing the paper. [Pause] There is a problem
The topic was abstract and unfamiliar.
again. I wonder if they want the problems with this research, no it says existing research but this is
reading the question wrong... [Tap fingernails on desk while reread problem] I think I will still list I feel
like it is importa
up my outline now. [Pause] okay I am just going to put this down at the bottom for me to think about
go to bed [Laugh] I still have to write this
?
okay
y What was your impression of Murray is
orde
the section. [Scanning pages in Berkenkotter Article
to since I am doing this um [pause] Okay... all right I need a section that says specifically What is his
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
14
writing process. Mk cuz then I will do my impression as a separate question... okay dictates the partial
2 kinds of planning activities:
Stating of process goals -
procedures he developed to structure his writing
- sub plans to accomplish a larger goal. Mk [Pause] okay so on to the second type of
Stating rhetorical goals- how to
reach audience
people we are not going to write a
[Pause] - read colleagues, friends and wife responses to his initial draft
have my Grandmother, Dad, and Boyfriend read it for me. [Laughing] and they all give me like a little bit
suggestions but I always take them into consideration. I also had the on campus-writing center read my
first draft of my unit
he... Made lists of titles
that on my unit papers and stuff...
Practiced leads... Made outlines and diagrams...
from that se
how I am going to do it [added wife to list of
Moves back and forth between
writing and
planning little louder because earlier it
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
15
on computer] huh... I never really thought about
That is why I would like to be at the library [unintelligible reading] so that is actually what she
were double coding for planning and revision, which is a sign that the
She learned that the two are
inseparable
thinking when reading and so she Renamed the two combined as preconceiving. I always have trouble
with the I before E thing I know it is I before E except after C but still get messed up. [Unintelligible
reading] I am going to quote this “To ‘preconceive’ is to scan and rescan one’s text from the prospective
of an external reader and to continue re-drafting until all rhetorical …
rhetorical, formal, and stylistic concerns have been resolved, or the writer decides to let go of the text.” I
om. [Pause] [Sigh] [Sigh] actually I am using
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
16
ve to
still write the paper. Okay so incubation is where I left off... planning and incubation... This paragraph
is basically saying that he takes breaks from writing... Incubation- takes breaks from writing to clear his
head my neck hurts and well you come back from you break with a new way of writing things... and
then comes back with new additions for the paper.
I am reading page 166 at the moment seeing if there is anything I need to add. I am tired of reading out
okay what I do.. I would say that I spend a lot of time planning because I research, plan, outline and take
time to confer... is that the right word I am thinking of.. No... Discuss so yes so to confer with people so
I 1. Prepare- background research, familiarizing self with topic, and I begin to plan what I am going talk
about 2. Outline- what I need to talk about- questions- creates a structure for paper 3. Research- fill out
outline and answers questions 4. Confer with my grandmother, dad, and boyfriend who I trust their
my wish out
revise it a little so.. 5. Type draft– revise
some & edit ether. 6. Reread draft- edit 7. Confer with my grandmother, dad, and
boyfriend again 8. Consider their statements- reread 9. Edit
- went to check it out] It was just my
roommate laughing and I also made myself a corn dog [Laughing] I have to go back in a couple of
- went to get corn dog]
Audience it says
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
17
He made the assertion that writers don’t really consider audience
until “external revision” stage- when editing and polishing b. But really he seemed to considered
audience during the “internal revision” stage
[Unintelligible reading from Berkenkotter' - his
consideration of audience has become automatic and I forgot the E on automatic click ignore okay there
about audience. I would say considering audience is one of my weaknesses in writing because
I feel as though I do not think about audience
enough when I am writing. [Unintelligible reading] Again I need to edit my outline because it needs to
We both talk with people throughout the process. Discuss our ideas with others throughout the process
of writing. Create outlines. It kind of
f those. Oh I forgot to finish umm... after
incubation it talks about introspection I forgot to include
ll go
through the titles and then he st-
Introspection- self evaluates
- monitors and introspects his own writi
Incubation periods
sit down and write an essay straight like you see here I keep going to get hot dogs and taking breaks. I
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
18
feel like I eat a
working on those because I am thinking of a lot right now. Differences: He spends more time
coming up with the perfect title, he spends more time practicing leads. He writes more drafts. He also
has a lot longer things to write than I do so it takes more time. I feel like we structure our outline a little
Structure of our outlines is I am going to write probably
dprobably different. [Unintelligible reading] and There are
quite a few similarities in the way people write nut…[Backspace] but there are
always going to be differences in the way people write. I think I have a more lengthy way of writing
amount of time on it especially on a paper like this. How long does this paper have to be I just thought
-
will finish this tonight. I may work on
aybe I should do like a
[Pause] Okay so 1. What is the article about?
[unintelligible speaking] [Laughing] it is [Laughing] ughh [sigh] I am getting really tired... Past my
Similar to Perl’s research except the
participant is a skilled writer named Donald M. Murray
thought I gues
The article is more concerned with the planning and
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
19
revising while Perl is more concerned with the entire process. [Pause] b. Murray was studied in natural
settings with an un-limited time limit while writing as
well as in the research lab with a one- hour time limit. Okay I am ready to start ok so what was the name
Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a
Publishing Writer is article about the research… Materials
no not materials... ehh completed by Carol Berkenkotter. The study is very similar to the setup of
Sondra’s Perl’s [Backspace] [Pause] research on the five
unskilled writers. However, Berkenkotter makes a few …[Backspace] conducts the
research in different manner. Berkenkotter [Pause] studies… let me go over here to my outline
a skilled writer named
Donald M. Murray. This article focuses on the planning and revising stages of writing while Perl is more
concerned with the entire process. [Sigh] Murray was studied in natural settings with an un
limited time limit while writing as well as in the research lab with a one- hour time limit while writing
which is more similar to the setting in which the unskilled writers were writing.
