The Process of Writing

Notes on the Process of Writing

Created by Karen Coda

Content available at her website

None of the information below is of my own mind.  I am simply supplying the content and weblinks for you from her site.  PDF version available here.  All credit belongs to Karen Coda.

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While writing is not strictly linear, we can visualize it in a structured progression towards a final product for ease of study and discussion. 

Planning Drafting Revising         

We can consider the writing process as a series of activities grouped into stages of development leading to the completion of a written product.

I. Planning Stage: Discover and Develop Ideas

1. Select and Limit Your Topic
   1. Prewriting Strategies
      1. Brainstorming/Listing
      2. Clustering/Mapping
      3. Reporter’s Formula/Journalist's Questions
      4. Free-writing
      5. Journal keeping
2. Determine Your Purpose
   1. Assess the writing situation
      1. Product Specifications
      2. Assignment Criteria
      3. Creative Goals
   2. Overall general purpose
      1. to inform (understand)
      2. to entertain (understand & react emotionally)
      3. to persuade (understand & agree)
      4. to activate (understand, agree & take action)
   3. Central Controlling idea (specific to message)
      1. Clarify point/topic & subtopics
      2. Supported Thesis statement: T P S S S
3. Analyze Your Audience
   1. Create a Profile
      1. Age
      2. Gender
      3. Cultural/Ethnic background
      4. Education level
      5. Economic/Social background
      6. Concerns/Needs
      7. Desires/Goals
   2. Understand Human Needs (Maslow's Motive Needs)
   3. Engage Reader
      1. Use Persuasive Devices
      2. Use Introductory Hook
4. Develop Ideas
   1. Write a discovery draft (crummy first draft) to generate material
   2. Conduct research via formal or informal methods
   3. Incubate Ideas
5. Organize Ideas
   1. Determine appropriate order
   2. Create a keyword outline for essay

II. Drafting Stage: Organize and Develop Writing

1. Select appropriate expository techniques
   1. Description-use imagery
   2. Narration-tell sequence of events
   3. Illustration-use examples
   4. Definition-identify criteria
   5. Process Analysis-examine steps to completion
   6. Causal Analysis-examine cause/effect
   7. Comparison-identify similarities
   8. Contrast-identify differences
   9. Persuasion-appeal to emotions
   10. Argument-appeal to logic with evidence
2. Convert keyword outline to a full-sentence outline
1. Paragraph Types
1. Special
1. Introductory
2. Transitional
3. Concluding
2. Topical
1. Body
3. Write a Working Draft
1. Fill in details, evidence, examples as needed
2. Develop wording of ideas
3. Craft sentences and paragraph structure
4. Select appropriate document format
   1. Essay (English papers use MLA style guidelines)
   2. Report
   3. Memo/email
   4. Letter
   5. Presentation
   6. Web design
   7. Promotional ads/brochures/flyers

III. Revising Stage: Examine and Evaluate choices that shape writing

1. Global Revisions
   1. Use checklist for global revision
      1. Purpose and audience
      2. Focus
      3. Organization
      4. Content
      5. Point of view
      6. Paraphrasing, quoting & documenting sources
   2. Qualities of Effective Writing
      1. Order
      2. Unity
      3. Completeness
      4. Coherence
      5. Concision
   3. Writing Assessment
      1. Use S-I-I method
      2. Use Essay Evaluation form or a grading rubric
      3. Use specific assignment criteria
2. Local Revisions
   1. Major Illiteracies
      1. Sentence Fragment
      2. Comma Splice
      3. Fused Sentence
      4. Agreement
      5. Modifiers
   2. Sentence Variety
   1. Coordination
   2. Subordination
   3. Sentence Types
      1. Simple
      2. Compound
      3. Complex
      4. Compound-Complex
   3. Word Choice
   (colorful, colored, colorless)
   1. Tone
   2. Voice
   3. Denotation
   4. Connotation
   4. Proofreading (isolation method)
      1. Format
      2. Spelling
      3. Punctuation
      4. Typing