My Writing Process: Editing and Revising

         The next step of my writing process involves the editing and revising of my piece. I always print out my writing at this point because I have found it is much easier on my eyes to read it as a hard copy. I take this time to try to determine if the reader will be able to understand what I am trying to say and then alter what I find necessary. I like to make corrections on my hard copy with a colored pen so I know what to make changes to. I first read through the draft and look for any spelling or grammar issues that need to be fixed. I often have to situate my punctuation at this point in the writing process as well. I try to make sure that the reader will understand what I am trying to say as much as possible.

         During this period of revision, I also look at the organization and tone of my writing. It helps to read the writing out loud to really hear how the words sound together. I always make sure that my ideas transition well and have a flow to them. This becomes a focus most often when I spend less time in the last few steps because it’s likely that I did not take much time to expand my bullet points. I really attempt to make sure my main ideas and thesis are organized

         Finally, I take this time to make sure all of my claims in my writing are supported. This could mean incorporating an outside source with a reference or simply expanding upon my claims to better support my ideas. I often refer back to any research I have done to be sure I not only cited it correctly, but also make sure there is no evidence of plagiarism. It’s good to be sure that my ideas are truly mine, if they are not cited properly. Overall, this step in my writing process is important because even if my ideas are on paper, it is also important that my writing is presented clearly and organized without spelling and grammar errors. Before I move onto the next portion of my writing process, I try to take another break before actually finalizing the piece. 

My Writing Process: Rough Draft

The second step in my writing process is when I turn my brainstormed thoughts into a first draft. This is when I take my ideas on paper and begin typing them into a word document. I start by looking at my bulleted ideas and decide which ones I want to have towards the beginning of. I type those points into the document in phrase or short sentence form and begin working with and expanding the ideas. While I was writing a paper on realistic fiction, I selected the points that included definitions and other basic info about the genre. I typically do not even attempt to create an opening sentence because I believe it works better to save the introduction for last, after I have expanded on all my ideas.

         For the remaining of the rough draft, I work on typing my bullet points in the order that I think I want to present them. Sometimes while I am expanding on an idea, I realize that it connects with another idea. In this case, I just copy and paste them to group them together in the document. I focus on expanding the ideas into sentences and grouping the sentences into paragraphs. This part is where it helps to have clustered the ideas in my brainstorming process. I try not to worry about spelling or grammar errors while creating my rough draft, although that squiggly line could be tempting. I just focus on continuing to move forward and develop my thoughts.

         There are times while I am writing a rough draft that I have difficulty coming up with the word or phrase that I want to use. This is when I decide its necessary to leave a blank and move on. As I was writing my rough draft about realistic fiction, I struggled to find the words to end the sentence, “Rather than other fiction that involves heroes with super powers, realistic fiction has characters that ________.” I knew I wanted to include that idea but I drew a blank when it came to actually finding the words. When I came back to this sentence in the next step, while I was revising, I was able to complete the sentence, as I wanted, with the words, “reflect normal human potentials.” Looking back at it, it can be difficult for me to move on without figuring out what I was attempting to write. I simply try to remind myself that writing does not always come out perfect from the start. Writing is a process.

Once I have expanded on the rest of my thoughts, I work on my introduction. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I want to include in the very beginning once I have worked on the rest of the draft. Depending on the situation, I may write a whole paragraph, or I might only be able to come up with one or two sentences. Either way, I try not to worry too much. As long as my bullet points are now in sentences, I consider it a rough draft. I like to take another break before moving on to the next step. I tend to get sluggish and less motivated if I spend too much time in one sitting on my writing. I also do not notice as many opportunities for editing and revising in my rough draft if I try to do both steps at once. 

My Writing Process: Brainstorming

Whenever I write, I have found that I always need to write down all my thoughts and ideas before actually forming complete sentences. Although I am not exactly sure why this process is not called brain-spilling, rather than brainstorming, I am certain that it is essential for crafting an effective piece of writing. I like to sit down with a pen and a piece of paper with a heading of topic that I am looking to write about. I make a bulleted list of various words or phrases that I may want to include in my writing, in addition to any ideas that even relates to the topic.

As I was brainstorming for a paper about the realistic fiction, I frequently thought of books that I have read that are considered to be part of that genre. Naturally, I wrote the titles of these books on my brainstorming list. When it came time to write up my first draft, I decided it would be a good idea to include a few of these books in my paper to supply a few examples with summaries of books written in the realistic fiction genre. This is not a thought I had when I originally listed the titles while brainstorming, but it turned out to fit well in the rough draft. Quite often I find that the ideas that I believe I will not include in the writing but decide write down anyways end up becoming a special feature in my piece.

Once I have spilled out my ideas on paper, I frequently attempt to cluster them into common themes or categories. Depending on my mood, sometimes I will simply draw lines to connect the ideas, and other times I use different color highlighters to identify similar or related thoughts. Either way, my brainstorming list becomes a bit more organized when I web the ideas together. I prefer to cluster my thoughts right after I think my list is complete because I have found that I am better able to remember what I was thinking when I wrote what I did. 

