Colloquium on English - Research Institute for Waldorf Education

audience. Remembering the audience and the purpose of the writing allows
us to think about different approaches to the piece and leads to the
realization that revision is the key to success. Movement in the process
leads to meaning. Movement is not an easy achievement for any writer,
because writing itself makes us vulnerable, especially if the piece is meant
for an audience. A progressive and successful writing process includes various
strategies.
The first strategy asks why we write at all: What is new? What can
be done that has never been done before? Ultimately, we know there is a
story waiting to be told, an interesting biography to be revealed, an image
to be conveyed. Further, writing connects us with others, takes us beyond
ourselves and allows us to witness ourselves and others. This kind of conversation
helps us overcome the one thing we all have in common as writers:
the empty sheet of paper that makes us feel vulnerable. We are all afraid
of judgment, and writing, especially, makes us feel insecure. Writing reveals
a part of us to others, and we are not always comfortable with this side
effect of writing. Still, once we move through this discussion, we can approach
writing with a sense of common experience, including the company
of some of the great writers.
We cannot separate reading and writing with a wide divide. Writing
is generally easier for students who love to read, but even they are not
spared writer’s anxiety. Almost all students remember books or stories they
loved at some point. Looking at these works with new eyes helps awaken
interest in style—the syntax of the words on the page, and the deliberate
choice of words used to evoke the images for the reader. A reading history
developed by each student leads to an exploration of how the writers engaged
their audience and can inspire the students to learn how to do the
same.
The three main components in any written piece include image,
form, and content. Once students realize these three elements need to be
part of everything they write, they know a college essay without an opening
picture to provide context for the reader is a dead essay. Just as every piece
of writing needs an image, it needs content beyond description to deepen
the meaning of the piece. Still, none of these elegant and profound ideas,
observations, or insights would work without structure to make the whole
stand up. No piece of writing comes from the writer simultaneously or
immediately. Improvements, revisions and corrections are always needed
to strengthen the work. These days the three “R’s” stand for “Revision,
Revision, Revision.”
In the 1980s emphasizing revision rather less than the product began
in many schools. This good beginning responded to the “instant gratification
syndrome” still prevalent today. Insisting on several drafts pushes
the student beyond the first draft attachment of “this is what I want to say”.
Students who find satisfaction in the first draft often write for themselves
and not for the reader, and they need to be challenged to find a voice for a
greater audience. Practical solutions to writing and rewriting can be enlivening,
as well as challenging.
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