Writing is a process. Every time a person writes, that process differs a little from other writing situations. However, with a little careful thought, writers can discover which approaches work for them under certain circumstances. The process letters you will write to accompany the report and final project in this class will give you the opportunity to carefully consider and articulate

• how you’ve approached each task
• what you’ve tried this time that worked
• what you tried that didn’t work
• why you think some aspects of your process were more effective than others
• how you applied something you learned in class or from the reading
• which techniques or strategies you plan to use on the next assignment in this class or in future writing situations
• what insights you’ve realized about yourself as a writer and the nature of writing through this process

In each letter, devote a brief amount of space to describing your process. Then, move quickly into analyzing the process. The analysis is the most important part. Be sure to tie at least one concept or strategy you read or learned in class into the analysis.

The process letter should follow basic letter format (see the Letters chapter in TCtW). Each letter should include the date, a greeting, a body, a closing, and a signature. You do not need to have an address above the greeting since you will not actually mail these letters.

You may choose whether you wish to use business style paragraph format (all paragraphs left justified, with no tab at the beginning of the paragraph, and with a blank line between paragraphs) or a personal style paragraph format (tabs at the beginnings of paragraphs, no blank lines between paragraphs). Use an 11-12 point font and 1 inch margins.

Factors I will consider when grading: