The Writing Process

Five Basic Stages

1. Pre-writing
2. Drafting
3. Revising
4. Editing
5. Publishing

Stage 1: Pre-writing
The key to a great paper is in the planning. Before you sit down to write something,
you need to figure out what you are going to write about. Most of us start with a
topic, and then decide what we have to say about this topic. For an essay, you
might generate a working thesis or a main idea that you would like to explore,
and then start collecting information and ideas that relate to that idea.
Ways to Generate Ideas

freewrite or use a journal

brainstorms your likes and dislikes, and things, people, place, and hobbies that
are important to you
collect and review class or reading notes
review assignments and discussion questions
use graphic organizers, like Venn diagrams
participate in class or small group discussions
talk out ideas with a partner
determine who, what, where, when, why, and how
determine what you already know and what you still need to learn about your
topic
do some research to learn more information

Ways to Plan Your Writing

create a cluster, diagram, or web

create a storyboard
make an outline
identify pros and cons
list supporting arguments
sort and organize note cards by topic

Stage 2: Drafting
Once you have planned out your ideas, the next step is to start drafting, or
writing. As you write, keep referring back to your notes and the plan that you
determined in Stage 1, but dont be afraid to change the plan when
needed. During the drafting stage, you should concentrate on organizing your
information logically and developing your topic with enough detail for your
audience and purpose.
As you work, keep the following things in mind:
Drafts are for the writer:
Our brain processes information as we write things down. You will find
yourself making connections and discovering new ideas as you are writing your
first drafts. When this happens, you should go back to the planning stage
(Stage 1) to work in these new ideas. You may even need to change your
thesis or the angle you are taking on the topic.
Drafts are not perfect:
Because you are really drafting for yourself, to understand your ideas and put
them into words, you might be unhappy with your early results. Dont agonize
over every word and sentence because youll give yourself writers block! You
will never send off a draft to your audience without at least SOME sort of
revision or at least editing. Just get some words down on paper even if they
sound silly or awkward. You can always go back and fix it l ater thats what
revision is for.
Drafting takes time:
The more complicated your writing task is, the more time you should allow
yourself for drafting. As you discover new ideas and connections, you need
the time to incorporate them into your plan! Dont procrastinate, and dont feel
that you have to finish your whole paper in one sitting.

Stage 3: Revising
Revision works best when you have some time to let your writing sit in. you will be
better able to look at your writing with a readers eye if you can put it aside for a day or
two before working on it again.
If drafting is for the writer, revision is for the reader. During revision you consider your
writing from your audiences point of view. In fact, to revise means literally to re-see or
re-look at your writing.
When you revise, you are looking at the parts of your document and making sure that
each part works together to make a coherent whole. You may need to change the order
of your information, expand certain sections, or cut details in others. Often, you will
need to go back to the drafting stage and re-work parts of your paper. Revising is NOT
editing! Save the spelling, grammar, and sentence fixes for later.
Most writers find it helpful to have someone else read their writing at this stage. A
reader who is unfamiliar with your document can help you identify which parts are
working and which parts are still unclear.
Revising for Audience:

Is the level of detail appropriate for my audience (not too general or too
specific)?
Are my ideas presented in a logical order that will be evident to the
reader?
Do I use clear transitions to help the reader follow my train of thought?
Are my sentences clear and specific?
Do I say what I mean and mean what I say?
Is my tone and style appropriate for my audience?

Revising for Purpose:

Is my purpose clearly stated for the reader?

Do I clearly maintain that purpose throughout the document?
Does all of my supporting information clearly relate to my purpose?
Do I organize my ideas to best fulfill my purpose?

Revising for Form:

Do I follow the established form of the document I am writing?

Do I separate ideas into paragraphs with clear topic sentences?
Do I maintain a balance among my points, developing each to the same
extent?

Your story can change a great deal during this stage. When revising their work, many
writers naturally adopt the A.R.R.R. approach:

o
o

Add: The average novel has between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Does your
book have enough words to be considered a novel? Have you given your
readers all the information they need to make sense of your story? If not, go
back to your notebook that you kept for additional scenes and any additional
details.
Rearrange: Consider the flow, pacing and sequencing of your story. Would the
plot be better served if some of the events occur in a different order?
Remove: After making additions to your story, how is your word count now? Are
your readers experiencing information overload? You may need to eliminate
passages that dont quite fit.
Replace: The most effective way to revise your work is to ask for a second
opinion. Do you need more vivid details to help clarify your work? Is one scene
contradicting another? Ask friends or fellow writers to take a look and give you
feedback, and if something isnt working rewrite it and replace it.

