A Process of Discovery

In reading "Within and Beyond the Writing Process in the Secondary Classroom," by Reade Dornan, Lois Rosen, and Marilyn Wilson, I have discovered that many of the theories/methods of the writing process (and teaching of it) described in the book were ones I did not learn myself until well into my development as a writer - past the secondary classroom. One thing this text describes that I think can be very empowering to students is describing expressive writing as a "process of discovery" (41). In this text, expressive writing is described as "personal, informal, exploratory, unpolished, unstructured, and a means of discovery" (41). Expressive writing is often used as a way for a writer to realize what they have to say - in other words, expressive writing is the beginning, messy, early drafts where thoughts are put to paper. As a writer develops a piece with these "think(s) aloud on paper" (41), he can begin to piece together the discombobulated thoughts into a congruent whole. According to this text, this messy expressive writing is needed to develop more formal pieces. In my experience as a secondary student, pre-writing always seemed to be something more organized and structured from the start. It wasn't until I got to college that I benefited from and let myself begin writing in disconnected forms. Even as I write this post, I have bits and pieces of things I thought I might say strewn about the document. Had I known earlier that the beginning stages of writing were supposed to be informal, messy, and full of various thoughts, I may have begun to develop as a writer earlier in life.

Thinking as the early stages of writing as a "process of discovery" is something I really want to show my students. I think the process of writing as a way to bring together the bits and pieces of what we learn into something more tangible. Writing allows us to discover what we already know by bringing our thoughts together. By showing students how writing is discovery in this way, I also show students the power of the writing process.

This week's link:

Starting the Writing Process

This website, often used for its comprehensive writing citation guide, provides great information and advice for any writer. I like this page because it emphasizes that writing is indeed a process for even the most experienced writers, and that it takes lots of time. The website also provides useful information and tips for completing writing assignments in a timely manner. I think all writers could benefit from a look at this site, but I think it would be an especially useful tool for my students to go to again and again..