Comments on: 10: Workplace Writing, Collaborative Writing, Writing, Writing, Writing… http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/2012/11/04/10-workplace-writing-collaborative-writing-writing-writing-writing/ ENGL 605, WVU, Fall 2012 Wed, 14 Nov 2012 02:44:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: cseymour http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/2012/11/04/10-workplace-writing-collaborative-writing-writing-writing-writing/#comment-3272 cseymour Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:32:54 +0000 http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/?p=973#comment-3272 Hey Rachel, Outlines do feel a little sneaky, don't they? Kind of like a deceptive mind trick--"look, good writing is just plugging information into this highly organized outline, see? Ahhh, writing is so easy, as long as you are efficient, organized, and can fill out any simple chart." They kind of sabotage me because I end up thinking "my work is basically done; I just have to plug in the writing!" But the writing is usually the most difficult, complex process in which thoughts/ideas and advanced and enlightened. And if writing is done successfully, the original thesis/outline is usually revised to service the now, more advanced ideas. (At least in essay-writing. I'm sure more technical documents like grant proposals must, at times, adhere to a strict outline.) I also enjoy your honesty about collaboration! I've wondered this while teaching, too, about whether to assign group leaders for collaborative projects, because from my experience, leaders are important! Rather than making the others feel inadequate, I think good group leaders give the group that structure needed to keep conversation productive and efficient. In a sense, leaders are outlines! They are the keepers of requirements, structure, and time. And in good groups, I think these roles are shared and discussed by all. Hey Rachel, Outlines do feel a little sneaky, don’t they? Kind of like a deceptive mind trick–”look, good writing is just plugging information into this highly organized outline, see? Ahhh, writing is so easy, as long as you are efficient, organized, and can fill out any simple chart.” They kind of sabotage me because I end up thinking “my work is basically done; I just have to plug in the writing!” But the writing is usually the most difficult, complex process in which thoughts/ideas and advanced and enlightened. And if writing is done successfully, the original thesis/outline is usually revised to service the now, more advanced ideas. (At least in essay-writing. I’m sure more technical documents like grant proposals must, at times, adhere to a strict outline.)

I also enjoy your honesty about collaboration! I’ve wondered this while teaching, too, about whether to assign group leaders for collaborative projects, because from my experience, leaders are important! Rather than making the others feel inadequate, I think good group leaders give the group that structure needed to keep conversation productive and efficient. In a sense, leaders are outlines! They are the keepers of requirements, structure, and time. And in good groups, I think these roles are shared and discussed by all.

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