Process Writing

Process writing is the idea that writing is a process. You don't just sit down, think hard, and magically produce an amazing piece of work. Rather, you do distinct tasks at distinct times, and these all fit together to help you create something nice. Betty Flowers (1979) described the writer's job as four different roles:

1. Madman – creates ideas, ideas, and yet more ideas

2. Architect – chooses the best ideas from the madman's ramblings

3. Carpenter – rearranges paragraphs and sentences

4. Judge – adjusts punctuation, spelling, vocabulary choice

Don't try to do these jobs all at the same time. Many people find it harder to write than to edit, so when you're in a writing groove, stay in the groove and write as much as you can. In other words, when you're creating, be the madman, and save the judge for later.

Also, remind yourself to focus on the medium run. Nobody writes a prize-winning essay the first time they grab a keyboard. It takes time and energy to improve our writing skills. Every time you seriously attempt to communicate something on paper, you get better at it. The important thing is that three months from now you're a better writer than today.

How to Write Faster

Students sometimes ask how they can write faster. There is no short answer, because everything depends on the student's situation and goals, but here are some common considerations.

1. Are you doing process writing? The above method is one way of structuring your writing time. The goal of process writing is to increase quality, but it might also increase speed.

2. What is actually taking a long time? Students might have trouble thinking of ideas, or perhaps they can't organize their thoughts. It might also happen that they take a long time editing because the grammar is difficult or the formatting is tedious. Before trying to speed up the process, first consider where time is being spent.

3. Sometimes it takes time. Even professionals have writers block on occasion. If you can't make progress right now, take a break and try again later. Talking to a friend, family member, or teacher might also help you think of ideas of what to try next.

4. Are you practicing for the TOEFL, SAT, or some other standardized test? If you are, usually there are specific rules and predictable writing prompts. Daily writing practice using sample questions or past questions, even if nobody ever reads your answers, will help you build speed and confidence.

5. Low-stakes writing is effective. Low-stakes writing (sometimes called informal writing or casual writing) is writing where you're not being graded, where it doesn't particularly matter how well you write as long as you're trying to express yourself. When you're doing low-stakes writing, many formats are possible. For example, you could use TOEFL test practice prompts, write a journal, do freewriting, or anything else, as long as the outcome is low pressure. Unsurprisingly, when people can relax and write without fear of getting embarrassed or getting a low score, they tend to write faster and with greater confidently. Over time, this improves overall writing quality.

References

• Elbow, P. (1973). Freewriting. Writing Without Teachers. Oxford University Press.

• Flowers, B. (1979). Madman, Architect, Carpenter, Judge: Roles and the Writing Process. Proceedings of the Conference of College Teachers of English of Texas 44: 7-10.