Writing Workflows: Beyond Word Processing

Lockridge, Tim

doi:doi:10.3998/mpub.11657120

Writing Workflows: Beyond Word Processing

Tim Lockridge and Derek Van Ittersum 2020

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Sweetland Center for Writing in making this book possible.

Open Access

Since the late 1990s, writing process research has often treated the tools of writing as an invisible variable or idiosyncratic choice. For example, writing process research might examine how a writer develops ideas or moves through drafts, but it often omits the role of tools: a favorite fountain pen, a trusty yellow memo pad, or a mobile notetaking app. Writing Workflows: Beyond Word Processing uses the concept of the "writing workflow" to bring attention to those seemingly invisible tool choices. Through a type of reflection that the authors call "workflow thinking," writers can look at their processes and ask how tools shape their habits—and how a change in tools might offer new ways of thinking and writing. Similarly, the book also introduces a practice the authors call "workflow mapping," which helps writers trace their tool preferences across time. Through workflow mapping a writer can better see how their tool preferences have accrued over time and imagine how new technologies might fit in. Ultimately, the book offers these new theories to help researchers better understand how writing process shapes the tools of writing, and how the tools of writing, in turn, also shape writing process.

Series

Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative

ISBN(s)

978-0-472-12726-9 (open access)

Subject

Citable Link

Young man writing on a notebook at a standing computer desk

Man Writing on White Paper

From Introduction

Fig01. While looking at stock and Creative Commons photos for this project, we were struck by the many varying displays of mediating technologies. Here, for example, we see Post-it notes hanging from a computer monitor, more Post-its on the desk, a notebook, a keyboard, two pens, and headphones—not to mention whatever might be running on the computer.

Workflow Map with Evernote at Center

From Introduction

Fig02. Workflow maps, which we introduce in chapter 6, use layered diagrams to consider how writing practices and preferences accrete over time.

Bear Notes Export Panel

From Introduction

Fig03. Using Bear, Libby could write her lesson plans and quickly export them to HTML, which let her keep an archive of class materials and also avoid Blackboard’s sometimes painful text formatting window.

Screenshot of the “Users” control panel in Mac OS

Screenshot of the Mac OS User Control Panel

From Chapter 1

Fig04. As part of her suggested workflow, Jensen recommends that writers make a second “writing” account on their computer to open and close their projects each day. This screenshot shows the Mac OS operating system “Users” panel with a similar configuration.

Screenshot of the Ulysses writing app export window

Screenshot of the iOS Ulysses writing app

From Chapter 1

Fig05. The writers introduced in this book prefer writing technologies like Ulysses, pictured here, that support modular and multiple means of moving through writing tasks. This screenshot shows the Ulysses export menu, where a user can export text to several formats, including HTML, ePub, PDF, .docx, and others.

Screenshot of David Sparks’s MindNode demo video

Screenshot of David Sparks' MindNode video

From Chapter 1

Fig06. David Sparks often partners with software developers and produces videos that teach viewers how to use a writing tool. In this video, an introduction to MindNode, he describes the process of mindmapping.

Screenshot of America’s Test Kitchen “Bundt Pans” review

Screenshot of the America's Test Kitchen Bundt Pans page

From Chapter 1

Fig07. This screenshot, from America’s Test Kitchen “Bundt Pans” review, reminds us of the importance of tool evaluation and selection.

First page of the first Research in Word Processing Newsletter

From Chapter 1

Fig08. The first page of the first issue of the Research in Word Processing Newsletter, published in May 1983.

Screenshot of the black-and-white interface for FreEdWriter

Screenshot of the Internet Archive's page for the FreEd Writer Word Processor

From Chapter 1

Fig09. The Internet Archive’s Software Collection contains several 1980s-era word processors. FreEd Writer is one example of the many writing programs developed in the early 1980s.

Brett Terpstra talks about word processing history and file formats

From Chapter 2

Screenshot of WordPerfect, version 5.1

From Chapter 2

Fig10. A screenshot of the minimal interface of WordPerfect, version 5.1, released in 1989.

Screenshot of Byword

From Chapter 2

Fig11. A screenshot of the similarly minimal writing interface of Byword 2, released in 2013.

David Sparks talks about looking for something better

From Chapter 3

Screenshot of the Mac Power Users podcast homepage

Screenshot of the Mac Powers Users podcast homepage

From Chapter 3

Fig12. The Mac Power Users podcast began in 2009 and consists of discussion between the two hosts (David Sparks and Katie Floyd) on Apple-related technology topics, as well as “workflow” interviews with guests.

David Sparks describes his writing process

From Chapter 3

David Sparks describes mindmapping

From Chapter 3

David Sparks mindmap example

From Chapter 3

Fig13. David Sparks shared this screenshot of MindNode in a 2013 blog post reviewing a new version of MindNode.

Screenshot of the Scrivener writing interface

From Chapter 3

Fig14. The interface of the writing application Scrivener, showing the section outline on the left and multiple writing panes on the right.

David Sparks describes how he avoids writer's block

From Chapter 3

David Sparks discusses how his process has devolped over time

From Chapter 3

Writing Workflows: Beyond Word Processing

Table of Contents

Resources

Stats

Search and Filter Resources

Section

Keyword

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Format

Man Writing on White Paper

Workflow Map with Evernote at Center

Bear Notes Export Panel

Screenshot of the Mac OS User Control Panel

Screenshot of the iOS Ulysses writing app

Screenshot of David Sparks' MindNode video

Screenshot of the America's Test Kitchen Bundt Pans page

First page of the first Research in Word Processing Newsletter

Screenshot of the Internet Archive's page for the FreEd Writer Word Processor

Brett Terpstra talks about word processing history and file formats

Screenshot of WordPerfect, version 5.1

Screenshot of Byword

David Sparks talks about looking for something better

Screenshot of the Mac Powers Users podcast homepage

David Sparks describes his writing process

David Sparks describes mindmapping

David Sparks mindmap example

Screenshot of the Scrivener writing interface

David Sparks describes how he avoids writer's block

David Sparks discusses how his process has devolped over time