“The pattern of the thing precedes the thing. I fill in the gaps of the crossword at any spot I happen to choose. These bits I write on index cards until the novel is done.” Vladimir Nabokov
Food for Thought...
Writing Truly Is a Process!
- 20 percent = actual creative writing
- 40 percent = research
- 40 percent = revision
What authors say about the writing process:
“I write any sort of rubbish which will cover the main outlines of the story, then I can begin to see it.” Frank O’Connor
“I don’t write easily or rapidly. My first draft usually has only a few elements worth keeping.” Susan Sontag
“I do a lot of revising. Certain chapters six or seven times. Occasionally you can hit it right the first time. More often, you don’t.” John Dos Passos
“I talk the lines as I write.” Tennessee Williams
“I type in one place, but I write all over the house.” Toni Morrison
Our Integrated Philosophy
At BluePrints for Communication, we believe that:
- reading and writing instruction should be integrated
- more time should be devoted to research
- students should be taught how to conduct research
- specific revision strategies including collaborative and peer editing techniques should be modeled
- we must make non-fiction writing a priority
- we must all become lifelong learners about teaching the writing process