The Writing ProcessWhat is the Writing Process?Many of us learned that the writing process is made up of five parts: Pre-writing, Writing, Revision, Editing, and Publishing. Indeed, this process has been so ingrained, and the vocabulary and terms have become such a part of our education, that some students (and adults) feel as if writing is a formulaic, rigid thing—not unlike learning mathematics—that they simply never excelled in. Fortunately, this simply isn't true. While the five basic steps of the writing process are effective, they can only be effective if the people using the process understand the purpose of e
Questions and ConversationsAs a writer, one should always keep two questions (adapted from Raphael's QAR strategy) in mind:What's in the paper?-- (What did I actually write?)What's in my head?-- (What did I want to write?)Sometimes answering those two questions is not an easy task. How many times have we heard (or said), "Well, I was trying to say this, but..."? How many times have we been very proud of something we've written, which we thought was clear and precise only to have a reader say, "I don't get it. What are you trying to say here?" It's a frustrating experience - this written communication - but there are
Be Someone's Critical FriendThe first step in learning how to revise is learning how to be a critical friend to someone else. The ultimate goal for revision is to make you a critical reader of your own writing. This month, with focused, research-based activities and friendly advice, we're going to try to teach you how to take on both these roles--and show you how acquiring these skills can help make you a better reader and writer in the future.Did you submit a deviation for Polish Month? If so, check this journal for group assignments. Not listed on the journal? No problem. Note :devgeneratinghype: with a link to your deviation by 4 May 2008!If you haven't alr
A Revision RevolutionOur Critical Friends have been working hard for one another, almost to the neglect of their own writing, and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts. We promise it won't be in vain! It's also important to note that this process slows or quickens based on how many questions there are left to ask and how well the writer wants to answer them. And it's the writer's role we'd like to begin with today.Is this a Revolution?When receiving critique, especially on the internet, the rules change from site to site. However, the unfortunate and common consensus seems to be thus:
Punctuating Poetry Part OneSome people believe poetry shouldn't be punctuated and others are still taught to put a comma after every new line. So where is the balance? What does one - especially one new or growing in poetry - do? Well, that's simple: a poet must punctuate with purpose!In order to punctuate with purpose, however, a poet must understand two things: what she wants to achieve with the poem and what a piece of punctuation can achieve in a poem. This means a poet must understand more than the common rules of punctuation; she must know the effect that certain punctuation points can have on a reader or in a text.This overview tackles punctuation in poetry
Punctuating Poetry Part TwoShifting GearsThe great thing about punctuation is that there is rarely one single, correct, perfect way to punctuate a poem. Given to a number of different poets, a poem could be punctuated and re-punctuated in as many different ways. So let's take a breather from so many rules and look at Leave the Door Open, by KrystalIce:Crash!=Thud=~~Twang~~*Shatter*+BOOM+Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duht^Pink^,^Pink^,^Pink^,&Clatter&@Rollrollroll@(Ri-i-i-i-i-i---ng).STOP.“…”“Damn; I should've left the door open.”At first glance, this could make a grammarian twitch!
Paraphrasing Done RightParaphrasing: What is it?When we paraphrase something, we simply restate the main point (or points) in a text using different diction (words) and syntax (grammar) in order to shorten the passage and/or make it more understandable to a reader.However, paraphrasing is not limited to articles and research papers. In fact, we paraphrase every day! Anytime you take something someone else told you and retell it in your own words to someone else (yes, even outside of writing), you are paraphrasing. This includes all those times your teacher asked you to restate what was happening in a text.In other words, you've been paraphrasing all semest
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