"First draft" redirects here. For the fact-checking organisation, see First Draft News.
In the context of written composition, "drafting" refers to any process of generating preliminary versions of a written work. Drafting happens at any stage of the writing process as writers generate trial versions of the text they're developing. At the phrasal level, these versions may last less than a second, as writers compose and then delete trial sentences; as fully developed attempts that have reached the end of a stage of usefulness, draft documents may last for perpetuity as saved "versions" or as paper files in archives.
In a book that became popular in the 1950s, The Elements of Style, Strunk and White characterize a first draft as a less-edited version of the final draft with the purpose of "foresee[ing]...the shape of what is to come and pursue that shape".[1] In Writing Without Teachers, a more recent take on the role of draft documents, Peter Elbow characterizes a draft less as a first attempt at a predetermined final point and more as an attempt at exploring and where a final version might end up. As he puts it, “[w]riting is a way to end up thinking something you couldn’t have started out thinking.”[2] According to Elbow, the best way to accomplish this is a series of drafts which come together to produce an emerging “center of gravity” that then translates into the main focus on the work—a holistic process, in other words, rather than the linear process envisioned by Strunk and White and early writing process theory. Elbow reasoned that if a writer "learns to maximize the interaction" among their "ideas or points of view, [they] can produce new ones that didn’t seem available."[3]
Empirical studies of writers at work indicate that writers can be doing any or all of the following during phases of drafting:
developing cohesion
organizing their thinking in relation to text produced so far[4]
^The Elements of Style Fiftieth Anniversary Edition (2009), p. 15, ISBN978-0-205-63264-0
^Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1973, 1998. p.15
^Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1973, 1998. p.50
^Leijten, Mariëlle; Van Waes, Luuk (2013). "Keystroke Logging in Writing Research: Using Inputlog to Analyze and Visualize Writing Processes". Written Communication. 30 (3): 358–392. doi:10.1177/0741088313491692. S2CID 145446935.
^Flower, Linda; Hayes, John R. (1980). "The Cognition of Discovery: Defining a Rhetorical Problem". College Composition and Communication. 31 (1): 21–32. doi:10.2307/356630. JSTOR 356630.
^Leijten, Mariëlle; Van Waes, Luuk; Ransdell, Sarah (2010). "Correcting Text Production Errors: Isolating the Effects of Writing Mode From Error Span, Input Mode, and Lexicality". Written Communication. 27 (2): 189–227. doi:10.1177/0741088309359139. S2CID 145049948.
January 10, 2023
draft, document, first, draft, redirects, here, fact, checking, organisation, first, draft, news, context, written, composition, drafting, refers, process, generating, preliminary, versions, written, work, drafting, happens, stage, writing, process, writers, g. First draft redirects here For the fact checking organisation see First Draft News In the context of written composition drafting refers to any process of generating preliminary versions of a written work Drafting happens at any stage of the writing process as writers generate trial versions of the text they re developing At the phrasal level these versions may last less than a second as writers compose and then delete trial sentences as fully developed attempts that have reached the end of a stage of usefulness draft documents may last for perpetuity as saved versions or as paper files in archives A draft of Franklin Delano Roosevelt s Infamy Speech including the President s handwritten annotations In a book that became popular in the 1950s The Elements of Style Strunk and White characterize a first draft as a less edited version of the final draft with the purpose of foresee ing the shape of what is to come and pursue that shape 1 In Writing Without Teachers a more recent take on the role of draft documents Peter Elbow characterizes a draft less as a first attempt at a predetermined final point and more as an attempt at exploring and where a final version might end up As he puts it w riting is a way to end up thinking something you couldn t have started out thinking 2 According to Elbow the best way to accomplish this is a series of drafts which come together to produce an emerging center of gravity that then translates into the main focus on the work a holistic process in other words rather than the linear process envisioned by Strunk and White and early writing process theory Elbow reasoned that if a writer learns to maximize the interaction among their ideas or points of view they can produce new ones that didn t seem available 3 Empirical studies of writers at work indicate that writers can be doing any or all of the following during phases of drafting developing cohesion organizing their thinking in relation to text produced so far 4 experimenting with phrasing explaining or linking examples ideas generating transitions discovering a central argument point 5 elaborating on key ideas pausing to make adjustments to spelling word choice and syntax 6 See also EditDraft music Foul papers Manuscript format Rough ASCII Wikipedia DraftsReferences Edit The Elements of Style Fiftieth Anniversary Edition 2009 p 15 ISBN 978 0 205 63264 0 Elbow Peter Writing Without Teachers 2nd ed New York Oxford UP 1973 1998 p 15 Elbow Peter Writing Without Teachers 2nd ed New York Oxford UP 1973 1998 p 50 Leijten Marielle Van Waes Luuk 2013 Keystroke Logging in Writing Research Using Inputlog to Analyze and Visualize Writing Processes Written Communication 30 3 358 392 doi 10 1177 0741088313491692 S2CID 145446935 Flower Linda Hayes John R 1980 The Cognition of Discovery Defining a Rhetorical Problem College Composition and Communication 31 1 21 32 doi 10 2307 356630 JSTOR 356630 Leijten Marielle Van Waes Luuk Ransdell Sarah 2010 Correcting Text Production Errors Isolating the Effects of Writing Mode From Error Span Input Mode and Lexicality Written Communication 27 2 189 227 doi 10 1177 0741088309359139 S2CID 145049948 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Draft document amp oldid 1078762221, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
