Transition to College Writing Chapters 3 and 4

Hjortshoj defines predatory reading as "reading from the top of the food chain", a term that is purposefully aggressive to convey the attitude and approach needed to successfully handle large volumes of academic reading. Part of this style of reading is to read with intention and strategy. It is important to use this style of reading to fully understand and remember the text. It will also allow the reader to better answer questions about the reading and form their own interpretations and arguments about what was read. College can involve a lot of reading, and the text assigned can be dense. It's difficult to study for a test or find evidence for a paper when there is a lot of source material to cover. A good portion of the information in the assigned reading may not even be relevant to what a student is doing. It is essential that students know how to decide what to read, what the reading says, and be able to understand the reading in order to effectively use the information in assignments, essays or on tests.

The categories that Hjortshoj describes in his book are prewriting/planning, composing, revising/rewriting, editing, and release.

Prewriting is anything done before the writing actually begins like gathering information, taking notes, or creating outlines. Composing is the process of writing new sentences or passages for the writing assignment, even if they aren't guaranteed to make it into the final product. Next is revision/rewriting and then editing. Revision and rewriting can be done during or after composing. Editing is specifically focused on fixing things like grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation. The release is the final portion of the process, simply being the act of publishing or distributing the writing in some other way.

A paper can be completed in one draft without much revision under three circumstances:

1. You know what to say and have a clear sense of direction.
2. The task is simple.
3. The standards and stakes are low.

The "one-and-done" model is the fastest way to get writing completed since it removes the time-consuming editing and revision process. However, removing that process also means removing the benefits of revising and editing. Unedited drafts may have spelling and grammar errors, strange word choices, confusing structure and points that are not well supported or developed. By participating in the different steps of the writing process there are multiple chances to correct errors and improve writing. You may also receive feedback from a peer or other reader that can pick up on things that you may have missed.

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