Now that the brainstorming and clustering of the ideas is complete, this is where I like to take a break. I feel my best work is written when I give myself time in between the main steps of the writing process. If I do not have much time to wait before I must begin drafting, I give myself a break of at least ten minutes before I begin constructing my rough draft. The last thing a writer should do is rush the process; of course, unless procrastination won the battle!

Mockingbird Book Club Meeting 4

Our meeting on October 15^th was our last session and we planned to complete the book by this time. We all needed a minute to figure out where to start, other than repeating our agreed opinion that this was an excellent novel. Someone brings up the fact that Caitlin’s gym teacher made a rude comment about how he is always given kids with Autism in his classes. This confused Caitlin because she only knows of one kid in the class with Autism, which was not her. The group agreed that it does not seem as though she has connected that Asperger’s is on the Autism spectrum. Someone else thought maybe Caitlin is in denial that she is on the spectrum. Either way, the whole group was disgusted that the gym teacher would say something like this, especially in front of his students.

I talked to the group about how I was incredibly proud of Caitlin for accepting Michael’s friend Josh, who happens to be cousins with the child that killed Caitlin’s brother and Michael’s mom. This really started to show after Caitlin tried to protect Michael when she sees Josh holding his legs on the monkey bars. In the past, Josh has used grabbing onto legs as a way of bullying other children and making them fall. What Caitlin did not realize was that Josh was just trying to help Michael make it across the monkey bars. When Caitlin tells the boys what she thought she saw, Josh became emotional about how other children viewed him and associated him with his cousin’s actions. Despite her difficulty with reading emotions and comprehending empathy, Caitlin begins to comfort Josh and assure him that it will be fine. The group saw this as a turning point for Caitlin and also evidence that she is trying to form relationships.

 Next we discussed the impact that Caitlin’s friendship with Michael had on her development throughout the book. I never thought about how increasing the positive social interactions would have such a positive influence on the life of a person with Asperger’s. It makes sense that socializing is extremely important. The decision to put Caitlin in an extra recess period with the younger children helped to get rid of the intimidation factor that was likely associated with other kids her age. Being with the younger kids helped her experience acceptance from another child. I said to the group that I thought it was so adorable when Michael called Caitlin a “big sister” and she immediately remembered that this type of relationship is what her and Devon had. She felt proud to have Michael for not only her little brother, but also her friend. Having worked with children on the autism spectrum before, I have seen first hand how difficult it can be when it comes to anxiety with social situations. Seeing this type of improvement with Caitlin makes me want to go find friends for these kids that I care for. This type of improvement, especially after losing her brother, is truly groundbreaking.

To end our discussion, we kept saying that we really enjoyed reading this novel. One of the members mentioned that in the author’s note, it says that the author has a child on the Autism spectrum. This explains how she was able to write so well coming from the perspective of a child with Asperger’s. I told the group that I already ordered my own copy of this book so I can have it to share to others. I think this is a book that many people need to read to better understand the mind of the Autistic. It is way too often that these people are misunderstood and this novel is sure to redirect that judgment. Overall, this book club was great and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. I was often looking forward to our meetings and also thought about what I wanted to bring up as I was reading. This book club experience will certainly not be my last!

Mockingbird Book Club Meeting 3

For this meeting on October 13th, the group agreed to read up to chapter 30. Once again, it was difficult for me to stop once I reached that chapter because of how much I enjoy reading it. To start, we talked about how Caitlin’s social worker is not in school because her sister is having a baby. She talks about this as if it is the baby’s fault that Ms. Brook’s sister needs help, but the group agreed that it was comical and also typical for Caitlin to think. We discussed how literal Caitlin takes everything she hears and that it’s very common for people on the Autism spectrum.

One of the group members brought up the time when Caitlin and her dad were talking about how she feels about going to the middle school next year, she said she is fine with going because there is no recess. It was obvious to us that the reason the father asked that question was because that is the school that her brother, Devon, was killed in. After that, Caitlin’s dad asked her if she wants to go to a private school. Caitlin said she would like to go there if it meant she was the only student at the school. We discussed how although Caitlin takes almost all things literally, the father does not try to re-word the questions so she could better understand what he is trying to ask. We think that this is because he is so incredibly hurt and confused about what happened to his son, that he really is not putting in much effort in having productive conversations with his daughter.

I mentioned to the group about how persistent Caitlin is becoming about completing Devon’s Eagle Scout project in hopes to find closure. We all thought it was cute that she drew an eagle on a white shirt and since her brother called her scout, she hoped her father would get the “Eagle + Scout” connection. Also, after finding out that she needed quarter-cut oak to finish the project, she figured cutting wood from an oak tree with a quarter would be the way she could get the materials. Once again, we came back to the idea that Caitlin takes everything literally and we think it would be easier for both her and her dad if he would keep this in mind while speaking with her.

We ended with talking about how difficult it can be for parents of children on the Autism spectrum, especially when a tragedy like this occurs. I believe more support groups are necessary to help the families of kids with Asperger’s to find more people like you and to know they are not alone. The group planned to meet in a few days and to finish the book so we can discuss the ending and the book as a whole. Well, it's time to get reading!

Mockingbird Book Club Meeting 2

For the book club meeting set for October 8th, the group planned to read up to chapter 20 of Mockingbird. I told everyone that it has been difficult for me to stop reading this book because it is really interesting to me. I often find myself wanting to keep going to the next chapter. We began by talking about how the main character, Caitlin, becomes fixated on finding closure with what happened to her brother, even though she does not really know what closure means. She talks to her counselor at school about her attempts to find closure, but does not seem to grasp the idea that it takes time and patience to reach that point.

Someone in the group stated she is amazed that Caitlin, in hopes to meet a new friend at recess, ends up meeting a boy who’s mother was also killed in the school shooting. Although it took a while for her to make this connection, Michael and Caitlin end up helping one another and keeping each other company during recess. When it came time to be assigned “reading buddies”, Caitlin showed a good amount of jealousy that Josh was able to work with Michael instead of her. This natural human emotion is something that has not been displayed by Caitlin until now, which is eye opening for us. We saw this as improvement with relationships and also a good lesson for Caitlin to experience. She can look back at this and remember how it felt while trying to read other people’s emotions in the future.

I brought up that Caitlin is beginning to have some empathy for her father, especially after it is mentioned to her that it upsets him when she talks about Devon as if he is still alive. To try to make her dad feel better, she begins to refer to Devon as “Devon-who-is-dead”, which ends up not helping her father as much as she hoped. When her father asks her what she wants to do for her birthday, Caitlin replies that she wants to go to the mall with Devon. Her dad reminded her that that is not possible and Caitlin responds by saying that it is what she wants to do, even though she knows she can’t do it. In the book club, we discusses that it seems the father is so caught up in his own emotions, that he does not put much effort in trying to ask questions and use words in a way that Caitlin will understand and not take literally. We can imagine that it is difficult to experience; however, we do not understand why he wouldn’t just ask the question in attempt to get the type of answer that he was looking for.

A member of the group mentioned the connection that Caitlin makes to the book To Kill a Mockingbird and how Devon used to call her “Scout”, which was one of the character’s names. Remembering that nickname leads Caitlin to finally feel that it is time to go into Devon’s room like she used to very often in the past. Upon opening the door and reminiscing memories of her brother, Caitlin finds a list that Devon wrote. She realizes that this list is something that her brother made that includes several things that he wanted to teach Caitlin, or what Devon called her, Scout. Coming across this list appears to mean the world to Caitlin and leads her to feel the need to complete her brother’s Eagle Scout project in hopes to find closure. This was touching to the entire group and led us to believe that it will help Caitlin to grow and overcome this difficult time. The group discussion ended with this thought and a plan to read up to chapter 30 for the next meeting. We all seem to enjoy discussing this book and are looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Mockingbird Book Club Meeting 1

         On October 6^th, the book club I am participating in met for the first of four times. We are all reading the novel titled Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine and made a plan to read up to chapter 10 before this meeting. I was looking forward to meeting with this group, especially because of how much I enjoyed the book and wanted to continue reading. As soon as the group got together, we all agreed that it was a very interesting story and an easy-read. We discussed the main character Caitlin, who is a fourteen-year-old girl with asperger’s, an autism spectrum disorder. I mentioned to the group that I did not realize the extent of anxiety that people with asperger’s experience every day. Since this book is written from the perspective of Caitlin, it is clear how difficult many situations can be for a person with asperger’s, especially if a tragedy occurs. 

           Next, one member of the group brought up how surprised she was of all that happened to this poor girl, and how it took some time while reading to find out what exactly happened. Caitlin’s brother Devon, was one of three people that was killed in a school shooting. This type of event is difficult for any person to handle. During the first ten chapters, Caitlin has a hard time processing what happened to her brother. Someone in the group mentioned that Caitlin can tell her father has been upset lately by the way he does not want to talk about Devon and the crying noises she hears when he is in the shower. It’s interesting how reading emotions is a weakness for people on the autism spectrum and it’s something most people take for granted. The concept of “stuffed animaling”, which Caitlin describes as staring at something until it becomes blurry, is spoken of in the group discussion. It makes it easier for Caitlin to look at because it becomes “fuzzy”. Straining her eyes to un-focus her vision seems to be a coping mechanism for Caitlin.

         To wrap up our discussion, the group agreed to read up to chapter 20 before our next meeting in a few days. So far I do enjoy this experience. The book is especially interesting to me and I like to have the chance to talk about it with my peers. I feel it is more effective than simply answering response questions. I enjoy the freedom that goes along with a book club and that we all can bring up anything we want to regarding the novel. In all, I am truly looking forward to reading the next section and meeting up with the group again soon.