Coding Composing Processes
Transcript Okay.  So I’m looking at it and I have three sort of sections, or maybe four, that I need to look at.  I have the introduction to Mulvey, which is basically—I don’t need to do anything with it, but it’s there. Um, [typing] and then I have  p e ople reacting to Mulvey, and so  m a ybe I’ll start looking at this.  I need to sort of organize it by categories.  So, I’m looking at the people that I have: I have Cherry , K e rn , M u lvey’s response to herself, Patricia Johnson… I   probably need to go back and look a t.. .Oh, here’s  L o sano, which is a transition into the female artist stuff.  I probably need to go back and [sigh] look for more … p e ople doing film stuff who are reacting to Mulvey, but… o k ay.  So I need to summarize [sigh]  t hat  p e ople are saying about Mulvey.  Um …O k ay, so my last sentence when I was talking about Mulvey is:  Doubly marginalized as both woman and artist, doubly blessed with both the ability to observe others and the ability to see herself as the object of others’ gaze, the character of Avis ruptures essentialist assumptions about vision, and confronts the reader with our own  r ole as both subject and object of the gaze.  Okay, so I need a transition between talking about how Mulvey applies to Avis, to what …. . mhm…. how people .. . are reacting to Mulvey, so I’m arguing that people  a r e having problems with Mul—er, no, I’m identifying a problem with Mulvey’s thesis—this is hard, to talk out loud.  Um…I ’m losing my train of thought.  Okay. So people say…I’m saying that, um, I am complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so I need a transition into other people complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so, um …[ typing]… [sigh]…  Cherry… s hoot, it’s in bold [typing].. . Cherry recognizes  the import of Mulvey’s analysis in initiating a dialogue… conversation…  because it’s more than one person, it’s not just a dialogue.  I n itiating a conversation about …  female spectatorship?  Or, alternatively, gendered vision. Um.   [reading unintelligibly from Cherry quote]  W hereas Mulvey’s essay has become a catalyst in [unintelligible] a more urgent interrogation of the feminine spectator so I should probably not use  f e male spectatorship, because that’s the language that Cherry actually uses. So, gendered vision it is.
Code (very simplified) Planning Writing   Reading   Editing Talking
Coded Transcript Okay.  So I’m looking at it and I have three sort of sections, or maybe four, that I need to look at.  I have the introduction to Mulvey, which is basically—I don’t need to do anything with it, but it’s there.   Um ,  [typing ]  and then I have  p e ople reacting to Mulvey, and so  m a ybe I’ll start looking at this.   I need to sort of organize it by categories.  So, I’m looking at the people that I have:   I have Cherry , K e rn , M u lvey’s response to herself, Patricia Johnson… I   probably need to go back and look a t.. .Oh, here’s  L o sano ,  which is a transition into the female artist stuff.  I probably need to go back and [sigh] look for more … p e ople doing film stuff who are reacting to Mulvey, but …  o k ay .  So I need to summarize [sigh]  w hat  p e ople are saying about Mulvey .  Um …O k ay ,  so my last sentence when I was talking about Mulvey is:  Doubly marginalized as both woman and artist, doubly blessed with both the ability to observe others and the ability to see herself as the object of others’ gaze, the character of Avis ruptures essentialist assumptions about vision, and confronts the reader with our own  r ole as both subject and object of the gaze.   Okay, so I need a transition between talking about how Mulvey applies to Avis, to what …. . mhm…. how people .. . are reacting to Mulvey, so I’m arguing that people  a r e having problems with Mul—er ,  no, I’m identifying a problem with Mulvey’s thesis—   this is hard, to talk out loud.  Um…I ’m losing my train of thought.  Okay.   So people say…I’m saying that, um, I am complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so I need  a transition into other people complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so, um … [ typing] …  [sigh]…   Cherry…  s hoot, it’s in bold  [typing].. . Cherry recognizes  the import of Mulvey’s analysis in initiating a dialogue…  conversation…  because it’s more than one person, it’s not just a dialogue.   I n itiating a conversation about …   female spectatorship?  Or, alternatively, gendered vision.   Um.   [reading unintelligibly from Cherry quote]   W hereas Mulvey’s essay has become a catalyst in [unintelligible] a more urgent interrogation of the feminine spectator…   so I should probably not use  f e male spectatorship, because that’s the language that Cherry actually uses. So, gendered vision it is.
