The process of writing/ENGA101/Product-based versus process-based writing/Reading

Understanding product-based writing

Writing a text in one go

As its name suggests, the product approach forces the writer to concentrate on the finished text, or the product of writing, rather than on the steps and stages necessary to arrive at that product. Finishing the piece quickly, efficiently and in one sitting is what counts.

Some of the main features of product-based writing:

• The text is produced in one sitting, without revising or taking pauses during work.
• The writer is forced to “think before writing.” Product-oriented writers must have a clear plan in their heads before they start.
• Often used to mimic a model or to write texts that have a set or formal structure.
• Focus on end product.

Advantages:

• Less time-consuming.
• Can release creativity and alleviate writer's block.
• Can be thrilling to race against the clock.
• Well adapted to visual thinkers who picture the result in their mind before they start to write.

Disadvantages:

• The desire to write everything perfectly the first time can be demoralising and incapacitating for some writers.
• There is a lot to be learned through the process of writing, revising, and rewriting that isn't included in this approach.
• Producing only one draft forces the writer to settle for what came first, which may or may not be their best work.
• It leaves little or no opportunity for feedback from others.