The Writing Process

OVERVIEW

Whether writing a paper for school or a document for work, high-stakes writing requires careful thought and execution. The steps involved in this form of writing constitute a writing process. Even though everyone ultimately has his/her own process for getting ideas down on paper and turning those ideas into a finished product, there are identifiable steps involved in the process of writing that can be defined, developed, and discussed. These steps include:

  • Getting Started (from deciphering a writing task assignment to getting your initial thoughts on a topic on paper)
  • Drafting (from organizing your ideas, to strategies for refining drafts to dealing with writer's block)
  • Organization and Structure
  • Gathering and Using Feedback (from responding to comments to using comments constructively)
  • Revising, Editing, Proofreading

Checklists for Better Writing (Re:Writing from Bedford/St. Martin's)
Checklists for help with the following activities: Exploring Topics, Narrowing a Topic, Planning a Search, Skimming Sources, Interviewing, Observing, Conducting Surveys, Evaluating Sources, Taking Notes, Avoiding Plagiarism, Drafting
Integrating Sources, Revising, and Editing.

Common Types of Writing Assignments (Univ. of WI-Madison Writing Center)
Links to separate guides on difference types of writing assignments from literary analysis to research papers to scientific reports.

If I Were a Carpenter: The Tools of the Writer (Roy Peter Clark, Senior Scholar at The Poynter Institute, and director of the National Writers' Workshop)

Stages of the Writing Process (Univ. of WI-Madison Writing Center)
A series of online guides on the different stages of the writing process: planning to write, creating an argument, working with sources, drafting and revising your paper and finishing your paper.

Ten Steps to Writing an Essay (Tom Johnson, The American University in Cairo)
A 10-step guide to writing a college essay. The steps covered are research, analysis, brainstorming, thesis, outline, introduction, paragraphs, conclusion, MLA style, and language. The site also includes practices exercises.

Tutorama (Rutgers Writing Program)
"Here you will find a series of tutorials we've designed to assist you in writing better essays. We provide these tutorials because we know there are a wide range of skills that go into writing successful essays and we know, as well, that these skills can only be mastered when the lessons taught in class are reinforced by self-directed work outside of class."

The Writing Process (Purdue OWL)
The highly regarded OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University offers a large collection of online guides on writing that are updated regularly and cover a myriad of topics. This is a link to their page on the writing process.

Writing Assignments & Sample Papers (Hacker A Writer's Reference Companion Website)

A Writer's Reference Companion Website (Diana Hacker / Bedford St. Martin's)
Includes exercises, tutorials, helpsheets, research and documentation guidelines, model papers, and other resources.

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GETTING STARTED

Before you begin writing, there are a few steps you can take to help you prepare yourself for the task at hand. The first step in any writing task is to understand what you need to write. In a classroom setting, this means understanding the assignment. In a professional setting, this means studying the publication: its audience, writer?s guidelines, and editorial reviewers. And in a business setting, it means identifying and understanding the needs of your customers.

Once you have an idea of what you need to write and why, you can begin brainstorming?generating ideas?on what you want to write. Below are resources on prewriting, also known as invention, in the writing process.

 

  • Beginning the Academic Essay (Harvard College Writing Center)
    "The writer of the academic essay aims to persuade readers of an idea based on evidence. The beginning of the essay is a crucial first step in this process. In order to engage readers and establish your authority, the beginning of your essay has to accomplish certain business. Your beginning should introduce the essay, focus it, and orient readers."

