Last week, I interviewed fellow CofC student and creative writing enthusiast Rachael Greene on how technology has affected her writing process both in a classroom setting and outside of a classroom. Like myself, she enjoys writing short stories in her downtime and occasionally shared them with her teachers in high school, so writing is an important part of her life. As college students, we are no strangers to writing extensively, whether it be essay writing or classroom assignment writing. Understanding how one’s writing process works can be critical in constructing any kind of writing.
A bit of terminology: a writing process is exactly what it sounds like. The process by which something is written. Simple as the definition is, the process itself can be quite long. It includes choosing something to write, drafting, revising, revising more, and proofing just to name a few. This process can vary drastically for what is being written. Outside of a classroom setting, it’s almost always easier and laxer with no deadlines or expectations outside of your own, where as in a classroom it can be tedious trying to check all the boxes. Long hours staring at a blank screen can preface ten-page papers (I would know).
CC Rights.
Technology has greatly assisted Rachael in her writing process in general. For class or for herself, she found pen and paper to be intimidating due to the permanent nature of it. With word processors, fixing mistakes is easy and holds no consequences. On the contrary with a pen and paper, mistakes can result in scratched out words, torn pages, bleeding ink, any number of generally ugly consequences. Erasers and White Out exist, yes, but there will always be little hints of the mistake hiding just below the surface. This was a source of anxiety for Rachael, one that was lifted by the ease of writing with technology.
Rachael found that, inside academic settings, technology can play two opposite roles. Her earliest memories of technology being implemented into her school is of calibrating a Smart Board by drawing lines with the pens, not any specific, graded task. This engagement of action, not unlike for instance Kahoot, is a rarity in the current usage of technology in classes. It more fits in line with the social aspect technology often ends up playing. This is also what had Rachael eagerly sharing her writing with her teachers in high school. It was simultaneously a chance to connect with someone else and a part of her writing process: getting feedback before revising. She felt compelled to write and write well due to the social aspect, she wouldn’t want to show someone whose opinion she valued lackluster work.
Unfortunately, the more typical role is one of disconnection. Rachael stated to have greater difficulty when participating in Zoom classes online rather than being there in person, as engagement seems just as far off as her classmates. This disconnect makes classes harder to keep up with. Paired with the pressures of a graded writing piece, this can make her writing process drag for far longer than it normally would with no checkpoints in sight. This, in turn, then adds more pressure onto the existing pressures. All around, not a fun cycle when engagement is minimal.
Overall, Rachael experiences writing with technology inside and outside of classes vary greatly. That being said, the uses of word processors outside of classroom settings have given her an edge in classroom settings. She knows how to use them to their fullest, not just as tools to write words onto a page. This has let her engage with her own work in a way that seems impossible with traditional writing.
CC Rights.
Tell me about yourself and your upbringing in regards to technology…
When I was younger, I saw technology mainly as fancy gadgets like smartphones or maybe the droids from Star Wars. Now I have a broader understanding of technology. I consider technology to be any tool that humans use to function more easily in the world.
What is your writing process like?
Before using Google Docs, I had access to Microsoft Word and often used that interface for my fiction and scholarly writing. It worked well, but was more difficult to share and annotate. If I needed feedback, I would print my work and my reader would add handwritten comments. Sometimes I would write stories in notebooks, but often I felt pressured by the permanence of handwriting and the possibility of messing up the notebook or writing too sloppily intimidated me.
Has your writing process taken an unexpected turn due to favoring technology? (Such as the end result being clearer, or perhaps a rushed feeling.)
Using technology in my writing process takes a lot of pressure off of me. As I mentioned above, I think writing with paper and pen induces a lot of anxiety within me. I’m afraid to mess up and the inability to rearrange my words or instantly take them back is frustrating. I think word processors have freed me from much of this anxiety because I can smack my head on the keyboard and take all those flub characters back with no consequences. I can easily rearrange my words or cut certain lines.
Has the extended use of technology for creative writing improved your knowhow of technology in academic settings?
Absolutely! I’ve become extremely familiar with Google Docs for creative writing purposes and have grown proficient in using its comment and sharing features, which are super useful for editing and beta-reads.
When and how did you first start using technology outside of an academic setting? What did you do with it?
I recall playing Mario Party with my mom while she was pregnant with my little sister. Video games were a way she could still play with me, a hyperactive 4-year-old, despite being extremely sick during her pregnancy.
Inside an academic setting?
The first time I remember technology being used in an academic setting was in 1st grade. I remember that this was the transitional period when my school was switching from traditional overhead projectors to Smart Boards. I loved getting picked to recalibrate the Smart Board or draw using the digital markers.
How do the two compare?
I think I enjoyed both of these experiences with technology, however, I think outside of school, technology was a way I could easily connect with others. Through playing video games with my mom, I was able to connect and share something special.
How did your Zoom meetings last semester compare to face to face classes? Were you prepared for them?
It varied by professor. Some instructors seemed very tech-savvy and were able to shift with ease, while others seemed to struggle. Personally, I struggle with Zoom classes because I don’t feel held accountable by the presence of others virtually. I have always had issues with executive functioning but being around other working / paying attention people makes me feel more obligated to work / pay attention. Virtually, I don’t feel this obligation nearly as much. Online courses feel very abstract and imaginary to me, which makes it hard to stay on task and keep track of assignments.