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Ricardo Dangond
Professor Pierson
ENC 1101
10/12/17

Writing Process Description, Analysis, & Revision

A persons writing process is uniquely theirs. While a persons writing processes may be

very similar to that of others, it is comprised of a variety of unique factors that make up an

individuals own special writing process. Each part of a writing process has more than one way

to go about it. When planning, one could read directions, the rubric, class notes or any other

method, doing anyone or more of these processes. Likewise, during the writing and revision

there are lots of different, combined ways someone can get the job done. Any person that writes

does so quite differently than the person next to them. Differences in their performances are

often attributed to family background (namely education and income of parents) (Brandt,

1998). Everybody is either born to a different family, at a different time, where they receive a

different education and have unique thought process, or combination of these factors. As a result,

a persons writing process is uniquely theirs.

Planning Stage

My writing process is uniquely mine. There are parts to the writing process. The first one

being the planning stage. For me, its main goal is to avoid writers block later into the writing.

There is nothing worse when writing then running out of ideas/material and having to do with

something less when the real thing isnt available (Mack,1989), or as others say fake it til you

make it. Despite these intentions, I dont always properly plan out the process. Either due to time

restraints, not knowing what to write, or a lazy attitude at the time of writing. Sondra Perl

concluded through a study in her text, The Composing Processes of Unskilled College Writers,

that the average amount of time students spent on prewriting sections was four minutes, but if
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they read a topic that the students didnt know what to write about, they would just write without

an accurate sense of where they were heading and theyd just figure it out as they went along

(Perl, 1979). This is something I relate quite closely with. I almost never plan out my paragraphs

nor the concepts within them. Whether for better or worse, I prefer to let the ideas come to me as

I write, not beforehand. The incubation stage, if done, is a short process that varies in time

depending on the focus of the paper and the background material. But for the purpose of an

estimate, a range of three to six minutes is accurate. Only when writing a research paper do I

spend more time in pre-writing. Its usually consists of compiling sources, information, and any

other information I might have to reference later.

While these are some of the things I physically perform while planning, there are others

that I encounter subconsciously. Namely, there is the task of focusing the writing towards its

intended audience. As James Paul Gee said best, at any moment we are using language we must

write the right thing in the right way (1989). This pertains to the fact that as I write a

paper, the audience, the reader is the most important factor when it comes to deciding what is the

proper terminology and vocabulary. One must meet the audiences expectations of a well-

developed, knowledgeable material when writing an academic paper while the expectations shift

when its targeted to a different demographic such as young children. These ideas are brought up

during the planning but also transfer into the writing phase of the writing process.

Writing Stage

The next step in the writing process is writing. Its usually an unpleasant and lengthy

process consisting of several hours. This due to a couple reasons. First, its the distractions. In a

world of social media and mobile phones, there is a large pool of apps and messages calling out

my name and my attention, begging for me to leave my paper for just a second. While I can
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usually ignore these amid writing my paper, the real danger looms when I take the all much to

necessary breaks. Here I usually lie on my bed, and explore the web and watch just one video,

which unfortunately sometimes turns into just one more.

The second reason for the lengthy writing process, is writers block. More specifically,

figuring out how to better express myself with fuller, more detailed paragraphs, and using a

varied vocabulary. Writers block sometimes occurs because of getting stuck on a writing rule.

Rules like, sentences cant begin with and or because, or to place your thesis in the introduction.

Mike Rose suggests taking a different approach on these rules and look at them heuristically

rather than algorithmically, treating them as guidelines not a checklist you must complete (Rose,

1980). Something I seem to struggle with as my brain wants to play it safe. Theres one more

reason for the hours of writing. Its procrastination. While this occurs mainly occurs before

writing even begins, it also happens to pop-up from time to time as I write, whispering the

temptation of taking a break or doing something else.

There is more to writing than distractions, namely how its done. I write in the comfort of

my room, seated at my desk. Chances are I am writing in the afternoon up into the night. This is

because I am more awake later in the day, but also due to fact that I have classes and other

responsibilities earlier during the day. During the writing process, I am usually listening to

music, or playing some sort of background audio, as dead silence begins to bother me after a

while. As I previously mentioned, my writing process takes a couple of hours, during which I

take breaks to celebrate the conclusion of paragraph, or to keep my wits. As a procrastinator, I

usually write my paper the day its due, or if I am feeling good and have time to spare, I might

start the day before. In order to avoid too much stress, I take healthy breaks during the writing
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process and celebrate after its done. Not touching the paper until the next day where I begin

editing and revision.

Editing & Revision Stage

The last stage of the writing process is the editing and revision. While it is a piece of the

process that some tend to disregard, it is one of the more important pieces. Something we dont

often consider because according to Roland Barthes, the essential difference between speaking

and writing is that writing can be revised, while a word cannot be retracted... (Barthes, 1977).

And as most of our discourses are verbal or informal pieces of writing, we ignore the need for

revision. As for me, Ill be the first to admit there have been times where Ive submitted a paper

without having revised it, largely due to a lack of interest or effort.

My revision process begins at least a day after Im done writing (that is if I have time).

This is in order to clear my mind of what I wrote the day before, and focusing on improving it

from a third-party perspective. Speaking of third party perspective, it is useful to get the help of

somebody else to read and revise your work. By having somebody else read your piece of

writing, you get a fresh perspective on your writing, and ideas on how to improve it that may not

have occurred to you. When revising by yourself, there are a few ways I go about it. One is to

read aloud and hear how the sentences and ideas flow. Another is to imagine myself in the

position of the audience and see how to change the writing to better appeal to them. After

revising the paper, I move onto editing. Not the other way around, as you may remove a piece

that you spent editing through revision. Editing for me consists of looking at a sentence

independently either through covering up surrounding sentences, or working backwards. I do this

to avoid reading over a mistake that my brain incorrectly, but automatically ignores.
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Conclusion

This is a showcase of my writing process and how it compares to that of others. Theres

are many aspects to a piece of writing. Theres the planning, the writing, and the revision. These

processes are unique to me for many reasons, but all the while they are also encompassed in the

writing of anybody else. As per my writing process there are some pros and cons. The downfalls

are found throughout the process. It begins with lackadaisical planning, then procrastination in

the writing exploiting breaks and due dates, often confronted with time constraints that fall upon

my revision and editing. But despite these flaws, as long as my paper conveys my message

without error, to the appropriate audience and without causing an unhealthy stress, then my job is

done and my writing process may remain the same, and most importantly, mine.
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Citations

Gee, J.P. (1989). Literacy, discourse, and linguistics: introduction. In E. Wardle & D. Downs

(Eds.). Writing about Writing: A college reader (pp. 274-297). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.

Brandt, D. (1998). Sponsors of literacy. In E. Wardle & D. Downs (Eds.). Writing about Writing:

A college reader (pp. 68-99). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.

Perl, S. (1979). The composing processes of unskilled college writers. In E. Wardle & D. Downs

(Eds.) Writing about Writing: A college reader (pp.738-773). Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.

Rose, M. (1980). Rigid rules, inflexible plans, and the stifling of language. In E. Wardle & D.

Downs (Eds.). Writing about Writing: A college reader (pp. 787-802). Boston: Bedford/St.

Martins.

Mack, N. (1989). The social nature of words: voices, dialogues, quarrels. The Writing Instructor,

8 (4), 157-165. http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/english/74

Barthes, R. (1977). Image music text. (S. Heath, Trans.). London: Fontana Press. (Original work

published 1977)