*The Writing Process

AnalyzeInvent

OrganizeDraftRevise

*Steps of the Writing Process

*Analyze

Analyze the writing “situation” to ensure you understand what is expected.

*Subject

*Purpose

*Audience

*Evidence

*Requirements

*Invent

Invention involves brainstorming ideas that will drive the focus and organization of your essay. There are several strategies that can help you in this process.

*Write a journal

*Observe

*Free write

*List

*Cluster

*Ask questions

*OrganizeThere are several steps to organization. Before you begin writing, you’ll want to ensure you have a solid plan set out for your ideas. The first step in this process is developing a THESIS STATEMENT.

*Thesis Statements

*A thesis statement is, very simply, the main idea of your essay; however, it needs to accomplish several things to be effective. So, what does a thesis do?

*Narrows your subject

*Makes a significant and specific claim about your topic

*Conveys your purpose

*Previews, often, the arrangement of ideas

*Is clear and concise (1-3 sentences)

*Is YOUR idea

Be a question

Be vague

Be common knowledge

Be another person’s idea

Be missing

Be unrelated to your topic

* Your thesis should NOT

*Outlining

*The next step in the Writing Process is to organize the rest of your ideas. This comes from breaking down your thesis statement into smaller parts and using those parts to construct an outline. Outlining has several benefits.

*Provides the overall organizational plan for your paper

*Helps you to stay on topic

*Breaks the essay down into small, more manageable parts for writing

* Begin with your working thesis statement

* Break your thesis statement into smaller points that need to be covered or “proven” in order for your thesis to be true

* Use those smaller points as the topics of each of your body paragraphs

* For each of those smaller points, determine what information needs to be conveyed to readers

* Also consider what evidence is needed to support those points

* How to outline

An Example*Let’s look at an example.

We’ll start with a sample working thesis:

“Writing college papers is stressful and difficult, but

by using the writing process, one can overcome these

challenges by planning, organizing, and revising.”

*Now, let’s consider what points need to be addressed in order for this thesis to be “proven” in the essay.

Writing college papers is stressful and difficult

Information about how planning overcomes

these challenges

Information about how organizing does the

same

And information about how revising does it, too

And now, the outline

*Now that we have a general idea of the points that need to be addressed, we can begin an outline to organize them. Let’s look at a sample:

Sample OutlineWorking thesis: Writing college papers is stressful and difficult, but by using the writing process, one can overcome these challenges by planning, organizing, and revising.

I. Writing college papers is stressful and difficult

II. Planning helps

III. Organizing helps

IV. Revising helps

That’s not enough*What we started here is

very, very basic. Let’s add some details:

Sample OutlineWorking thesis: Writing college papers is stressful and difficult, but by using the writing process, one can overcome these challenges by planning, organizing, and revising.

I. Writing college papers is stressful and difficult

A. Why? Time constraints, confusing assignments, difficult requirements, grammar and mechanics problems

II. Planning helps

A. Why? If we start with a plan, the writing part becomes a lot easier because we know what we’re doing

III. Organizing helps

A. Why? If we have a structure to our ideas before we start writing, the actual writing comes easier and faster

IV. Revising helps

A. Why? Through revision we can get feedback on our ideas and work through grammar and mechanics problems before we turn in a final version

Now we have some more detailed ideas. Let’s organize them better and start to think about evidence:

Working thesis: Writing college papers is stressful and difficult, but by using the writing process, one can overcome these challenges by planning, organizing, and revising.

I. Writing college papers is stressful and difficult

A. Time constraintsi. Need evidence or example

B. Grammar and mechanicsi. Need evidence or example

C. Requirementsi. Need evidence or example

II. Planning helps

A. Brainstorming ideas helps narrow a topici. Need evidence or example

B. Analyzing the situation helps students to grasp the assignmenti. Need evidence or example

III. Organizing helps

A. Developing a thesis helps to provide focus for the paperi. Need evidence or example

B. Creating an outline provides students a road map for writingi. Need evidence or example

IV. Revising helps

A. Getting feedback from peers and the instructor helps students see readers’ reactions to their writing and focus on areas to improve

A. Need evidence or example

B. Revising allows students to hone in on and correct specific grammar and mechanics errors before turning in a final version

A. Need evidence or example

*It’s time to write! Let’s get started.

*Drafting

*Drafting

*The next step in the Writing Process is to, well, write! But don’t fret; you have a plan. Here a few tips to keep in mind as you begin writing.

* Follow your plan but be open to change, too

* Skip the intro: It’s not always necessary to write in a linear way. Often, it’s easier to begin with body paragraphs and come back to the intro and conclusion paragraphs at the end

* Write in a quiet environment without distractions or interruptions

* Resist self-criticism: don’t stress about grammar, mechanics, and style at this point. Focus on development and organization

* If you have to break the drafting process up into multiple sessions, be sure to write down what you plan to do next each time you end

*Wait, what? We’re not done yet!?

*Revising

*Revise

*Writing is a process that demands evolution. You will write, re-write, write again, and re-write again. All writers do. There are several strategies we’ll focus on in this class to help us in the revision process, but there are techniques you can use on your own, as well.

*In-class peer review

*In-class grammar workshops

*In-class revision workshops

*Use the writing center

*Read your own work critically and put yourself in the perspective of readers

*Use the checklist for editing (page 34; section 5c)

* The most important step of all? Don’t stress! Writing is an experience, a journey, and you’ll come a long way over the course of this class. Focus on improvement and using the techniques we learn, and you’ll be successful.

*You’ll do great!