A very understudied area of writing is the writing process itself, which Carol Bekenknotter discusses in her essay “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer.” However, one of the most crucial points that Berkenknotter lacks is why the study of the writing process is important. So is it?
Here’s what I’ve concluded: the writing process is an intricate and complex process that is required for writing well. With this, we might assume that the studies behind it are vital. The reality, however, is that knowing the basics may be all you need. Every individual has their own writing process; any study behind the process will show that. The base of the process is present, but the way in which an individual goes about it varies greatly. Significant writing has existed from well before the idea of the writing process was created, so there is no use in stating that the writing process shapes writing as a whole. This is not to say that studies of the writing process have not been useful in furthering the knowledge and understanding of the process and therefore allowing improvements upon writing, but simply that it may not be as crucial as we deem it to be.
A concept that Donald M. Murray discusses in “Response of a Laboratory Rat – or, Being Protocoled” is that the research behind the writing process can be ingrained in someone’s memory, making writing too professional, among more, and actually hurt one’s writing. I believe that if the writing process becomes too structured, too substantial in the world of writing, the quality and creativeness of writing will plummet.
The studies behind the writing process are not useless, but rather becoming too extreme. Is knowledge of the writing process something that must be prevalent in order for an individual to create a piece of writing? I don’t believe that this is necessary. The examination of the writing process may be important, but to nitpick apart the underlying thoughts of individuals when they are writing seems to be unwarranted.
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