The Writing Process
Writing process is defined as a series of steps a writer takes to produce a quality piece. Although every writer has their writing process, each version is essentially the original one “on steroids.” Why following an established writing process is important? Well, being aware of the steps that you need to take to create a quality, structured paper is helpful because you can miss something.
Like any other serious process, the writing process begins with preparation. Prewriting is the stage of planning when you brainstorm the idea you want to write about, research that idea, collect evidence to support your hypothesis or argument. Making an outline is also made at this stage because you want to begin writing the draft knowing what goes next.
During prewriting process, you should also consider the target audience. Who are you writing for? A professor? Magazine readers? Blog readers? What could be used to “hook” their attention? What may be their goals for reading your text? If you consider yourself an experienced writer, you may also want to develop a working thesis statement at this point. Indiana University at Bloomington provides the following definition of thesis statement in academic writing (although it also applies to other writing areas):
“One- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow.”
Don’t worry if you cannot decide on a single thesis statement. Just make a list of your ideas and think for a minute which one supports your point best.
The next step of the writing process is drafting. Now, it’s time to begin writing the draft of your paper. All the ideas and evidence you came up with in the previous stage need to be used right now to create the first version. Some writers call this stage “creating a skeleton,” which actually makes a lot of sense because “the flesh,” or details, are added in the next step.
So, the main purpose of this stage is to create an initial composition by writing down the ideas in an organized way and create that “skeleton” of the paper.
No one likes to revise, sure. However, revisions are a key to perfect writing. How can you ensure that the text is perfect if you didn’t proofread it, right? A reader who found a mistake in your writing will not think of you as a good writer. What’s more, only one mistake can result in a total failure. We don’t want that, so try to refine your text by proofreading. For example, check if all sentences are concise and accurate. Are they connected with each other? How are your transitions? Do you use transitional words that help to connect the ideas in your text (nonetheless, in order that, to put it another way etc.)? If you need more transitional words, check out the complete list at the University of Wisconsin-Madison writing center.
Congrats, your text is done! Just kidding, you still have to edit it. This process involves checking for grammar and punctuation mistakes, appropriate word selection, clarity of the text, repetitions, and spelling. Don’t begin editing until you completed all the previous steps because there is a good chance that you will waste your time by having to edit the text multiple times.
Experienced writers also recommend to seek feedback from others at this point. It makes perfect sense because you need someone to provide a fresh perspective and maybe find some flaws you haven’t noticed.
The last of the five steps of the writing process includes printing out your paper and submitting it to the professor or another responsible person. In other words, the paper is prepared to be distributed to an audience.
Undoubtedly, writing process provides a professional, focused approach to creating texts that helps to minimize the number of flaws and errors. The success in writing cannot come if you ignore these stages. Even though some experienced writers slightly change process or add their own milestones, the order and the fundamentals remain the same.
For young writers, there are a number of reasons why they should learn the writing process.
· Writing process provides organization and structure to those who are unsure about how to start or how continue the flow of ideas
· Writing process helps to boost confidence in writing skills
· Writing process nurtures independence and self-direction
· Writing process helps to develop outline creating skills
· Writing process promotes research that improves quality of writing
· Writing process helps to overcome fear of revisions.