Stage 4: Editing
While revision focuses mainly on making your content clear for your reader,
editing focuses on making your document meet the conventions of standard
written English. During the editing stage, check the following:

grammar

sentence structure

word choice

punctuation

capitalization

spelling

citation and document format

Here is a list of 7 rules that will help you to revise and edit your work painlessly or at
least with the least amount of it.
1. Make a good first impression
What is the most interesting bit or angle about your writing? Clue the reader in early and
dont bury the introduction in the body of the text.
If you lose your reader at this stage, there is no point to your writing. You might as well
stop wasting your time as well as the readers.
2. Write to express, not to impress
Why is it that you are writing, again? Is it to make a point or to show off your literary
prowess?
Always write so that everything is clearly understood.
Use simple words. Use the first word that comes to your mind as that will often work
best.
Dont look up fancy words in thesaurus as you go write naturally. The only way you
can get a better understanding of language is through your reading habit. Read more to
increase your vocabulary organically.

Avoid clichs and jargon. Think outside the box.

3. Be specific it wont kill you

Use short sentences. Use clear sentences. Pay attention to structure and craft
sentences that inform or even entertain your readers.
Use short paragraphs. Connect them in a logical, seamless flow. For every new idea
you explore, start a new one.
Write in the active voice this will make the most difference to your writing.
In active voice, the subject performs the action it is the most direct, straightforward
way to write.
The dog chased by the boy. This is passive.
The boy chased the dog. This more direct. Remember to use active voice whenever
possible. Passive voice is usually slow and boring, and often doesnt fully convey the
message.
Often, the sentence becomes shorter as well. Writing in the active voice will make it
much easier for you to stick to the text guidelines.
Try using strong verbs for action, be bold.
She did the crime so she could pay for the jewellery. Weak.
She stole from her Mum so she could splurge on the jewellery. Much better.

4. Reign over pesky punctuation and grim grammar

Make sure full stops, commas, apostrophes and dashes are in their proper places. Do
the best you can and then move on.
Check for spelling and grammar. Remember to use spell check as well as your eyes.
Read for style. Make sure it is consistent throughout.

5. If in doubt, leave it out

Is there anything that really worries you? Its much better to take it out now than to have
regrets later.

Brevity is the secret of good writing. Do not waste words, do tight editing where every
word means something. Avoid unnecessary words.
As Stephen King has said famously (and not famously said remember not to split the
infinitive),
Kill your darlings.
Do not get attached to your sentences.
Edit, edit, edit. Anything that doesnt make sense, anything that doesnt sound right to
your ears; kill it. Go on, be brave and kill your darlings now.

6. Pay attention to the boring bits

Do attribute all quotations and allegations to someone. Check that the text does not
defame anyone or breach copyright.
Make sure the length of your copy is appropriate. If you need to cut, cut from the
bottom. That usually works well.
When you are satisfied you have edited the copy to the highest standard, read it again.

7. The Final Read One More Time

You must become a tough editor of all text, even if it takes significant time and
effort. Check and check again to see your basic ingredients are correct.
Read aloud one last time.
While fear of imperfection should not stop you from writing, not educating yourself is not
good enough of an excuse.
Learn, write and most of all, have fun along the way. You will find many people
supporting you, because they themselves have been caught in the act, in this case,
publishing their work with a typo.

Stage 5: Publishing
Writing is communicationif you have written something, you must have
intended for someone to read it, even if that person is only yourself. When you
publish a document, you are releasing it to the public for others to read. Not all
of your writing will be taken through the publishing stage, but even turning a
paper in to your teacher constitutes publishing. Ways to publish your writing
include:

Turning in a paper to your teacher.

Entering an essay contest.
Sending a letter to the editor.
Writing for your school newspaper, yearbook, or literary magazine.
Posting a piece of writing on the Internet.
Writing a letter to a public official or company.
Submitting your work to a young writers magazine