The Writing Process

THE WRITING PROCESS ◦ The writing process consists of 3 broad stages:  Prewriting (before writing)  Writing (during)  Postwriting (after writing)

PREWRITING ◦ Prewriting includes all the preliminary things you do to get started writing:  analyzing the prompt or Choosing your topic  exploring what you know or need to know about the topic (listing, brainstorming, clustering, 6 questions, freewriting, etc)  narrowing or focusing your topic

REMEMBER ◦ Two things that always influence your writing are:  Audience - the person you are writing for  Purpose - the reason you are writing

WRITING ◦ Writing is the easy part; it simply involves putting your ideas into sentences and paragraphs. (1 st draft)  Don’t think too much about it, just get ideas on paper.  Don’t overanalyze what you are putting on paper…yet.

POSTWRITING ◦ Postwriting includes:  Revising - change, add, or cut information  Editing – proofread and edit (2 nd draft)  Publishing – share your writing (Final Draft)

REVISION ◦ During revision, you consider the expression of your ideas from the reader's point of view.  This is where you will add, delete, or rearrange your ideas if necessary, and it’s always necessary.  Don’t be afraid to make major changes to your paper at this time.

ELABORATION ◦ An essential part of good writing is the effective use of elaboration aka support, or development) ◦ Make sure you have completely developed or explained the ideas in your paper. ◦ Never include information that does not add to the reader's understanding of your essay.

TYPES OF ELABORATION ◦ Examples of different types of support include:  Personal Anecdote - a short personal story to support your point of view.  Examples - a similar case to that under discussion.  Facts - something that is known to be true or which can be proven.  Quoting or paraphrasing from the text

TRANSITIONS ◦ Good writers use transitions, words or phrases that help make movement from one sentence to another or from one paragraph to another clear, smooth, and easy to follow.

Editing ◦ When you edit your paper you are proofreading it for errors. ◦ Consider the following:  The paper appears professional?  Spelling and punctuation?  Sentences clear and easy to read?  Documentation style?

THE SENTENCE Remember to write in complete sentences: ◦ A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and a verb which expresses a complete thought.

THE PARAGRAPH Remember to organize your essay into paragraphs: ◦ A paragraph is a group of sentences that develop a main idea.

DOES SIZE MATTER? ◦ There is no set length for a paragraph; a good rule of thumb is that a paragraph should be as long as necessary to completely develop its topic. ◦ 2 possible exceptions include introductory paragraphs and concluding paragraphs.

WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH MADE OF? ◦ Paragraphs are made up of three types of sentences: a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.  The topic sentence introduces the topic of the paragraph.  Supporting sentences explain or develop the topic.  The concluding sentence wraps up the paragraph and may transition into the next paragraph.

THE ESSAY ◦ An essay is a group of paragraphs that expresses, explains, develops, proves, disproves, or defends a bigger idea. ◦ In any given piece of writing, you usually create paragraphs in order to group and communicate your main ideas effectively.

A USEFUL COMPARISON Paragraph: ◦ A topic/introductory sentence. ◦ Supporting sentences ◦ A concluding sentence Essay: ◦ An introductory paragraph (w/thesis) ◦ Supporting paragraphs ◦ A concluding paragraph