What is writer based prose versus reader based prose?
Writer-based prose is prose that is written for the writer,
whereas reader-based prose is prose that is written for the
reader.
What that means is that writer-based prose is composition that
is probably early in the draft stages and aids the writer in
formulating and articulating her argument. Writers learn as they
write (writing is a process, not a product), so writer-based prose
is written without regard to the audience's reading experience. If
a draft does not follow a thesis all the way through and the
argument changes because of new information the writer has garnered
from her source, then the draft would be considered writer-based
prose.
Reader-based prose, on the other hand, is composition that is
likely to be in it's final drafting stages and aids the reader in
navigating through the writer's argument. Reader-based prose has
been revised to take into account the reader's experience, not the
writer's. The argument is easy to follow, the organization is
pleasing, and the thesis sustains itself all the way through.
Though reader-based prose is the goal for all writers, writing
writer-based drafts is a necessary part of the writing process and
is just as (if not more) valuable than a polished essay.