For Writers Who Hate Group Hugs...

In Carolyn Rude's The Report for Decision Making: Genre and Inquiry, she mentions the importance of debating a topic, in which one can discover, articulate and resolve conflicting values, before writing about it. I realize that this is very much the case in writing a Master's Thesis. In such case, the process of a thesis entails forming a committee, just like a some companies call for a collaborative group. In forming your thesis, you as an individual hold the power in deciding what direction you will go, while the committee guides you with constructive criticism and advice along the way. In contrast, a collaborative group shares the power and tasks. According to Nancy Allen (and all the other contributors) in What Experienced Collaborators Say About Collaborative Writing, "individuals must share power in making decisions that can be accepted by the group as a whole." Basically, nothing can be written unless everyone in the group agrees with the content. This is where the purpose and the effectiveness of decision making comes to play, especially where technical writing is concerned. Although it is a much required component on writing collaboratively, I assume, confidently, that it is a difficult task. If you read the the newspaper daily, you'll find that certain articles have more than one, sometimes more than two, writers. This is very much the case in a story that many journalists in the the newsroom can contribute something two. For example, we did a lengthy story covering the inauguration. Everyone had a story to tell, but the editor only wanted one in the paper. So instead of having each person write a story, she called for a collaborative article where everyone contribute something. This, of course, caused a conflict. You know how egotistical writers can be... everyone wanted to be a leader! Allen states that "leadership structure is not essential," but I beg to differ. Without an authoritative figure in the midst, the group could not get the project underway. Eventually, our editor got involved and a couple of people (the rowdy ones) were dismissed from the project. That just goes to show that working collaboratively takes careful consideration in not just arranging ideas, but arranging a group of people as well...particularly those who have an appetite for humble pie!