Boice Take Two Reflection

                I have been talking with my class(es) quite frequently about the concept(s) conveyed in and suggested by Boice’s Rule #6 from our reading: “The most fluent, comfortable, and imaginative writers spend as much time at prewriting as at prose writing” (53).  In talking about technology and its relationship to writing, primarily a pen and paper versus computer screen and keyboard discussion, my students expressed some interesting, and at times divergent, points of view.  Overall, my students viewed the handwritten word as inherent to the prewriting process, while they associated typing and computers with prose and final drafting.  When I pushed them a little further this distinction did not seem to boil down simply to a matter of ease or convenience, but to something deeper, something which I can only describe as an aesthetic sensibility or influence.  Students interestingly enough seem to retain something of a romantic conception of pen and paper writing – they view this style and technique of writing as being associated with more creative outpourings.  When we have discussed open and closed form they noted that handwritten texts tended towards the open end of the spectrum, while they connected the closed form with polished, printed text.

                The issue then becomes, how do I convey to students that both elements make up the larger process of composition and writing?  As helpful, necessary, and powerful a tool as prewriting is, I have many students who fear making the leap from prewriting into actual composition.  Or conversely, I have students who dread prewriting and simply wish to jump head first into drafting.  One approach that I am pursuing is a constant regimen of daily writing activities, and not necessarily fully fleshed out writing.  I had students bring images to class this week that they saw as representing themselves as writers, and instead of simply asking them why they selected these images, I had them exchange the pictures and do some free writing about each other’s images, focusing on keywords that resonated with them upon viewing the images.  I hope that they will take these exercises into consideration when incorporating their images into their first formal writing, and thereby see the connection (and helpfulness) or pre/free writing.