Carol Berkenkotter conducted an experiment in which she monitored the way in which Donald Murray curated his writing pieces and what his writing process was. In her study, “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Write”, she discusses the process of Murray’s writing and how he goes back and forth between his daybook and his writing- there are constant revisions and a back and forth between everything he does. Murray discussed his drafts and partial drafts with his wife, and he constantly made edits, determined who his audience was, and, generally, why he was writing a particular piece. I found it really interesting that, in the study, Murray wasn’t really phased by being recorded- he mentioned in his response, “Response of a Laboratory Rat- or, Being Protocoled”, that it motivated him in a way, and it pushed him to go to his desk and write even when he didn’t necessarily want to. I absolutely loved how Murray mentioned his discomfort during the one-hour protocol and how he felt so trapped. I would absolutely feel the same way which is why I absolutely hate anything that is crucially timed and monitored. It’s mostly why I hated AP Exams in high school and taking the SATs- it was timed, and I was watched, and I didn’t have the proper amount of time to really get my thoughts out and properly plan what I wanted to write.
The writing process is something unique and it differs from writer to writer- not everyone is going to have the same exact process in which they go down a list of requirements and poof, that’s it. Every writer tweaks their process in their own way so that it suits the way that they think and work. I personally work a little bit more like Murray, although not exactly the same, because I constantly go back and forth between my work and edit things and go back to my notes and I constantly tweak things that I think sound stupid or need to be changed. I really enjoyed reading Berkenkotter’s piece because it delved into something that hasn’t been researched like it should be- the writing process in a natural setting. Writing is something so unique to everyone that it needs to be studied more so that more people understand that the writing process is different for everybody. A teacher can’t have a room full of students and expect them to all write the exact same way, following the exact same process- some kids will excel while others will lag behind and be uncomfortable. The writing process needs to be studied more and monitored in an efficient manner, so a better understanding is grasped.
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