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Real Writers in Action: Michelle Navarre Cleary Now
Each writing task is different and so I approach each a little differently. Below, I describe how I tend to go about writing an article for a journal and tell how these steps would apply to writing a paper for an SNL class.
No two writers work in quite the same way, so this process is not meant as a formula for how you should write, but as one possible model from which you might borrow. You should know that most experienced writers revise as much as, if not more than, I do.
What I Know Now, that I Wish I Knew Then:
I still procrastinate some, like I did in college, but not nearly as much because now I write throughout the process so there is no longer one all-or-nothing, time-to-write stage that I am putting off.
My current writing process differs from my process in college in four major ways:
- I start writing sooner,
- I revise more,
- I make use of other people’s feedback, and
- Most importantly, I am now a pro-active learner who takes charge of and responsibility for my writing. In college, I just reacted both to the assignment and to the sources that I found.
The Stages of My Writing Process:
Stage |
What I Do |
How to Use this for an SNL Class |
1. Initial Brainstorming
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- I take some time to brainstorm about ideas, problems or issues I might want to write about, and
- I set up a place to write down ideas for papers as they come to me.
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Do this step before the first class by looking over the course description and the posted syllabus, and then brainstorming about how your interests might intersect with the course competencies and content. |
2. Passive Research
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- I set up a paper and a computer file for each potential paper. As I come across sources for that paper, I put them in the appropriate file.
- I include a “notes” document in each file. As I think of ideas or questions, I add them to my notes.
- I talk to colleagues in my field about my ideas and attend conference talks on related topics.
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Immediately after the first class, set up files for possible paper ideas. Treat classes like conference talks, and classmates and your teacher like my colleagues at conferences. After each class, freewrite about how what was covered in class relates to your ideas, interests and the competences for which you are taking the class. |
3. Slightly More Active Research
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- I start freewriting about the paper idea, usually fifteen minutes three to four times a week. This allows me to start collecting my ideas.
- I read the sources I have collected. After I read each source, I write on it a summary of the source, my evaluation of the effectiveness and credibility of the source’s argument, what additional sources it points me too, and what I might make use of in my essay.
- Sometimes, I further formalize my source collection by building an annotated bibliography.
- Once I have worked through the sources I passively collected. I use the library’s research tools, to search for promising sources mentioned in what I have read as well as to look for new sources on the ideas I have been exploring in my freewriting.
- I start taking notes on some of these new sources, but usually get only about a quarter or half way through when I decide I’m ready to write a preliminary draft.
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As soon as you have a paper assignment, start writing. Try freewriting or journaling for ten to twenty minutes on your ideas about the assignment at least every other day. If research is required, you can also begin collecting and reading sources. Do yourself a favor and write a brief summary and evaluation of each source immediately after reading it. Doing this will save you the trouble of having to reread the source later. |
4. Preliminary Drafting
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- The goal of this draft is to rough out the shape of my ideas, much like a sculptor begins by roughing out the basic form of what he or she will create. It is not until I start writing that I really see the directions in which I might take my paper. Therefore, I need to write a preliminary draft before I get too far into the research process so that I can explore my ideas and find my focus.
- I usually write these drafts fast, not worrying about grammar or style.
- I need about two hours of solid time to get this process started, then I can write in shorter or longer bursts as my schedule permits. It takes me about three iterations of writing and revising a preliminary draft before I have something that other people could hope to read and make some sense of. This process is easier if I can do these three iterations in a relatively condensed period of time.
- Ideally, I write until I get stuck. Then, I stop and go for a walk, run, or swim. Most of the time, if I let my mind wander while I am exercising, I will get unstuck. Sometimes, it also works to go to bed. Usually the next morning, often in the shower, I will get fresh ideas. I make sure to write down at least notes about these ideas as soon as possible.
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The most important thing to remember about this step is to do it before you are ready, when your ideas for your paper are only about half formed. In fact, you might combine this step with the previous one and begin it immediately after getting your assignment.
Note that this is not really a first draft (that happens in step six) but a tool for helping you develop your ideas. From this point forward, you will be developing and revising your paper as you get new ideas and do additional research if research is necessary for your assignment.
Since you should not be bothering with minor corrections at this point, it can help to turn grammar and spell check off (just remember to turn them back on).
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5. Focused Research
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- Now that I have a working draft, it is time to start filling in some of the holes in my argument by turning back to the sources I have collected to look for evidence to support, develop and possibly to refute my claims.
- I also start asking others to read what I have written so far, asking for feedback on my ideas and the structure of my argument. Often, I ask readers to tell me where I seem to be getting off track, where I need more support and where I am not making sense. I also look for readers who I know will challenge my claims or push back against my assumptions.
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You may or may not need to do research for your assignment. If you do need to do research, do not make the mistake of waiting until all of your research is done to begin writing. Start writing, making notes to yourself about places where you have questions or think you need more research. Make sure you get feedback from others on your preliminary draft, use friends, family, peers and the DePaul Writing Centers. |
6. Drafting
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- At this point, I take what I have learned from my additional research and from feedback from readers and write a complete first draft.
- Then, I begin the drafting cycle of revising, seeking out feedback, doing additional research, brainstorming, and revising again until I have a near final draft.
- In my revisions, I move from global to local concerns. This means that initially my revisions focus on big picture things like a clear line of argument, sufficient support for my claims and overall organization. Once these seem good to me, I start focusing on the construction of my paragraphs, my introduction and conclusion, and making sure I have vivid details. Eventually, my revisions get down to the level of sentence structure so that I find myself in the proofreading and editing stage. Before this, however, I will have revised my paper at least five times and often many more. Sometimes my revisions are focused on just one section of the paper, sometimes the whole thing. Very often, between revisions, I will seek out feedback from others.
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If your teacher does not require you to hand in a draft of your paper before the final is due, ask if he or she would mind looking over a draft to give you feedback. Plan on at least a week of drafting and revising for most major paper assignments. |
| 7. Proofreading and Editing
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- Because I have been working on this paper for a long time, it is very hard for me to find errors in it at this point. However, I know they are there, so I have some tricks for finding them. Of course, I use spell and grammar check. I also go through the paper looking just for those errors I know I make all the time. For example, I might search the whole document for “form,” knowing I often type it when I mean to type “from.” For more of these tricks, see proofreading. The most important thing to do is to give the paper to another reader, asking them to review it for mistakes.
- Then, I submit my paper for publication.
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Do not skip this step, even if you are sick to death of your paper. After all of your hard work, too many silly typing errors can make it look like your paper was a last-minute, rush job if you do not proofread. Plan to finish your paper at least two days before it is due so that you can spend the last day proofreading. |
| 8. Revising Again
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- Most articles submitted for publication are sent out to anonymous readers. If you are lucky, these readers will make suggestions for revising the article. Then, you will be asked to revise and resubmit the article. These suggestions often include the need for more research so that I end up restarting the process above at about step five.
- Often, the readers of an article will have conflicting advice or make revision suggestions with which I do not agree. In these cases, I need to figure out how to deal with their objections while maintaining the integrity of my paper.
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In some cases, a teacher will return a paper and ask you to make additional revisions. Be sure to talk with the teacher so that you are clear on what exactly he or she is asking you to do. |
-- Fall 2006 |
Real Writers In Action
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