Carol Berkenkotter’s Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer and Donald Murray’s response, Response of a Laboratory Rat, both provide views on the cognitive processes and reflections that involves writing. Berkenkotter’s work is based on the processes of composition, she used a case study to examine on a experienced writer. And for Murray, he developed his drafts and thought processes while preparing his work for publication. Berkenkotter records Murray’s revising process using a “think-aloud protocol” where he would vocalize his thoughts while writing. For this writing process, it recursive the nature of writing by showing that experienced writers can circle back to re-evaluating previous ideas, words, or phrases. She also realizes that Murray would pause to revise his goals and adjust his writing strategies. And she highlights the process of decision making in writing. This study focuses on how writers can have multiple goals such as audience, tone, and showing that their decisions are spontaneous.
Murray’s response offers a personal and humorous point of view on the experiences of being studied in a controlled way. He acknowledges the insights that he gained from participating in Berkenkotter’s study because it showed awareness of his own writing habits and how this newfound knowledge influenced his way of teaching writing. He also talks about how he felt on his private writing practices that was exposed under the microscope of research. This just adds a different perspective to Berkenkotter’s findings. Both pieces contribute to the importance of composition studies especially towards the understanding of how experienced writers can revise their writing and creative processes.
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