Moving away from Writing-Process Worship

Abstract

For a while, it seemed that the writing process was the be-all-and-end-all of composition theory and practice. The National Writing Project promoted it with a degree of missionary zeal that would have made any itinerant preacher proud. In fact, the Bay Area Writing Project and the National Writing projects may have accomplished more good in a relatively short time than any other single effort in training teachers to teach composition. Unfortunately, as with any religious movement, what often begins in a rational way, carefully considered and cautiously applied, tends to be codified and over-simplified by converts. What seems like a natural way of going about things to those born into a religion can become a set of laws or prescriptions for converts. Any variation becomes virtual heresy. Thus, the writing process became something of a cult.