Composing Style Sheet P-T-W-P-R-P-T-P-T-R P-E-T-P-W-T-W-E-W  E-W-P-R-E
Let’s make our own code.
Review Perl’s code.  Page 238 General planning Local planning Global planning Commenting  Interpreting Assessing Questioning Talking leading to writing Talking and writing at the same time Repeating Reading related to the topic Reading related to one’s own written product Writing silently Writing aloud Editing Periods of silence
Color-code your transcript. Use highlighters to mark up your transcript, choosing one of the following categories for every part of your transcript: Planning Writing Editing Unrelated Example:  Okay, so I need a transition between talking about how Mulvey applies to Avis, to what …. . mhm…. how people .. . are reacting to Mulvey, so I’m arguing that people  a r e having problems with Mul—er ,  no, I’m identifying a problem with Mulvey’s thesis—   this is hard, to talk out loud.  Um…I ’m losing my train of thought.  Okay.   So people say…I’m saying that, um, I am complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so I need  a transition into other people complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so, um … [ typing] …  [sigh]…   Cherry…  s hoot, it’s in bold  [typing].. . Cherry recognizes  the import of Mulvey’s analysis in initiating a dialogue…  conversation…  because it’s more than one person, it’s not just a dialogue.   I n itiating a conversation about …   female spectatorship?  Or, alternatively, gendered vision.   Um.   [reading unintelligibly from Cherry quote]   W hereas Mulvey’s essay has become a catalyst in [unintelligible] a more urgent interrogation of the feminine spectator…   so I should probably not use  f e male spectatorship, because that’s the language that Cherry actually uses. So, gendered vision it is.
Develop your mini-categories.   Try to develop a list of more specific composing behaviors that fit under the larger categories.  Example: Planning: global, local, reading the question, reading the source, reading written text, reconceiving Editing: grammar, structure, spelling, content, vocabulary, syntax
Let’s create a code. Develop abbreviations for each activity, with a capital letter for the larger category, and a lowercase letter(s) for the smaller activity.  Example:  Pg=Planning, global Pl=Planning, local Prq=Planning, reading the question Prs=Planning, reading the source Prw=Planning, reading written text Prc=Planning, reconceiving
Code your transcript.  For each piece of highlighted text, choose one of the smaller activities and write the abbreviation next to it. (Pr, Pg, etc.) Hint: It may be easier to do this one category at a time, i.e., all your planning, then all your writing, etc.
Create a composing style sheet.   On a separate piece of paper, write down the abbreviations for all your composing activities.  Example:  Pr - Wb - Pl - Ws - Pr - El
Now comes the hard part… Look for patterns, and try to figure out something about your composing process.  Think about how you will analyze the data; what kind of calculations will you make to find out more about how you write?
Let’s find some sources. Forgot how?
CompPile, JSTOR, or ERIC Try keywords related to “process,” “writing process,” “composing,” or “composing process.”  Other potential search terms (depending on your research question): revision, planning, writer’s block, writing anxiety, procrastination, writing environment
Look at works cited Berkenkotter’s references Janet Emig,  The Composing Processes of Twelfth-Graders. book; look up in library catalog Linda Flower and John Hayes, “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing.” Published in CCC; look up in library catalog Lester Faigley and Stephen Witte, “Analyzing Revision.” Published in CCC; look up in library catalog
Some helpful hints A lot of good research on composing processes was done almost 30 years ago, so for this particular topic, don’t necessarily throw out older sources. Sources that conduct some kind of study like yours, Perl’s, or Berkenkotter’s will probably be the most useful/helpful in establishing your territory.

