Purpose
The purposes of this assignment are multifold. First, it will engage you in the act of writing. Writing is a process, a series of various activities that lead to a complete product. You will generate, organize, create, compose, revise, edit and title--seven stages in the process of writing. Second, it will situate you in this class, for you will discover your strengths and weaknesses with respect to writing. Third, it will become an evaluative tool by which we (you and I) will measure your progress.
The purposes of this assignment are multifold. First, it will engage you in the act of writing. Writing is a process, a series of various activities that lead to a complete product. You will generate, organize, create, compose, revise, edit and title--seven stages in the process of writing. Second, it will situate you in this class, for you will discover your strengths and weaknesses with respect to writing. Third, it will become an evaluative tool by which we (you and I) will measure your progress.
Content
Your essay must address your past, present and future relationships with writing. Specifically, you must answer all the following questions.
- Who first taught you how to write?
- What was the first piece that you wrote?
- Did you enjoy the courses in composition in high school? Describe those courses.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses with respect to writing?
- Do you like or dislike writing, or are you ambivalent toward writing?
- How frequently will you write after your schooling?
- Describe the goals (at least five) you will accomplish during the course of this course.
I encourage you to address other aspects of your relationship, but the essay must not exceed 100,000 words or 400 pages. Format your essay in accordance with the conventions established by the Modern Language Association (MLA).
Process
I have determined your purpose for writing, which is to inform; I have defined your audience, which is the class. I also have provided you a topic, which is your past, present and future relationships with writing. The next stage is to generate information. We will discuss reading, brainstorming, journal writing, listing, and mapping--activities you may want to do rather than freewriting and focused freewriting. However, for this essay you will freely write for ten minutes, generating as much information on the topic as you can. According to Peter Elbow:
Process
I have determined your purpose for writing, which is to inform; I have defined your audience, which is the class. I also have provided you a topic, which is your past, present and future relationships with writing. The next stage is to generate information. We will discuss reading, brainstorming, journal writing, listing, and mapping--activities you may want to do rather than freewriting and focused freewriting. However, for this essay you will freely write for ten minutes, generating as much information on the topic as you can. According to Peter Elbow:
The idea is simply to write for ten minutes (later on, perhaps
fifteen or twenty). Don't stop for anything. Go quickly without
rushing. Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to
wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word or thought
to use, or to think about what you are doing. If you can't think of
a word or a spelling, just use a squiggle or else write, "I can't
think of it." Just put down something. The easiest thing is just to
put down whatever is in your mind. If you get stuck [sic] it's fine
to write [sic] "I can't think what to say, [sic] I can't think what to
say [sic]" as many times as you want; or repeat the last word you
wrote over and over again; or anything else. The only
requirement is that you never stop.*
Focused freewriting provides the benefits of freewriting but with regard to specific information. First, read what you wrote and mark any words, phrases or sentences that seem important or useful. Second, freely write for ten more minutes--focusing on the words, phrases or sentences that you marked. To generate more specific information, you will need to repeat the technique.
Particulars
You do not need to organize the information in the temporal (from past to present to future) or the sequential (from 1 to 2 to 3 ...) manners I stated. We will discuss and you will engage in the entire process of writing: organizing your information, creating a working thesis, writing a first draft, revising your discourse, editing your discourse, and titling your essay. Near the end of the semester, on the day of your final exam, you will submit in a portfolio your freewrite, focused freewrite, outline, first draft, and final draft.
fifteen or twenty). Don't stop for anything. Go quickly without
rushing. Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to
wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word or thought
to use, or to think about what you are doing. If you can't think of
a word or a spelling, just use a squiggle or else write, "I can't
think of it." Just put down something. The easiest thing is just to
put down whatever is in your mind. If you get stuck [sic] it's fine
to write [sic] "I can't think what to say, [sic] I can't think what to
say [sic]" as many times as you want; or repeat the last word you
wrote over and over again; or anything else. The only
requirement is that you never stop.*
Focused freewriting provides the benefits of freewriting but with regard to specific information. First, read what you wrote and mark any words, phrases or sentences that seem important or useful. Second, freely write for ten more minutes--focusing on the words, phrases or sentences that you marked. To generate more specific information, you will need to repeat the technique.
Particulars
You do not need to organize the information in the temporal (from past to present to future) or the sequential (from 1 to 2 to 3 ...) manners I stated. We will discuss and you will engage in the entire process of writing: organizing your information, creating a working thesis, writing a first draft, revising your discourse, editing your discourse, and titling your essay. Near the end of the semester, on the day of your final exam, you will submit in a portfolio your freewrite, focused freewrite, outline, first draft, and final draft.
_______________________________________________________
*Peter Elbow
, Writing without Teachers, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford UP, 1998) 1.
, Writing without Teachers, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford UP, 1998) 1.