  • Checklist for Assessing the Writing Situation (PDF) (Hacker A Writer's Reference Companion Website)
  • Developing an Outline (Purdue OWL) This guide demonstrates how to develop an outline for a first draft.
  • Getting Started (Pace University Writing Center Turbo Tips) Posted on iTunes U: May 6 2009 | length: 1:45 / Access: iTunes U "Not sure how to begin your paper? Stuck on a topic? Not sure where to begin? Listen to this short podcast about how to get yourself started quickly and easily!"
  • Getting Started: Student Writers (Bedford/St. Martin's) Video (4:15 min.), transcript, questions
  • The Perils of Writer's Block: A Poem (Pace University Writing Center Turbo Tips) Posted on iTunes U: April 10 2009| length: :40 / Access: iTunes U "We all hate writer's block and this fun poem will give you an opportunity to rant and rave with our very own consultants!"
  • Preparing to Write (Writing@CSU)
    An online writing activity that walks the writer through a series of questions to help the writer think through the planning stages of a writing project. To access these exercises, you need to register with Writing@CSU. Registration is fast and simple.
  • Prewriting (Invention) (Purdue OWL)
    This guide introduces the writer to strategies and techniques for developing an idea for a writing assignment through a series of questions one asks oneself about a potential paper topic.
  • Prewriting (Invention) (Purdue OWL on iTunes U)
    Last Modified: Feb.27, 2009 | Length: 4:31
    This is a podcast of their Prewriting guide. Using questions as the tool for brainstorming, this guide helps the writer use more and more focused questions to explore and narrow a topic for writing.
    Purdue OWL on iTunes U     is only accessible through the Purdue Boilercast page. Once at the Boilercast page, click on the navigation link on the to left for "Public BoilerCast File Access." This will launch Purdue's private iTunes U site. Once iTunes U Purdue is open, click on the Purdue OWL link in the "Around Purdue" section. From there, click on the Purdue OWL logo and the podcasts will appear.
  • Prewriting Activities (Purdue OWL)
  • Starting the Writing Process (Purdue OWL)
    This guide addresses how to begin thinking about a writing project.
  • Starting to Write (Writing@CSU)
    An online writing activity that presents prewriting strategies such as brainstorming and freewriting. To access these exercises, you need to register with Writing@CSU. Registration is fast and simple.
  • Subjects for Writing (PDF) (Hacker A Writer's Reference Companion Website)
  • Understanding Writing Assignments (Purdue OWL)
    An online writing guide on steps to take to decipher what a writing assignment is asking you to do.
  • Understanding an Assignment (PDF) (Hacker A Writer's Reference Companion Website)
  • Understanding the Assignment (MIT Online Writing and Communication Center)
    When you get a writing task, the first step is to make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. This guide explains how to understand a writing assignment.
  • Ways to Narrow a Subject to a Topic (PDF) (Hacker A Writer's Reference Companion Website)
  • Write a Great Essay Using The Topoi (USC College Writing Program Senior Lecturer Mark Marino)
    Posted on YouTube: Oct. 27, 2008 | length: 10:22
    This video demonstrates how to brainstorm a topic using the prewriting writing called "Topoi."
  • Writer's Block/ Writer's Anxiety (Purdue OWL)
    This guide discusses the causes and provides ideas and suggestions for dealing with writer's block.

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DRAFTING

Now you're ready to put your ideas together and produce a first draft. This early and rough draft will lead you to your second, third, and forth drafts as you continue to conduct more research and refine your ideas on papers.

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CLAIM (THESIS)

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ORGANIZATION & STRUCTURE

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INTRODUCTIONS & CONCLUSIONS

Because writing is meant to be read, one of the best ways to improve your writing is to have others read your work. In academic circles this is called peer review. In business, it is just called review. Your instructor might also give you feedback with the opportunity to revise. Gathering this feedback and using it constructively is a vital step in producing a quality piece of writing.

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GATHERING & USING FEEDBACK

Because writing is meant to be read, one of the best ways to improve your writing is to have others read your work. In academic circles this is called peer review. In business, it is just called review. Your instructor might also give you feedback with the opportunity to revise. Gathering this feedback and using it constructively is a vital step in producing a quality piece of writing.

  • Challenges of Good Writing ? Part 3: Asking for Feedback (Arizona State University at iTunes U--ASU Challenges of Good Writing - Asking for Feedback)
    Posted on iTunes U: March 11, 2009 | length: 13:45
    "Dr Jeanne Simpson, Director of the ASU Writing Centers, interviews professors from a variety of disciplines regarding exemplary writing in their fields These professors share their thoughts, challenges, and frustrations about the writing process.
  • Getting Feedback(University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center; Click here for a full list of their online handouts)
    Official Description: "Sometimes you'd like feedback from someone else about your writing, but you may not be sure how to get it. This handout describes when, where, how and from whom you might receive effective responses as you develop as a writer."
  • Peer Reviews: Responding to a Draft (University of Wisconsin - Madison Writing Center. This is part of the Writing Center's online Writer's Handbook)
    An outline that walks a student through how to response to a draft paper: what to focus on and how to critique.
  • Peer Review (Tom Johnson, The American University in Cairo)
    A guide on peer review that addresses why and how to do peer review. It's linked to a document "17 Self Review Question."
  • Peer Reviewers Gone Wild (YouTube - lmcmillan6176)
    Posted on YouTube: January 5, 2008 | length 8:20
    "Composition students who call themselve McMillan's Villains show the potential pitfalls and positives of peer review through nutty daydream sequences."
  • Revising with Peer Comments (Hacker A Writer's Reference Companion Website)
    (Requires activation code to access)
  • Rewriting: Getting Feedback (University of Maryland University College)
    From Chapter 2 "The Writing Process" in the Online Guide to Writing and Research from the University of Maryland University College. This page presents a series of checklists to give the person reviewing your writing to help can give your teacher or classmates of the items in your writer you would like the review to pay particular attention to and to provide feedback.

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REVISING, EDITING & PROOFREADING

When you submit a paper to a teacher for a grade, a journal for possible publication, or a customer or colleague in a business setting, you want your writing to be the best it can be in presenting your ideas. If your paper is riddled with pesky typos, misspelled words, or grammatical and punctuation errors, the reader will only focus on the errors. You need to edit and proofread your work closely so your reader focuses on the quality of your ideas.

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