Coding together

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Transcript Okay. So I’m looking at it and I have three sort of sections, or maybe four, that I need to look at. I have the introduction to Mulvey, which is basically—I don’t need to do anything with it, but it’s there. Um, [typing] and then I have p e ople reacting to Mulvey, and so m a ybe I’ll start looking at this. I need to sort of organize it by categories. So, I’m looking at the people that I have: I have Cherry , K e rn , M u lvey’s response to herself, Patricia Johnson… I probably need to go back and look a t.. .Oh, here’s L o sano, which is a transition into the female artist stuff. I probably need to go back and [sigh] look for more … p e ople doing film stuff who are reacting to Mulvey, but… o k ay. So I need to summarize [sigh] t hat p e ople are saying about Mulvey. Um …O k ay, so my last sentence when I was talking about Mulvey is: Doubly marginalized as both woman and artist, doubly blessed with both the ability to observe others and the ability to see herself as the object of others’ gaze, the character of Avis ruptures essentialist assumptions about vision, and confronts the reader with our own r ole as both subject and object of the gaze. Okay, so I need a transition between talking about how Mulvey applies to Avis, to what …. . mhm…. how people .. . are reacting to Mulvey, so I’m arguing that people a r e having problems with Mul—er, no, I’m identifying a problem with Mulvey’s thesis—this is hard, to talk out loud. Um…I ’m losing my train of thought. Okay. So people say…I’m saying that, um, I am complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so I need a transition into other people complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so, um …[ typing]… [sigh]… Cherry… s hoot, it’s in bold [typing].. . Cherry recognizes the import of Mulvey’s analysis in initiating a dialogue… conversation… because it’s more than one person, it’s not just a dialogue. I n itiating a conversation about … female spectatorship? Or, alternatively, gendered vision. Um. [reading unintelligibly from Cherry quote] W hereas Mulvey’s essay has become a catalyst in [unintelligible] a more urgent interrogation of the feminine spectator so I should probably not use f e male spectatorship, because that’s the language that Cherry actually uses. So, gendered vision it is.
  • 3.
    Code (very simplified)Planning Writing Reading Editing Talking
  • 4.
    Coded Transcript Okay. So I’m looking at it and I have three sort of sections, or maybe four, that I need to look at. I have the introduction to Mulvey, which is basically—I don’t need to do anything with it, but it’s there. Um , [typing ] and then I have p e ople reacting to Mulvey, and so m a ybe I’ll start looking at this. I need to sort of organize it by categories. So, I’m looking at the people that I have: I have Cherry , K e rn , M u lvey’s response to herself, Patricia Johnson… I probably need to go back and look a t.. .Oh, here’s L o sano , which is a transition into the female artist stuff. I probably need to go back and [sigh] look for more … p e ople doing film stuff who are reacting to Mulvey, but … o k ay . So I need to summarize [sigh] w hat p e ople are saying about Mulvey . Um …O k ay , so my last sentence when I was talking about Mulvey is: Doubly marginalized as both woman and artist, doubly blessed with both the ability to observe others and the ability to see herself as the object of others’ gaze, the character of Avis ruptures essentialist assumptions about vision, and confronts the reader with our own r ole as both subject and object of the gaze. Okay, so I need a transition between talking about how Mulvey applies to Avis, to what …. . mhm…. how people .. . are reacting to Mulvey, so I’m arguing that people a r e having problems with Mul—er , no, I’m identifying a problem with Mulvey’s thesis— this is hard, to talk out loud. Um…I ’m losing my train of thought. Okay. So people say…I’m saying that, um, I am complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so I need a transition into other people complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so, um … [ typing] … [sigh]… Cherry… s hoot, it’s in bold [typing].. . Cherry recognizes the import of Mulvey’s analysis in initiating a dialogue… conversation… because it’s more than one person, it’s not just a dialogue. I n itiating a conversation about … female spectatorship? Or, alternatively, gendered vision. Um. [reading unintelligibly from Cherry quote] W hereas Mulvey’s essay has become a catalyst in [unintelligible] a more urgent interrogation of the feminine spectator… so I should probably not use f e male spectatorship, because that’s the language that Cherry actually uses. So, gendered vision it is.
