The Writing Process:An Overview

The Writing Process

Pre-Writing

Drafting

Editing

Polishing

Revising

The Writing Process:Pre-Writing

Pre-Writing Techniques

Brainstorming DiscussingFree Writing

ListingChartingMapping

How do you organize your ideas when you are preparing to write?

Brainstorming

“Brainstorming” means thinking of as many ideas as possible in a short amount of time.Write down your ideas in sentences so that you don’t forget them. Write down everything that comes to your mind; don’t worry about sorting out “good” and “bad” ideas. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.Done individually, and shared with the group.

Example of Brainstorming

Topic: What would I do with one million dollars?

Travel--Europe, Asia, S. AmericaPay off our houseShare--give a scholarship, donate to charitiesBuy a lot of books!Invest/save and let the interest grow

Discussing

“Discussing” is similar to brainstorming, but you do it with a partner or group.Assign one person to write down the ideas.Write down everything that group members say related to the topic; don’t worry about sorting out “good” and “bad” ideas. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.

Free Writing

“Free Writing” is like pouring all of your thoughts onto paper.Don’t take your pen off the page; keep writing for the entire time.If you don’t know what to write, write “I don’t know what to write” until you do.Don’t try to sort “good” and “bad” ideas.Don’t worry about spelling and grammar.

Example of Free WritingTopic: Describe the most beautiful place you’ve seen.

I remember climbing to the top of Smolenskii cathedral in autumn, the leaves of St. Petersburg on fire, like an ocean of gold red leaving me breathless with its depth. Stretching out for miles and miles it was all I could see and suddenly the grime and sorrow of the city was drowned with beauty, God’s beauty, God’s love for everyone, his artistic touch meant just for me at this moment.

Listing

“Listing” is similar to “brainstorming.” The idea is to write down as many things as possible.Use single words or phrases, not sentences.Listing works well for descriptive-type writing.Don’t worry about spelling or sorting out “good” and “bad” ideas.

Example List

Topic: Describe your favorite room in the house/apartment where you live.

Kitchen/Dining AreaWhite tile, walls, countertopsFlood of sunlightHealthy plantsSturdy pine furnitureGlass door--view of lawn and trees

Charting

Sometimes you will want to organize your ideas for writing in a chart.Charting works very well for comparison/ contrast writing or examining advantages and disadvantages.You can use many different kinds of charts, depending on your topic and the kind of writing you are doing.

Example Chart

Living with Family

Living with Roommates

Advantages May not pay rentMeals Different ages

More independenceSocial interaction

Disadvantages Less independence Rules

Rent Cooking/Shopping Noise

Mapping

“Mapping,” sometimes called “semantic/ idea mapping” or “webbing,” is another way to organize your ideas.Start with your topic in the center, and branch out from there with related ideas.Use words and phrases, not complete sentences.

Example Map

My future

family

Raise healthy, happy children

Stay close to my husband

Make them a priority

education

work

Eventually get a PhD

Never stop learning

Instill a love of education in my children

Learn to love whatever work I am doing

Use the skills I have learned in as many ways as possible

Stay at home while raising children

The Writing Process:Drafting

The Writing Process

Pre-Writing

Drafting

Editing

Polishing

Revising

From Pre-Writing to First Draft

Pre-Writing Notes

Outline

First Draft

Outlines

An outline is like a “skeleton” of an essay.It shows the “bare bones” or main ideas of the essay structure.You can use an outline when you are reading or when you are writing.An outline helps you to organize ideas.

OutlinesIt can be used after you have generated ideas through brainstorming, free writing, or other pre-writing techniques.It works well for structured types of writing such as essays.You can use complete sentences, but you don’t have to.

Sample OutlineI. Introduction: Internet “dating” has advantages

and disadvantages.II. Advantages

a) meet people around the worldb) not based on appearance

III. Disadvantagesa) can you trust them?b) may be too far away to meet in person

IV. Conclusion: Some success stories, but too risky

Paragraphs

What is a paragraph?A paragraph is a group of sentences that develops an idea.The first sentence of a paragraph should be indented.The sentences in the paragraph support and give examples of the main idea.

Paragraphs: A Bad Example

I live in a house in west Provo. I like the view from our house. We have lived there since November. We also have a car that I like very much. We were in an accident a few months ago. We hit a deer that was crossing the street at night. I felt sorry for the deer, but it cost a lot of money to repair the car.

Paragraphs: A Good Example

My husband and I bought our first house last November, and we love it. It is located in west Provo near Utah Lake. Although we cannot see the lake from our house, we do have a beautiful view of Mount Timpanogos. Our house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a family room, and a large kitchen and dining area. We also have a large backyard and a small garden. We are very happy to own our own home, and I hope that we will live there for several years.

Paragraph Structure

A paragraph should have a logical structure that is easy to put into an outline:

I. Topic SentenceII. Supporting DetailIII. Supporting DetailIV. Supporting DetailV. Concluding Sentence

Topic Sentences

A topic sentence is the sentence that tells the reader the main idea of the paragraph.The topic sentence should contain only one main idea. It should be specific and detailed.The topic sentence is often found at the beginning of the paragraph, but it can be in other places, too.

Topic Sentences:Good Examples

When I was a child, I lived in a house that had a strange atmosphere.There is a canyon in Northern Arizona that is the most beautiful place on Earth.My favorite item of clothing is a comfortable, worn pair of jeans that I have had for many years.

Topic Sentences:Bad Examples

I went to the Grand Canyon this winter and to Mexico in the spring of 1994.My friend is nice.I like my bedroom.

The Writing Process:Editing and Proofreading

The Writing Process

Pre-Writing

Drafting

Editing

Polishing

Revising

Editing

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Editing: ContentHave you done every thing the assignment requires?Are the claims you make accurate?If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument?Is the argument complete?Are all of your claims consistent?Have you supported each point with adequate evidence?Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or y our overall writing goal?

Editing: overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs?

Editing: Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs?

Editing: Clarity

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they , which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express y our ideas? Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of y our normal vocabulary: you may misuse them.

Editing: StyleHave you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)?Is your use of gendered language appropriate?Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences?Do you tend to use the passive voice too often?Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.?Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily?

Editing: Citations

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources?Are your citations in the correct format?

Proofreading

Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers.Grammar checkers can be even more problematic.Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. Read slow, and read every word. Separate the text into individual sentences. Circle every punctuation mark.

References

Adapted from Tarasine A. Buck. Writing Centre. www.elc.byu.edu/classes/buck/w_garden/ppt/process.ppt (retrieved on18/9/2015)Writing Labs online.