KEEPING WRITERS WRITING                                          Judy Lightfoot

When I assign writing for homework, my students must spend their time writing, not just sitting in front of a blank page or computer screen. If they tell me they couldn't get a draft or paper done, I ask them to show me what they wrote, and if that amounts to nothing or too little for the time allowed, they receive no credit for the assignment.

It helps them to be reminded of these points:
*Writers WRITE, even if the writing feels and sounds terrible.
*Most writers dislike their first words, first sentences, and first drafts.
*“Writing is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as the headlights shine, but you can make the whole trip that way.” (E. L. Doctorow, novelist)

The three principles below (which become something like slogans or mantras among my students) are the best approaches, other than making good assignments, that teachers can use to keep their students writing. Taken together, these principles help even blocked writers generate material. The second principle, "Let language lead to language" is also an excellent one to keep in mind when revising and editing for coherence. The third, "Be strategic," puts the student in charge of the process at every step.

See also Stages of the Writing Process - Handout.

DEVELOP A STRONG PURPOSE
Develop a personal interest in the assignment and make it yours. Don't just "do a paper."
TRUST THE PROCESS
Use various stages of the writing process to help your paper develop.
LET LANGUAGE LEAD TO LANGUAGE
Use the words you’ve already written down to help you write the next words.
Underline the 2-3 key terms in the sentence you just wrote, read, or copied.
With your purpose in mind, write the thoughts evoked by the most important of these terms.
Now mark the key terms in what you just wrote, and write again. And so on...
BE STRATEGIC
When prewriting and drafting stall, choose one activity to work with awhile.
When prewriting and drafting go well, just keep writing. BUT be sure to revise, edit, and proofread eventually. 

STAGES OF THE WRITING PROCESS:
PREWRITING:
(Goal: to fill a page or two, or to get words onto the page until drafting starts to flow.)
Analyze and mark the assignment the teacher gave you.
Gather details and information by making notes and organizing the annotations you made in your text.
Take notes as you talk about your topic to a classmate, to a teacher, to family, to a friend, or to yourself.
Rough out a working thesis on paper or screen (this may change radically as the essay takes shape).
Brainstorm on paper or screen – list, mind-map, or free-write evidence and ideas for paper content.

DRAFTING:
(Goal: to rough-draft the required number of pages plus a page or so more.)
Unpack (analyze) the key terms of your working thesis to give you a number of related ideas to use.
Use the key terms of your thesis to generate ideas for your paragraphs.
Use the key terms of each paragraph’s governing idea to generate material for the paragraph.
Use your brainstorm material to develop each paragraph with reasoning and evidence.

REVISING:
(Goal: to complete, clarify, and organize the argument.)
Rewrite your thesis to reflect more closely the argument developed in the rough draft.
Condense & expand material as needed to make every part of the overall argument strong & complete.
Sequence paragraphs to lead the reader’s mind through the beginning, middle, and end of your argument.
Add transitions as needed for cohesion between paragraphs.
Give each paragraph a clear beginning, middle, and end. (If your paragraph structure is a "sandwich," make sure you have a piece of bread at each end**)
Write an introduction and a conclusion.

EDITING:
(Goal: to make the writing powerful.)
Read your prose aloud and listen for effective sentence-to-sentence emphasis and cohesion.
Add transitions as needed for cohesion between sentences.
Make sure every word is the right one to communicate exactly what you mean.
Omit needless words.

PROOFREADING:
(Goal: to correct errors.)
Adopt and use a proofreading strategy.

**Every paragraph is a kind of mini-essay, in which a governing idea (or the thesis of the paragraph) is developed and supported with reasoning and evidence. One way to construct a paragraph is to open with a thesis and move to reasoning and evidence; if so, the thesis should be worked into the end of the paragraph. A paragraph organized like this will have a beginning (bread), middle (peanut butter and jelly), and end (bread). I say, "Close the sandwich, or the filling might slide off." 

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