Donald M. Murray theorized the concept of “Bathroom Epiphanies” – or that specific moment when you realize something or come up with a really good idea while doing something unrelated and mundane, like showering or driving to work. These moments often happen when the mind is relaxed and not actively focused on problem-solving.
Another researcher and author, Carol Berkenkotter, responded to Murray’s findings in her own article titled, “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer.” She critiques Murray’s methods of studying writing processes and believes that a looser, more naturalistic approach is more effective. Murray plans his writing based on process goals and rhetorical goals, while Berkenkotter believes that writing is much more intertwined than an end-goal and small decisions and revisions–almost like checkpoints–accounts for more than half of the writing process.
Hearing both of these ideas is helpful to me considering that revising is my least favorite part of writing. I used to finish what I was working on…and just be done. Now, I realize that it’s incredibly important to read through my work and even rewrite it once or twice. The more content I write, the more work I have to do to make sure it all sounds like one cohesive article or story.
Revising is a process that demands patience and dedication but the results are always worth it. Each round of revision and every decision makes a writing piece more refined and continues to turn rough ideas into polished paragraphs. Embracing revision is something every writer needs to do to improve the quality of their writing.
Header photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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