The Writing Process

At any level of education, students must show that they can follow the standard, structural guidelines currently in use in the writing community.  If you can master the rigid format established in this class, you will be able to mature your writing content and style so that you are actively engaging your readers in creative and logical thought.  Once you have had repeated practice with this formal essay writing format, you can decide if there are areas where you might want to deviate in your structure based on the content of the writing itself.  However, when writing academic essays, it is always BEST to stick to these established conventions mentioned below.

If you have need of help on your formatting style of the paper, please go to the Writing Center for help in the conventions for your paper.



The Writing Process
In this section of the classroom, you will find links to postings about the writing process.

This page can be used in 2 ways

• as you are writing and encounter issues with placement of items in your essay, or 
• after your assignment is scored and you see feedback alerting you to structural issues in your writing.

Most of you will use this site in the denoted 2nd way, and I encourage you to review your FEEDBACK on assignments in the classroom and come into this page to see how to improve specific issues you are having with your writing structure.

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What is the Writing Process?  Have you ever heard that term before?  The Writing Process is the process of writing...easy, right?

Once you learn the steps to the Writing Process and follow this with the steps in constructing your essay, you will find essay writing to be quite logical and methodical to the point where you will wonder why it every made you nervous.

The Writing Process

When starting the Writing Process, you need to begin with carefully understanding the writing prompt.  What is being asked of you to write?  How long?  How many sources?  Be sure to take the time to fully read the writing assignment directions before beginning to gather your ideas.

The visual below jumps right into the Gathering Ideas phase; however, if you do not know what is expected, you will not be able to easily progress through the Writing Process by moving around the circle in a clock-wise motion.

Stages of the Writing Process

1. Planning and Part 1
2. Prewriting
1. Clustering
3. Drafting
• Specifics about Drafting
1. Drafting Your Paper—Part 1
2. Drafting Your Paper—Part 2
3. Drafting Your Paper—Part 3
4. Revise
5. Edit
6. Checklist
7. Publish

Depending on how your mind works, you may enjoy the 3X3 Writing Process.  It still uses all of the previously mentioned steps, but it labels them as three steps with three objectives for each step.  Take a look here.