McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved

5-2 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Chapter 5 Planning, Composing & Revising   Good Writers   Four Composing Activities   Time Management   Brainstorm, Plan, & Organize   Revise, Edit, and Proofread   Feedback   Writer’s Block

5-3 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Ways Good Writers Write  Revise first drafts  Write regularly  Break big jobs into small chunks  Focus on purpose, audience  Choose from several different strategies  Use rules flexibly  Finish a draft before editing text

5-4 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Four Basic Composing Activities 1.Plan – analyze, gather 2.Write – transform ideas into words 3.Revise – evaluate, get feedback, change 4.Edit – correct grammar, typos

5-5 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved 1. Planning  Analyze problem, define purposes, analyze audiences  Think of information; gather it  Research: files, books, magazines, Web sites  Choose organization pattern  Make an outline

5-6 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved 2. Writing  Put ideas into words on paper or screen  Make a list  Jot notes  Do stream-of- consciousness writing  Create formal draft

5-7 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved 3. Revising  Evaluate in terms of audience, goals, and situation  Will audience understand it?  Is it complete?  Is it convincing; also, friendly?  Get feedback from someone else  Add, delete, substitute, or rearrange single words or large sections.

5-8 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved 4. Editing  Focus on surface of message:  Standard English  Grammar & spelling  Capitalization & punctuation  Business principles  Build goodwill  Use conventional format  Proofread; correct typographical errors

5-9 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved More About Composing Activities  Don’t have to do in order  Don’t have to finish one to start another  Don’t have to use all activities for every message

5-10 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Writing & Time Management 1/3 - Write 1/3 - Analyze situation, gather information, organize message 1/3 – Revise, edit, and proofread

5-11 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Brainstorm, Plan & Organize  When content isn’t obvious—  Brainstorm  Freewrite  Cluster  Talk to audiences

5-12 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Brainstorm  Quickly jot all the ideas you can  Try for a dozen ideas without stopping  When ideas run out, judge each idea on list

5-13 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Freewrite  Write nonstop for 10 to 12 min.  Read and identify best points  Repeat Step 1 on clean page  Keep all usable text

5-14 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Cluster  Write topic at middle of page  Write related ideas around it  Look for patterns, repeated ideas  Group related ideas by color  Use groups to develop content

5-15 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Cluster: Example

5-16 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Talk to Your Audiences  Involve readers in planning  Helps reduce the number of revisions

5-17 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Revise, Edit & Proofread  Revise – change content to satisfy purposes and audiences  Edit – change mechanical flaws, grammar errors  Proofread – correct typing errors

5-18 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved When You Revise  Revise draft three times or more 1.Content and clarity 2.Organization and layout 3.Goodwill factors  You-attitude  Positive emphasis  Tone and style

5-19 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved When You Revise, continued…  Try redrafting on blank page and use WIRMI: What I Really Mean Is  Read the document from start to finish  Do light revision when time is short

5-20 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Revise Content & Clarity  Are all purposes met?  Is needed information included, accurate, and clear?  Is the message easy to read?  Is each sentence clear?  Is logic clear and convincing?  Is logic backed up with details?

5-21 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Revise Organization & Layout  Is organization pattern effective?  Do ideas flow smoothly?  Is visual design effective?  Is emphasis appropriate?  Are first and last paragraphs effective? Visual Design =   Margins   Headings   Font size   Bullets   Bold text   White space

5-22 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved 10 Chapter4 Recall 10 Easy-Reading Techniques Chapter 4 Revise Style & Tone  Does the message use you-attitude and positive emphasis?  Is it friendly and bias-free?  Does it convey goodwill?

5-23 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved When You Edit  Revise first; then edit  Edit hard copy, not screen  Check errors you often make:  Sentence structure  Agreement: subj./verb, noun/pro.  Punctuation, numbers  Word usage, spelling

5-24 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved When You Proofread  Check with spell checker and by eye  Swap copy with proofing buddy  Read once quickly for meaning  Read again slowly  Correct any error; reread that line  When you know text well—  Read backward (short)  Read pages out of order (long) Triple-Check Numbers Headings First ¶ Last ¶ Reader’s name

5-25 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Use Feedback  Ask for feedback you want  Approach  Benefits  Tone  Grammar  Heed comments, even if you disagree  Rephrase  Give more details  Document sources

5-26 McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Overcome Writer’s Block 1.Prepare for writing 2.Write regularly and in moderation 3.Use positive self-talk about writing 4.Talk about writing with others