The Writing ProcessThe Five Steps

1. BRAINSTORMING Brainstorming is the process where you

contribute ideas about the writing you are going to do.

Call out words and ideas related to the topic. Brainstorming is a writing skill but it is also an

important communication skill to learn.

2. FIRST DRAFT:

Before you begin writing let’s revise the basic

mechanics of a paragraph: title, indentation, topic sentence,

capital letters, punctuation, etc.

Once you review the concept of what a paragraph is

and have completed the brainstorming session, you are

ready to begin a first draft.

The first draft will not be perfect.

Using the Sample Paragraph

3. FEEDBACK

• The feedback step, is a crucial part in the writing process.

• The feedback is a series of suggestionsthat you will use to improve your composition.It lets you know strengths and weaknesses inyour writing.

• Use peer editing in the feedback step. • Peer editing: This activity allows you to

assume some of the revising and editing responsibility on your own and in other students’ writing …

Peer editing:• Read each others writing for content and readability.• When you read each others papers, ask and answer questions such as: • Did this writer answer the questions

completely?• Did I enjoy the writing?• Did all sentences make sense?• Are there important details missing?• Are there extra details that should be

taken out?• What are the good parts of the writing?

Copy Editing and Proofreading Symbolsdelete Remove the end

fitting.

∧ insert The box is inserted correctly.Joan is wearing a orange blouse.

space Theprocedure is incorrect.

transpose I don’t have any pens red in my desk.

spelling error Many people are superstition about breaking mirrors. That nurse doesn’t takes good care of her patients.

lower case The Engineer and manager agreed.

Copy Editing and Proofreading Symbolscapitalize A representative

of nasa was present.

? What does this mean?

period

¶ new paragraph The box is full.¶The meeting will be on Thursday.

no ¶ remove paragraph brake

The meeting will be on Thursday. no All members must attend.

move to a new position

All members attended who were new.

4. REVISE AND EDIT

• For many students Revising and Editing can be the most difficult step in the process.

• Taking responsibility for the writing and the correcting of your compositions will be a new experience for most of you.

• Teachers will make sure that students respond to prompts and make changes in both content and grammar.

REVISE AND EDIT

You must keep the first draft of your writing when you are revising and editing. You will need the first draft when you are making grammatical revisions as well. You will need the following to correct the writing errors you have circled or underlined:

The Top Ten Writing Errors page:

https://www.nmu.edu/writingcenter/node/64

Top Twelve Writing Errors1. Subject/verb agreement

The girl have a good job.My brother live with me.

The girl has a good job.My brother lives with me.

2. Correct verb form

I am write this letter to explained what happened.

I am writing this letter to explained what happened.

3. Correct pronoun form

I gave she the money to buy some new books.

I gave her the money to buy some new books.

4. Correct part of speech

We celebrate his birthday last week.

We celebrated his birthday last week.

5. Capitalization and punctuation

My friend worked every monday in june

My friend worked every Monday in June.

6. Possessives Jason borrowed Mary car last Friday.

Jason borrowed Mary’s car last Friday.

Top Twelve Writing Errors7. Word order I gave to Mary the

letter.We have a cat black.

I gave Mary the letter.We have a black cat.

8. Run-on sentences My sister had the flu she went to the doctor he gave her some medicine now she’s feeling better.

My sister had the flu, so she went to the doctor. He gave her some medicine; no she’s feeling better.

9. Sentence fragments

I had a good time. When I went to the beach with Tom.

I had a good time, when I went to the beach with Tom.

10. Parallel structure Nancy likes swimming, skiing, and to play baseball.

Nancy likes swimming, skiing and playing baseball.

11. Wrong word The soldiers rose the flag early yesterday.The passengers were reading there books.

The soldiers raised the flag early yesterday.The passengers were reading their books.

Top Twelve Writing Errors12. Missing Subject

Tom left because didn’t like the music.Is raining out today.

Tom left because he didn’t like the music.It is raining out today.

4.REVISE AND EDIT

Errors occur in first drafts, but this is the step where they must be corrected.

Revise and edit step gives you the opportunity to ask questions and get advice about your writing from your teacher and peers.

The best way to eradicate these errors is to keep track of the mistakes

you continually make and to be in the lookout for them in your

subsequent writing.

5. FINAL COPY

• Create an error free copy of your writing.

• It is important to produce a clear, error-free final copy.

• You might have to correct it several times.

Essay Basic Structure Sentences

Sentences and paragraphs are the basic building blocks of writing. A sentences is a group of words which has a subject and a verb and which expresses a complete thought. What kind of sentences do you know?

ParagraphsJust as a sentence is not a group of random words, neither is a paragraph a group of random sentences.A paragraph is a group of related sentences that deal with one topic. It has a sentence that clearly states the main idea (topic sentence).It comes at the beginning or end of the paragraph. Other sentences in the paragraph will give details, examples, explanations of the idea that is stated in the topic sentence.

Essays

•Essays are built from a group of related

paragraphs about one main idea.

•The main idea sometimes is called a thesis.

•The topic sentences of the paragraphs

within an essay will present topics that

support, explain, or illustrate the thesis of

the essay.

•Most essays are composed of three basic

parts:

• Introduction

• Body

• Conclusion

The IntroductionThe introduction is the beginning paragraph(s)of the essay. It has two purposes:1. To state the main idea that the essay

will discuss and develop.• This sentence usually comes at the beginning or at the end of the introduction.2. To get the reader’s attention.• This purpose can be achieved in one or

more of the following ways:

a challenging question. a quotation from a famous person. a short, interesting anecdote or amusing

story. an interesting fact or example. a real or imaginary situation.

The Body

The body, or middle portion of the essay,

discusses and develops the main idea.

The body includes the following items

depending on the author’s purpose.

No essay will include them all.

1. facts 7. contrast

2. opinions 8. classifications

3. explanations 9. anecdotes

4. examples 10. analogies

5. definitions 11. analysis of cause and effect

6. comparisons 12. step-by-step instructions

The ConclusionThe conclusion is the ending paragraph(s) ofthe essay. It has several important purposes:

to summarize or to restate briefly the thesis

and the important points that support it; to clinch the author’s idea in the

reader’s mind;

Methods to make a conclusion strong and effective.

No single conclusion will use all of them:

1. a challenging question; 4. a restatement of the most important point of the essay;

2. a fitting quotation; 5. a suggestion to the reader about how he might act;

3. a brief anecdote; 6. a prediction about the future

Points about structure that are important to remember. A good essay will:

1. Stick to the point. Any detail that does not relate to the main idea or the author’s purpose will not be included.

2. Be arranged in a sensible order: chronological order from least important to most important from top to bottom (or from bottom to top) according to types, discussing each type in

turn.

3. Supply transitions which lead the reader fromone thought to another.Transitions include words and phrases such as:first, second, last, therefore, and, but, yet, furthermore,consequently, in the first place, as a result, and moreover.