Prompts for Discussing the Writing Process

Whether you are a teacher working with a student or a student reflecting on your own, the prompts below invite you to explore or discuss a writing process. They are designed to help you identify patterns in a writing process report.

“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” ― John Dewey

Step 1: Open your writing process report generated by Process Feedback

Use the online version of your report (not the PDF) so you can click and explore the charts.

Step 2: Discuss your time management and the sources you consulted

When answering, be sure to include specific examples, dates, and times from your writing process report to support your points.

  1. What was the total time spent on the task, including all breaks?
  2. How much of this time was “editing time”? Reflect on whether your “editing time” was evenly distributed throughout or concentrated in specific parts of the task.
  3. You likely took short and long breaks when working on the writing tasks. What did you do during non-typing time? Consider both intentional activities (e.g., consulting sources, brainstorming) and unintentional/unplanned ones.
  4. When you were not actively typing, you may have been engaged in various activities like consulting sources, reading books or craft essays, poems, and stories for inspiration, brainstorming separately, attending to other tasks, or simply taking a break. How often did you switch between writing and consulting sources (including the use of AI for any kind of support)? Reflect on how these transitions may have influenced your writing process and whether you notice any patterns.
  5. How did consulting sources contribute to the quality of your text and writing process? Consider if and how the act of consulting sources allowed you to approach the task differently.
  6. If you were to repeat this task, how would you manage your time differently? Reflect on any strategies that may help you balance active writing and thinking time more effectively.

Step 3: Discuss your text production and fluency

When answering, be sure to include specific examples, dates, and times from your writing process report to support your points.

  1. Did you write most of the text at the beginning, middle, or end phases of your writing process? Reflect on why and whether past experiences influenced your approach in each phase.
  2. Why was your text production different during these phases (if it was)? Consider if you faced specific challenges or had strategies that worked better in some phases than others.
  3. What were your approximate typing speeds in each phase (beginning, middle, end) in words per minute? Reflect on whether your typing speeds changed and what that reveals about your comfort or engagement with the content at different phases.
  4. Did you notice any shifts in your writing fluency across the phases? Reflect on any personal factors or previous experiences that may have influenced your writing flow.
  5. What text did you paste during your writing? Discuss your copy-paste actions.

Step 4: Discuss your revision process

When answering, be sure to include specific examples, dates, and times from your writing process report to support your points.

  1. What percentage of your time did you spend revising text after drafting it? Reflect on how revision time was distributed throughout the task and whether you revised more at specific phases.
  2. When did you revise the most—at the beginning, middle, or end of your writing process? Consider how each phase of revision contributed to the development of your final text.
  3. During which stage of the writing process did you delete the most text? Reflect on what types of content you removed and why, considering the needs of your audience and your message.
  4. What types of phrases, words, sentences, or passages did you delete? Think about whether these choices reflect specific patterns in how you shape and refine your ideas.
  5. If you had more time to revise, what would your revision plan be? Imagine explaining this plan to someone else. How would you present your approach to revising this text to improve its quality?

References

[1] Vandermeulen et al., Written Communication, 2023, “Writing Process Feedback Based on Keystroke Logging and Comparison With Exemplars: Effects on the Quality and Process of Synthesis Texts.”
[2] Badri Adhikari, Education Sciences, 2023, “Thinking beyond chatbots’ threat to education: Visualizations to elucidate the writing or coding process.”
[3] Kathleen Blake Yancey, 1998, “Reflection in the Writing Classroom.”