1 Lesson 1: Writing Preferences and The Writing Process (37/24) -- Introduction to Creative Writing

1 Lesson 1: Writing Preferences and The Writing Process Writing Preferences Each writer has his/her own preferences when drafting a document. Whether a person is writing a story, a poem, a journal entry, a letter, or a creative non-fiction piece, the writing approach is idiosyncratic, meaning that it is distinctive to the person who is writing. Some are think-write writers. They need to think and think and think some more until they can write their first draft. When they write their first draft, they need a large block of time to get it down on paper. Their first drafts feel like a finished product to the writer because they’ve done most of their prewriting and revising in the thinking process. However, these writers need to remember that the first draft is just that—a first draft. Revision is necessary. See Figure 1.1 for a list of the advantages and disadvantages of being an extreme think-write writer. Figure 1.1: Advantages and Disadvantages for Think-write Writers Advantages - Once they’ve start writing, they finish the draft easily. - The first draft can feel like a polished final draft to the writer. - They usually finish drafts on time or earlier than the deadline. Disadvantages - They need time to think; they can’t write under command or time pressure. - Starting the opening paragraph can be difficult because they are still thinking. - Revising their work is difficult because from their perspective a lot of the revision decisions were made in the thinking process. Other writers are write-write writers. They write, cut, copy, and reorganize their work as well as throw away and start again—sometimes multiple times. They are constantly prewriting, planning, and revising as they go. They sometimes struggle with finishing a final draft, and they have even been known to delete some of their best work. These writers need to remember to save all drafts, so that the best work is never lost. See Figure 1.2 for a list of advantages and disadvantages of being an extreme write-write writer. Figure 1.2: Advantages and Disadvantages for the Write-write Writers Advantages - They are willing to try multiple ideas to see what will work best. - They can easily leave sentence and grammar errors to be edited later in the revision stage. - They embrace revision as it is part of their drafting process. Disadvantages - They have a hard time knowing when a draft is finished, and they sometimes over revise. - They are often writing under pressure–a deadline. - They are often referred to as the messy writers, and the revision of their work takes a long time. Most writers are somewhere between these two extreme types of drafters, and that’s the best place to be. See Figure 1.3 which illustrates these two types of drafters. If you are an extreme think-write writer, cultivate some of the traits of the write-write writer, and if you are an extreme write-write writer, try some of the traits of the think-write writer. Attempting both styles of writing will help writers a