The Writing Process: From Concept to Composition Ms. Brown Fall 2012

Step One: Prewriting What is prewriting? Why is it necessary? How does it help?

Prewriting  Using a prewriting method helps the composer generate ideas.  These ideas are the raw materials that will help make the final composition stellar!  The most common prewriting methods include:  Brainstorming in a bullet list and writing down every idea that comes to your mind.  Free writing as if you are writing in a journal and writing as fast as you can without stopping.  Clustering in the shapes of circles or clouds to extend one idea to another.

Details My list is not numbered. Why is this a benefit to my prewriting process? Some ideas may be stronger than others, but that is understandable at this stage of the writing process.  Brainstorming example Los Angeles is… o Large o Urban o Violent o City of Angels o City of Dreams (acting, making music, etc.) o Dodgers o Lakers o No football team o Expensive homes o Hollywood o Tons of freeways o Cars o Traffic o Close to other countries and states o Many schools o Great weather o Good place for gardening o Many museums (The Getty, MOCA, LACMA, Petersen Automotive Museum)

Details Notice the grammar and spelling errors. Why is this acceptable during the prewriting stage?  Free writing example I’m supposed to describe Los Angeles in a paragraph but I don’t know what to write about. I guess if I had to think about it L.A. is my fave place to live because all my family lives here. We luv going to places like Griffith Park for hiking or Staples Center for a game or concert. But it’s too expensive to live in L.A. so I might move to another city in the county like Lancaster or Palmdale. Working in L.A. and going to school here gives me a lot of options like transferring to UCLA after earning my AA degree or working for the oil refineries around So Cal. These are some of my descriptions of where I live, Los Angeles.

Details Notice how each idea is organized in groups. How far can each idea take you?  Clustering example  The 5Ws are useful for clustering:  Who  What  When  Why  Where  Refer to: plus/aspx/Search1.aspx?bfw_topic=Writin g%20process&PageNum=0#$c0a84dda:9b 601d121ea f62 plus/aspx/Search1.aspx?bfw_topic=Writin g%20process&PageNum=0#$c0a84dda:9b 601d121ea f62

Prewriting  What is prewriting?  Why is it necessary?  How does it help?

Step Two: Organizing and Outlining How do you organize your ideas? What is an outline? How does it help?

Organizing and Outlining  Organizing your ideas is as simple as eliminating the weakest items in your list, free write, or cluster.  You will be left with your strongest points, and these can be organized chronologically, spatially, or by order of importance.  A useful outline will include the following:  A main idea (this is very different from a complete topic sentence)  Support points  Examples

Details Notice how the outline is not in paragraph form. Why is this useful? I have included transitions to my outline. Why did I do this?  Outline  Main idea: Los Angeles is a city of champions and faithful fans, so it is only natural for a sports fan to be excited while living or visiting the city.  Support Point #1: First of all, the Lakers are a popular NBA team.  Example(s) & Details: For example, they have a strong history of winning. (Add details)  Support Point #2: Secondly, the Dodgers have a loyal fan base.  Example(s) & Details: “For instance, fans can be found wearing Dodger gear and decorating their cars around the city.” (Add details)  Support Point #3: Finally, Los Angeles has been a premiere place for college football.  Example(s) & Details: For one thing, the USC and UCLA rivalry attracts many people to the city. (Add details)

The Difference Between Examples and Details An Example A Detail  Examples often follow a support point and transition.  Examples are specific elaborations of a support point.  “Secondly, the Dodgers have a loyal fan base. For instance, fans can be found wearing Dodger gear and decorating their cars around the city.”  There are several types of details:  Concrete – specific names, dates, times, etc.  Sensory – uses one or more of the five senses  Humorous – highlights the humor of what is being described  Comparative – uses a simile or metaphor  Quoted – states what has been said by someone  Emotive – explains the emotions associated with what is being described *Can you create a detail for this example?

Organizing and Outlining  How do you organize your ideas?  What is an outline?  How does it help?

Step Three: Drafting What is the draft? How can I write the best draft possible?

Drafting  Drafting happens when you begin writing in the form of your paragraph or essay assignment.  Drafts should include a rough topic sentence with support points and examples.  Though you are writing in a specific format, your draft will not be perfect!  Your topic sentence may be basic. This can be improved through revision!  Your draft may only use 1-2 support points with examples. This can be expanded during revision.  Your drafted paragraph may not have a strong conclusion sentence. A peer critique can help suggest a way to conclude your paragraph.

Drafting  What is the draft?  How can I write the best draft possible?

Step Four: Revising What is revision? How do I perform revision?

Revision  Revise is Latin for “to see again.”  We need to see our work with fresh eyes by stepping away from our paper for a couple of days.  Fresh eyes are also found in peer critiques when someone else examines your work for the first time.  Content of your ideas are the most important things to revise:  Topic Sentences  Support Points  Details

Step Five: Editing and Proofreading What is revision? How do I perform revision?

Editing and Proofreading  This is where you refine your grammar and catch errors before turning in your work.  Catch a STAR  Simplify sentences  Take out unnecessary descriptions  Add proper punctuation  Rearrange ideas for order  Watch out for COPS  Capitalization  Omitted words  Punctuation  Spelling

Video - /Test.html /Test.html A VISUAL OF THE WRITING PROCESS

THE COMPLETE WRITING PROCESS 1.PREWRITING 2.ORGANIZING AND OUTLINING 3.DRAFTING 4.REVISING 5.EDITING AND PROOFREADING

The Writing Process THE END