Every writer has their own process that works for them when writing a new piece. I tend to write everything down in one draft, and make changes and revise things as I work. I don’t write everything out in one draft and then begin a completely different second draft, meaning all my work is typically in one final draft. This is certainly not how every writer works, though, and this is shown in Carol Berkenkotter and Donald M. Murray’s article “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer, and Response of a Laboratory Rat: Or, Being Protocoled”.
Berkenkotter’s study gives the reader insight into the details of a writing process and how one actually sets out to complete a writing piece. This was definitely interesting to read about because it showed me the importance of analyzing my own writing process to get a better understanding of how I work. I realized that I haven’t ever put too much thought into the way I write; I just write. There usually isn’t too much planning that goes into my writing process, I do like to briefly outline the topics I’m going to discuss in my writing, but I research as I work, and this is simply what works best for me. However, I feel that if I were to take a step back and observe my process from a new perspective, I would learn some things about myself. So, I think it could certainly be beneficial to study my writing process, the things that make me work better and worse, and how this all comes together in the end result.
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