Also notice that the drafting stage usually comes

Also, notice that the “drafting” stage usually comes somewhere in the middle of the process. If
you’ve ever suffered from writer’s block, it may well be because you’ve jumped to the drafting stage
too soon. Such a situation does not allow enough time for shaping and planning.
Remember that the process does not end with drafting. Revising and editing are important parts of
the process. You might move back and forth between drafting and revising and then jump to ex-
ploratory writing if you get stuck.
Keep in mind that revising and editing come toward the latter part of the process. If you try these too
early, they might cause some writer’s block as well. The simple fact is that our brains can only han-
dle so many tasks at one time. The task of putting ideas and experiences into words takes up a lot of
brain space. When we are trying to articulate and construct knowledge, but are also worrying about
spelling, punctuation, grammar, and mechanics, we are simply giving our brains too much to do, and
both parts usually suffer. Nobody cares how sloppy or “incorrect” your early drafts are! Concentrate
on getting your ideas on the paper!
One more important point you should notice is that revising, editing, and proofreading are three dis-
tinct acts. Revision means to “see again.” It deals with the global aspects of writing—focus, purpose,
audience, development, coherence, organization, introductions, and conclusions. Editing deals with
more sentence-level issues, like grammar, punctuation, and style. Proofreading involves reading for
mechanical errors, like typos, missing capital letters, etc. This task should be saved until all other
parts of the process ar will be guided through the process. Keep in mind that not all techniques work
for all people. Try everything you are presented with once to see how it feels, and then decide what’s
best for you.
Part A: Literary Analysis
With this exercise, your focus will be to write an essay where you make inferences (or draw conclu-
sions) about a writer’s personality. An autobiographical account is colored by the writer’s viewpoint.
Consequently, readers can determine a great deal about a writer by examining and considering the
details in the author’s work. You will determine your judgments by examining the manner in which
the author portrays him or herself, events, and other people. Review the excerpts from the text-
book and base your response on the information provided in the text.
Project 1 2 ENGH 039

Choose one of the following options:
a. Write an essay in which you describe William Bradford’s personality.
b. Write an essay in which you describe Olaudah Equiano’s personality.
Your challenge is to describe William Bradford’s or Olaudah Equiano’s personality in a two-page
(about 600 word) essay by drawing conclusions about the author.