Call to Write, Third edition

Chapter Sixteen, The Writing Process: A Case Study of a Writing Assignment

Chapter overview Reviews stages of the writing process Presents a case study of a writing

assignment (Krista Guglielmetti writing an essay for a mass communications course)

The writing process includes Invention Planning Drafting Peer review Revising Editing, proofreading, and formatting the

final document

Collaborating to understand Many students find it helpful to work

together to better understand the requirements of writing assignments, even when doing individual papers

Two heads are better than one

Readers and writers Reading and

commenting on other people’s papers is a way to strengthen your skills, both as a writer and a reader.

However, both have responsibilities to the other.

A writer’s responsibilities Provide reader with legible draft (typed,

double spaced, if possible) Communicate the status of the draft (an

early attempt, still pretty rough, or a working draft).

Keep an open mind. Try to understand the reader’s comments

and why there were made.

A reader’s responsibilities Give honest feedback, not from the

perspective of a teacher but as a peer Don’t give empty praise or vague remarks. Give a clear and accurate explanation of

how and why you reacted to the essay.

Shared responsibility Readers and writers share the responsibility

to handle disagreements in such a way that they keep talking to resolve the conflict.

Case study The chapter takes a detailed look at an

essay that Krista Guglielmetti has been assigned for a mass communications course.

It begins with the writing assignment description, suggesting that the first task is to analyze the assignment

Three guidelines to analyze an assignment Find key words in the writing assignment

(describe, summarize, evaluate, for example) Discuss information needed to complete the

assignment; is it based on class readings and texts, or is outside research required?

Look for directions about the format and genre (essay, report, review, or proposal)? Anything about the length or documentation style?

Understanding readers Krista discusses the assignment with her

roommate, Tamika. Their conversation is on pages 544-545. Her friend helps her clarify some of her

ideas, and Krista decides she has found her focus.

Exploring topics and outlining Krista does an exploratory writing; it is on

page 545, followed by a short response from her friend Eric.

Next, she lists her main ideas and puts them into a simple outline form, as shown on page 546.

Drafting Her first, or working, draft is found on

pages 547-548. She now needs to find a reader, who can

provide feedback to help her revise.

Three kinds of commentary Describes the writer’s strategy Analyzes the organization Evaluates the argument

You may ask a reader to do one of those tasks, more than one, or all three, depending on the circumstances.

Describing the writer’s strategies Asks the reader to look at the essay in terms

of how each part functions. Helps to see how ideas are developed and

supported. See example on page 549. It presents the

main point and then the main idea of each of the paragraphs.

Describing the organization Builds on the rough outline done for the

previous task. Five guidelines focus on how ideas are

presented and connected, and whether more details are needed or if some points should be omitted.

Evaluating the argument Four guidelines are listed, pages 550-551. Focus on analyzing the parts of the argument

(claim, evidence, assumptions, etc.). Asks if you agree with the main point, and

then gives a series of questions for both possibilities.

Guidelines for revising See page 552 for five key points. Focus on how the readers see your essay, with

suggestions for how to revise various aspects, including the main point, the evidence, the way you connect the evidence to your main point, and the ending.

Student sample Notice Krista’s sample working draft and

revised essay, which appear on pages 553 and 554.

Final touches are also mentioned—the need to edit and proofread an essay to catch final problems (awkward sentences, missing words, typos, etc.).

Writing centers The chapter closes

with a reminder that most campuses have a writing center, with tutors or peer editors.

Student Companion Website Go to the student side of the Web site for

exercises, chapter overviews, and links to writing resources for this chapter:http://www.ablongman.com/trimbur

Click on the textbook cover, and then select Student Resources.