WRITING AS A PROCESS

Writing as a process … As an academic theory, Writing Process has evolved considerably over the years, but two beliefs have remained constant: [1] Methods of teaching writing should be structured to account for the fact that the creation of a piece of writing is a developmental process that occurs over time [2] Writers should engage in different activities depending on which stage of development a piece of writing is in.

Waiting for inspiration – discuss What worries you about writing ? Do you have strategies/routines that help you get started with your writing ?

Prewriting activities Pre-writing is any writing you do before you start writing your first draft : can you think of any activities that could fall into this category ? Maybe you don’t know exactly what you’re going to write about. Maybe you don’t have a clue. The fun of prewriting is that it really doesn’t matter. Pre-writing is a time that you can use to experiment, to try out something new without having to try very hard, to take a little time to gather your thoughts and choose a direction before you start drafting in earnest.

Freewriting… Write, write, write! It’s a warm-up. It gets your mind loose and limber so that by the time you’re ready to start drafting Just write anything and everything that pops into your mind, regardless of what it is. Let the thoughts just flow out onto the page (or the screen) and lead you wherever they will for a little while. Some people DO use a timer – try 5-15 minutes.

What to do with your freewriting Pick out the ideas that you want to develop…haven’t got any …start again!! Start to mind-map or structure your ideas into a shape …don’t be afraid to change your mind. This is classic ‘low stakes’ writing – if you make a mistake or change your mind at this stage – it doesn’t matter !!

Sharing: writing as a social practice Sharing your work – at any stage - with other people is a really good way of getting some feedback about how you’re doing. Most writers get useful responses from other writers when they share their work. Your piece doesn’t have to be finished for you to share it. In fact, it’s probably better for you to share it several times long before it’s done, so you have a chance to make changes based on the comments you receive. Listening to what other people have written will give you ideas for your own writing – what to avoid and what to develop

Drafting A definition of the word “drafting” is : “A preliminary version of a plan, document, or picture.” Drafting is all about evolving what you want to say in your writing Let yourself be drawn in by the power of your own ideas. Think about how you move from one point/idea/stage in your argument to another Keep trying different ways of articulating what you want to say

Revising The word “revision” literally means “to see again.” Revising is all about. [1] Adding things [2] Moving things [3] Cutting things [4] Leaving things alone Keep repeating this process until you are happy that your work is saying what you want it to say.

Top revising writing tips Re-read what you wrote the next day. if you read anything you write right away and start to edit, you're not looking at it objectively.. If there's going to be anything usable in your free-writing exercise, then it should be reviewed with a more objective point of view. Read what you written outload (to yourself or someone else. If it makes sense and ‘sounds’ right it probably

Common problems solved by writing as a process Students don’t know how to get started: No problem, just use pre-Writing activities like brainstorming, webbing, mapping, Freewriting, brainstorming or listing. To get started. Students don’t write because they are afraid of making errors: revising and eliciting stages are about, making, identifying and correcting errors. Go ahead what can you lose!!.

More common problems Low productivity; students don’t write very much: pre-writing activities like freewriting and brainstorming increase the fluidity of your expression; the knowledge that things can be changed during frees you up to experiment Not motivated effort to revise or rethink earlier drafts: Make the time !! by practicing writing in a focussed way you are more likely to become interested in what you are writing and how you can improve it.

Don’t get disheartened ….