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Catherine H. Decker

Dr. Cathy Decker

English 450

August 31, 2000

Darnell vs. Cathy: Contrasting Two Writing Processes

          The writing process of Darnell, described in Chapter One of Structuring Paragraphs and Essays, differs from mine in several ways. First of all,

when Darnell wrote his paper, his pre-draft process moved from a list to a freewrite to outlining. In contrast, I rarely use freewriting to generate ideas for a

paper. After doing some listing like Darnell, I typically do some outlining or diagramming before I write a first draft. Sometimes I need to do an outline,

next brainstorm or list ideas, and then do a more detailed and fuller outline before drafting. Secondly, Darnell essentially composed his entire paper in one

draft and appears to have done so in the order he intended the final paper to take. However, I frequently do my drafting in parts, rather than in one stage

that moves from the start to the end of the paper. For example, I may skip the introduction of my paper and draft the section I know best first. This section

which is written first may end up as my last and strongest point. In other words, I like to start writing with what I am most comfortable with, not what will

come first in my paper. Finally, Darnell only consulted a tutor once--when he finished his first draft. He did all the revisions, editing, and proofreading

without any further guidance. I, on the other hand, frequently consult other people at more than one stage in the writing process. When writing something,

for instance, I may ask for someone's opinion on the outline, a partial draft, a complete draft, editing, and/or proofreading. While I admit that sometimes I

don't ask for any help at all when I write, typically I seek out others and request feedback at several stages in the writing process. In conclusion, my

prewriting, drafting, and use of other's advice makes my writing process differ from Darnell's.