Reading Response No. 6

Getting Ready to Read:
Consider whether you have any writing rituals. For example, do you have to have a cup of coffee while you write? Du you need to write on paper before typing? Do you have to take a nap or clean the house?
I don't know if I really have any writing rituals. I usually write to music, unless I really cannot focus on what I'm doing and have to turn it off. After I'm done writing for the day or for that time, I usually read over it and write notes on a piece of paper about what could be changed or improved.

Reading Response:
In their articles "Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer," and "Response of a Laboratory Rat-or, Being Protocoled," Berkenkotter and Murray attempt to show college writers that writing is a process; the actual words you put on the page are the final step. They argue that everyone goes through a different process to come up with their finished product, because some people have different methods of writing, as well as collecting their thoughts and revising their work.

Questions for Discussion and Journaling:
1. What was your impression of Murray's writing processes as they're described here? How do they compare to yours? What do you do the same or differently?
Some of Murray's processces are the same as my writing processes. When he revises work and writes down his thoughts exactly as they come to him is simalar to what I do when I revise a piece of writing.
3. How did this study change Berkenkotter's understanding of writing processes, particularly planning and revision?
Berkenkotter discovered that the writer can go back and forth between planning, editing, and drafting. The writer can do this rather than going from planning to drafting to editing.

Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. I usually spend my editing time going through the piece little by little to check for grammatical errors. It's rare that I wil go back and dramatically change the actual text. I would characterize my level of writing experience as a "beginer's level." Writng is something I enjoy doing and I'm fairly good at, but I am nowhere near the level of an experienced writer. I think these two are very closely related. A more experienced writer would spend more time on revising their work than I do.

Meta Moment
One thing I learned from these articles that will help me write more effectively are the techniques that Murray uses when he is revising. Some of the things he does would be helpful to try.

Personal Response:
I think that these articles are very helpful to those who want to write. It gives a lot about revision, editing, and he writing process from the study of an experienced writer. To see "how a pro writes" can help one get on the right track with their wiritng.