  • 5.
    Composing Style SheetP-T-W-P-R-P-T-P-T-R P-E-T-P-W-T-W-E-W E-W-P-R-E
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Review Perl’s code. Page 238 General planning Local planning Global planning Commenting Interpreting Assessing Questioning Talking leading to writing Talking and writing at the same time Repeating Reading related to the topic Reading related to one’s own written product Writing silently Writing aloud Editing Periods of silence
  • 8.
    Color-code your transcript.Use highlighters to mark up your transcript, choosing one of the following categories for every part of your transcript: Planning Writing Editing Unrelated Example: Okay, so I need a transition between talking about how Mulvey applies to Avis, to what …. . mhm…. how people .. . are reacting to Mulvey, so I’m arguing that people a r e having problems with Mul—er , no, I’m identifying a problem with Mulvey’s thesis— this is hard, to talk out loud. Um…I ’m losing my train of thought. Okay. So people say…I’m saying that, um, I am complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so I need a transition into other people complicating Mulvey’s thesis, so, um … [ typing] … [sigh]… Cherry… s hoot, it’s in bold [typing].. . Cherry recognizes the import of Mulvey’s analysis in initiating a dialogue… conversation… because it’s more than one person, it’s not just a dialogue. I n itiating a conversation about … female spectatorship? Or, alternatively, gendered vision. Um. [reading unintelligibly from Cherry quote] W hereas Mulvey’s essay has become a catalyst in [unintelligible] a more urgent interrogation of the feminine spectator… so I should probably not use f e male spectatorship, because that’s the language that Cherry actually uses. So, gendered vision it is.
  • 9.
    Develop your mini-categories. Try to develop a list of more specific composing behaviors that fit under the larger categories. Example: Planning: global, local, reading the question, reading the source, reading written text, reconceiving Editing: grammar, structure, spelling, content, vocabulary, syntax
  • 10.
    Let’s create acode. Develop abbreviations for each activity, with a capital letter for the larger category, and a lowercase letter(s) for the smaller activity. Example: Pg=Planning, global Pl=Planning, local Prq=Planning, reading the question Prs=Planning, reading the source Prw=Planning, reading written text Prc=Planning, reconceiving
  • 11.
    Code your transcript. For each piece of highlighted text, choose one of the smaller activities and write the abbreviation next to it. (Pr, Pg, etc.) Hint: It may be easier to do this one category at a time, i.e., all your planning, then all your writing, etc.
  • 12.
    Create a composingstyle sheet. On a separate piece of paper, write down the abbreviations for all your composing activities. Example: Pr - Wb - Pl - Ws - Pr - El
  • 13.
    Now comes thehard part… Look for patterns, and try to figure out something about your composing process. Think about how you will analyze the data; what kind of calculations will you make to find out more about how you write?
  • 14.
    Let’s find somesources. Forgot how?
  • 15.
    CompPile, JSTOR, orERIC Try keywords related to “process,” “writing process,” “composing,” or “composing process.” Other potential search terms (depending on your research question): revision, planning, writer’s block, writing anxiety, procrastination, writing environment
  • 16.
    Look at workscited Berkenkotter’s references Janet Emig, The Composing Processes of Twelfth-Graders. book; look up in library catalog Linda Flower and John Hayes, “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing.” Published in CCC; look up in library catalog Lester Faigley and Stephen Witte, “Analyzing Revision.” Published in CCC; look up in library catalog
  • 17.
    Some helpful hintsA lot of good research on composing processes was done almost 30 years ago, so for this particular topic, don’t necessarily throw out older sources. Sources that conduct some kind of study like yours, Perl’s, or Berkenkotter’s will probably be the most useful/helpful in establishing your territory.