Problems with the previous methods of
studying writing
Berkenkotter explains that studying the
participants in a laboratory setting will alter their writing
processes because …
of missed a couple of things earlier. Berkenkotter conducted research in three stages. In the first stage,
Murray recorded his thoughts
throughout the day and submitted all texts notes and drafts made prior to the study [Pause] so
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
20
Berkenkotter knew how the entire process came together. In the second stage, Berkenkotter gave
Murray a prompt and a one-hour time limit to write a paper. He also [Backspace] during which
[Backspace] and to think aloud. (The first time I typed the previous sentence I typed it differently
but my computer told me I was using passive voice so I reworded it) okay now the third stage. In the
third stage, Berkenkotter visited Murray at his house and she watched and recorded him revising a
professional journal, while thinking aloud. This is going to be a lot longer than I need it is already getting
After he revised the paper, Berkenkotter interviewed him;
asking him questions about why he changed the things, he did. She also asked him questions about what
his perceptions were of himself as a writer.
Berkenkotter believed there were much better ways to conduct research about writing than in the
traditional laboratory setting. Thinking aloud also poses a new set of problems. I should add a quote
Berkenkotter points out “there is considerable cognitive activity that writers
cannot report because they are unable to compose and monitor their
processes simultaneously”. *Unintelligible reading of own writing+ Participants also tend to
analyze their thoughts when using the think aloud protocol (157). When reading the article by Perl, I
noticed these same problems with Perl’s methodology. [Reference outline] Although these problems
with her methodology may slightly alter her results, it is difficult to observe participants with little or no
error due to methodology. It is more of a field study than an experiment like I said in my outline. Simply
the fact that the participants know they are being studied affects I always confuse affects and effects…
their behavior. Therefore, despite
outline and [Yawn] [unintelligible speaking] these errors in methodology, I think her findings were
significant and they were adequate for showing how unskilled writers write, proving that the processes
can be analyzed in a systematic way, and explaining how understanding the process can help teachers
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
21
develop more effective methods for teaching. I will probably look over this tomorrow because I will
ncubation time.
In observing Murray’s writing process, Berkenkotter learned that planning and revision come together
and are used together so frequently they are basically inseparable. She claimed that since the two are
used together so frequently they are better are called preconceiving.
previous sentence] Berkenkotter defines reconceive as “to scan and rescan one’s text from the
prospective of an external reader and to continue re-drafting until all rhetorical, formal, and stylistic
concerns have been resolved, or the writer decides to let go of the text”(162).
Prewriting, making notes and planning seems to be a main part of Murray’s writing process.
Berkenkotter took note of two main activities done in the planning stage of Murray’s writing. Okay what
In the first activity, he states his process goals. He
structures his writing
[Backspace] begins to develop his structure for his writing by listing his procedures. He creates sub-plans
to keep him focused and to accomplish the main goal. In the second activity, he states his rhetorical
goals. He determines how to reach hi audience. He considers statements made by colleagues, friends
and wife in response to his first draft. He begins to think of the appropriate title, he puts much time in
finding the perfect title. He creates drafts and diagrams and practices his leads. Murray makes many
transitions, back and forth, between writing and planning. Murray has incubation periods in which he
takes a break from writing to clear his thoughts. This allows him to come back with a new, clear view
about what he is writing. Berkenkotter also notes that Murray has introspection periods where he
analyzes his own process.
STYLUS 1.1 | WINTER 2010
22
My writing process has many similarities as well as differences from Murray’s. I always prepare myself
for writing by conducting background research, familiarizing myself with the topic and then I begin to
plan the focus of my paper. After I feel comfortable with the topic and choose a focus for my paper I
create an outline. In my outline, I create a structure for the paper and a list of questions that I need to
answer concerning my topic. I then begin conducting research that focuses on specific aspects of the
topic and generate an outline and answers to questions I listed. I confer with my grandmother, dad, and
boyfriend to see if they think I am on the right track. I write down their comments and take them into
consideration as I begin to write my paper, although I do not always heed their advice. As I am typing
my first draft, I tend to edit and revise as I go. After I completely finish writing the first draft, I go back,
reread the draft and make revisions. After revising the paper myself, I ask my grandmother, dad, and
boyfriend to read it and discuss any changes they would make. I consider their statements, go back,
reread and revise the paper one last time.
like this ent
e point think about what time it is and think I should go to bed. Am I even
finish it
between
over my two-
my two-e- scrolling through essay] I kind of got carried
Murray and my processes of writing are similar in that we both discuss our ideas with others throughout
the process of writing, create outlines and incubation periods. The main differences in Murray and my
BROWN | SELF-EVALUATION OF MY WRITING PROCESS PORTRAYED IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION
23
writing is that I believe he spends more time coming up with the perfect title, practicing leads, and
writing drafts. In addition, I think he has a much better sense of audience than do I. He made the
assertion that writers do not really consider audience until the “external revision” stage, editing and
polishing. However, Berkenkotter notes that Murray seemed to consider his audience during the
“internal revision” stage as well. I would consider being aware of the targeted audience one of my main
weaknesses in writing.
I do not think it necessarily supports Murray’s hope for a “gloriously diverse”
set of practices among writers because
there are quite a few similarities in the way people write but there are always going to be differences in
the way people go about the process.
I think the paragraph about what Berkenkotter learned from the study would be more useful as the last
paragraph. I think it could make a pretty good conclusion. So I am just going to copy and paste it down
here:
and are used together so frequently they are basically inseparable. She claimed that since the two are
to continue re-drafting until
all rhetorical, formal, and stylistic concerns have been resolved, or the writer decides to let go of the
go
