Someone writes more efficiently if they have learned to:
- identify several related but separate writing tasks
- focus on one task at a time and perform each task well
- identify the best sequence for completing the various writing tasks
- reduce writing time by starting quickly and by writing a first draft requires relatively little revision
Writing process is broken down into stages similar to the following:
- Gathering and Choosing Content
- Organizing That Content
- Composing the First Draft
- Finishing the Document:
- revising content and structure
- editing phrasing
- fixing errors
- polishing format
GETTING STARTED
What does my reader need and expect?
What purpose am I trying to fulfill?
free-writing: process of writing until the writer discovers what she or he really wants to say
- Use an audience/purpose profile to determine the types of information and analysis to include. List the types of questions that your reader would ask (or that your reader has already asked).
- Choose an appropriate, proven structure and then “fill in the blanks.” Then, use elements of an audience/purpose profile to modify the suggested structure to meet your readers’ needs and preferences.
- Brainstorm a list of ideas and topics. A random listing of possible topics and ideas works precisely because it takes advantage of the natural chaos that exists in our minds. Often, we are most creative when we allow free thought association to generate a series of loosely related points and topics. It’s important to simply record these points as they come, and not to edit them. Later, when the creative frenzy has abated, you can discard the points that don’t seem relevant. The, you can organize the material that remains.
- Brainstorm ideas in a cluster diagram. Cluster diagramming suits people who think visually. It also suits those who are used to following hypertext links through the internet.
HOW TO SAVE WRITING TIME
Investing a little time early in the process pays large dividends later in the process.
- Choose the content, based on:
- technical or research notes
- personal observations
- arguments and evidence
- deductions and conclusions
- available illustrations
Then, check to see if anything has been omitted, or if any material should be deleted. Revising content at this point takes less time than revising material later in the process.
- Organize the blocks of material. If you’re writing a letter, decide what goes in each paragraph. If you’re writing a longer document, start with larger blocks of material and work your way to the paragraph level. Next, organize the ideas and information within each block.
Again, determine whether any material should be added, rearranged, or omitted; such changes take much more time after a draft’s been phrased. - Write the first draft. Since you know what to include and where to place it, you will be able to concentrate on the best way to phrase each sentence, and you will understand where to inject transitional statements.
By working from an outline, you will save composition time. - Evaluate, revise, edit, proofread, and correct. Wait as long as possible before polishing the writing. You may gain a new perspective on the best way to structure and express parts of the document. Also, you’ll proofread more effectively if you distance yourself from the material.
Writing efficiently in the manner just described also will help you produce more effective writing; concentrating on one task at a time allows you to better preform each of those tasks.
PRODUCTIVE COLLABORATIVE WRITING
In any group, then, members have to find ways of persuasively expressing their views, of accepting criticism, and of working with others who hold different views. The following guidelines aim to provide a context for productive group work.
Reviewing and Editing Others’ Work
Documents produced collaboratively are reviewed and edited extensively. Reviewing means evaluating how well a document connects with its intended audience and meets its intended purpose with these qualities:
- accurate, appropriate, useful, and legal content
- material organized for the reader’s understanding
- clear, easy to read, and engaging style
- effective visuals and page design
- a document that is safe, dependable, and easy to use
In reviewing, you explain how you respond as a reader, which helps writers to think about ways of revising.
Editing makes copy more precise and readable. Editors typically suggest improvements like these:
- rephrasing or reorganizing sentences
- clarifying a topic sentence
- choosing a better word or phrase
- correcting spelling, usage, or punctuation, and so on
GUIDELINES for Managing a Collaborative Project
These guidelines focus on projects in which people meet face to face, but they can apply as well to electronically mediated collaboration.
- Appoint a project or group manager. This person assigns tasks, enforces deadlines, conducts meetings, and consults with supervisors.
- Define a clear and definite goal. Compose a purpose statement that spells out the project’s goal and the group’s plan for achieving it. Be sure each member understands the goal.
- Decide how the group will be organized. The final revision should display a consistent style throughout–as if written by one person only.
- Divide the task. Who will be responsible for which parts of the document or which phases of the project?
- Establish a timetable. Specific completion dates for each phase will keep everyone focused on what is due and when.
- Decide on a meeting schedule and format.
- Establish a procedures for responding to the work of other members.
- Establish procedures for dealing with group problems.
- Decide how to evaluate each member’s contribution.
- Prepare a project management plan.
- Submit progress reports regularly. Progress reports enable everyone to track activities, problems, and rate of progress.
Beyond these guidelines, respect for other people’s views and willingness to listen are essential ingredients for successful collaboration.
GUIDELINES for Peer Reviewing and Editing
- Read the entire piece at least twice before you comment. Develop a clear sense of the document’s purpose and its intended audience. Try to visualize the document as a whole before you evaluate specific parts or features.
- Remember that correctness does not guarantee effectiveness. Poor usage, punctuation, or mechanics do distract readers and harm the writer’s credibility. However, “correct” writing might still contain faulty rhetorical elements (inappropriate content, confusing organization, wordy style, etc.).
- Understand the acceptable limits of editing. In the workplace, editing can range from cleaning up and fine-tuning to an in-depth rewrite (in which case editors are cited prominently as consulting editors or co-authors). In school, however, rewriting someone else’s piece to the extent that it ceases to belong to that writing may constitute plagiarism.
- Be honest but diplomatic. Most of us are sensitive to criticism–even when it is constructive–and we all respond more favourably to encouragement. Be supportive instead of judgemental.
- Explain why something doesn’t work. Instead of “this paragraph is confusing,” say “this paragraph lacks a clear topic sentence, so I had trouble discovering the main idea.” Help the writer identify the cause of the problem.
- Make specific recommendations for improvements. Write out suggestions in enough detail for the writer to know what to do.
- Be aware that not all feedback has equal value. Even professional reviewers and editors can disagree. Your job as a reviewer or editor is to help clarify and enhance a document–without altering its original meaning.
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