Writing is a process, a series of activities that start the moment a person begins thinking about a subject and ends when the final draft is finished. Good writing is rewriting, making choices from considered alternatives. The steps in the writing process overlap, looping back and forth as each piece of writing evolves. Good writers have learned to let their thinkers think, their writers write, and their editors edit.

The First stage: Prewriting

The thinking, or as some call it the brainstorming, stage requires time. Here we must allow the thinker within us freedom, as this is the discovery and invention stage. Limiting the thinker in any way gets in the way of great thoughts and ideas. Common brainstorming activities:

 

For finding topics*:

Determining purpose

Visualizing the audience

Listing

Clustering

Freewriting

Talking to Friends

Once the topic has been found:

Researching in the library

Researching on the Internet

Interviewing others

Observing

Watching television

Checking out the media

Reviewing and understanding the topic through dictionaries and encyclopedias

**Of course these can at times be interchangeable.

The Second Stage: Writing the Zero Draft and the First Draft

A good zero draft requires that the thinker has spent ample time on prewriting. Bits and pieces of assorted and varied information about the topic are waiting for release from the brain. The thinker's job is done. Now the writer must take over and spill all those wonderful thoughts and ideas on to the page. The process is simple: Let the writer write!

To do so:

Put away all brainstorming;

create an environment that is safe from interruption and distraction;

write furiously on the topic for thirty to forty-five minutes without regard to spelling, punctuation, order, or form.

When finished with the spilling of thoughts on the page, put it away. Rest, run or have a cup of tea. If possible, let the draft alone for twenty-four hours. A sense of perspective is gained that way. After the draft has cooled, it's time to arrange it in some semblance of order. An outline can help with that. Read through the draft and create either an informal or formal outline depending upon purpose.

Based upon the outline, write the first draft of the essay, remembering an academic essay contains:

An introduction;

a thesis;

body paragraphs which develop and support the thesis;

a conclusion.

The Third Stage: Revising/Editing

Here the writer and thinker must sit back as the reader/editor begins her job. The reader/editor knows what makes good writing work:

vivid details,

interesting introductions,

knowledge of the subject under consideration;

logical sequence of ideas and thoughts;

adequate development of an idea,

conclusions that round out the topic, and

enough understanding about the language to use punctuation and grammar so that it doesn't interfere with    
          the flow

In this class, we will use peer editors to help us become more effective editors of our own writing. Peer editors help us see when we don't have enough information and must return to our thinking stage to gather more. Reader/editors help us see when the arrangement of our paragraphs doesn't make sense or when details are inadequate, so we must call upon the writer again.

After the reader/editor finishes her task, the writer should review the feedback and rewrite the essay to prepare it for evaluation.

To be the best writer you can be, remember:

Think when it's time to think.

Write when it's time to write.

Edit when it's time to edit.