By Martin Ojeda, Staff Research Associate, “Stronger Together, Community-Engaged Research in the San Joaquin Valley” Luce Foundation Grant, UC Merced

Earlier this spring the Luce Initiative held a collaborative writing workshop led by Anne Zanzucchi, Associate Dean & Teaching Professor for Writing Studies. The goal of the workshop was to give guiding principles and examples on how to write effectively and in collaboration with other authors. The workshop covered writing myths, common group writing practices, and advice for effective collaborative writing. At the end of the workshop we heard reflections on collaborative writing from graduate authors Mariam Ohanlelham and Miriam Campos Martínez.

The workshop introduced myths about writing, such as it being “a solitary activity” and “true expression being spontaneous.” These myths were contrasted with a quote from Octavia Butler on the dependability of habit-building over inspiration, as well as fun facts about collaborative writing. For example, in physics, it is common for there to be from 70-80 authors on a project with specific roles and functions.

Anne’s first piece of advice is: create an outline when developing group perspectives. Anne explains that team members should restate each other’s points in one or two sentences, develop outlines for team member contributions, and identify effective and ineffective areas of the group’s writing. Summarizing and outlining allows for a team to see a bigger picture.

The second piece of advice is: discuss findings before writing. Anne suggests that teams should consider meeting before they start writing, once they have gathered information. During this meeting each group member should report what information they found to the group as it may affect what another member writes about. Additionally, during this meeting, the group should evaluate the quality of the information reported on by other members.

Following Anne’s presentation, Mariam and Miriam reflected on their experiences with collaborative writing. Mariam spoke on how having someone outside of her field reading her article helped clarify her writing and highlighted important sections that should be cut or expanded upon. Miriam recalled how helpful and motivating it was to have someone read and give feedback on her writing.