The Writing Process and the Rhetorical Context

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The Writing Process and the Rhetorical Context

• Technical Writing
• ENGL 3153
• Scott Hale

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Levels of Composing

• Situational Analysis
• Discovery Process
• Arrangement
• Drafting and Revising
• Editing

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First Level of Composing

• Situational Analysis
• What is the situation which causes the writer to
  compose the document?
• What is the purpose of the document?
• What is the documents intended audience?

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Purpose

• What is the writers primary purpose?
• Request information?
• Respond to questions?
• Reporting results?
• Describing a process?
• Recommend?
• Persuade?
• Often, these purposes intermix.

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Audience and Audience Analysis

• What is the relation between writer and
  recipient?
• Superior? Customer? Peers?
• What knowledge does the recipient have about the
  subject matter?
• Middle management? Technician? General public?

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Problem Audiences

• Multiple Audiences
• Many documents will be read by more than one
  individual.
• These individuals may have different needs,
  knowledge, and goals.
• Superiors who have little knowledge of the
  subject
• One cannot talk down to the audience.

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Situational Analysis, then

• Requires an awareness of why the document is
  being written from both the writers and
  recipients points of view.
• Requires knowledge about who will receive and
  utilize the document.
• May cause one to choose to write multiple
  documents or documents with sections geared
  towards certain audience members.

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Second Level of Composing

• The Discovery Process
• Research done
• In the lab
• In the field
• In the library
• In response to other documents
• Or, in some combination of these

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The Discovery Process, then

• Is where the subject matter of the document is
  generated.
• In this class, much of the work on this level has
  already been done during other classes.
• Is also where one may need to re-think or
  re-shape the material already gathered so that it
  will suit the audience and situation.

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Third Level of Composing

• Arrangement
• Putting the subject matter generated during the
  Discovery Process into a pattern which is
  suitable for the purpose of the document and for
  the documents intended audience.

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In the Arrangement Process, then

• The writer selects a sequence
• a sequence which contains all steps necessary for
  the audience
• the writer may find that some steps are missing
  and return to the discovery process to generate
  them

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In the Arrangement Process, also

• The writer also selects the format
• formal or informal?
• memo or letter?
• short report or multi-level formal report?
• The writer selects the transmission method
• E-mail? Snail mail? Fax? Inter-office mail?
  Hand delivered? Orally presented?

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Also a component of Arrangement

• Time management
• How much time can the writer spend on the
  document?
• How quickly does the audience need the document?
• How long will the document be kept on file?
• How long will the document be in transit?

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Fourth Level of Composing

• Drafting and Revising
• This level includes everything from rough notes
  to completed drafts.
• Good writers tend to spend more time on this
  level of composing than any other.
• Poor writers tend to spend as little time as
  possible on this level of composing.

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Drafting, Revising, and Technical Writing

• This level is the one upon which we will
  concentrate the most.
• Since better writers tend to spend more time on
  this level, we will break down the stages which
  good writers tend to go through.
• We will learn to spend time more profitably by
  learning and practicing the stages which good
  writers tend to move through.

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Fifth Level of Composing

• When revising ends, and the draft is being
  prepared for transmission, editing comes into
  play.
• Professional drafts must be pristine, as flawless
  as they can possibly be made.
• Working with others is helpful, as fresh eyes can
  often catch embarrassing mistakes.
• One must become ones own best editor.

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The Composing Process

• Situational Analysis
• Discovery Process
• Arrangement
• Drafting and Revising
• Editing

• This process is not necessarily linear. One
  may begin with analysis and move to discover,
  then to arrangement, then back to discovery, to
  drafting, and back to discovery, etc.

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Points to Remember

• Spend adequate time on each level of
  composing--as time permits.
• Break down tasks--do not try to draft and
  discover at the same time.
• Good writers tend to spend more time with
  drafting and revising.
• Save editing for the final stage--it is a waste
  of time until the document is completed.