WRITING PROCESS

Writing is a process that involves several distinct steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and
publishing. It is important for a writer to work through each of the steps in order to ensure that he
has produced a polished, complete piece. The writing process is not always linear. A writer may
move back and forth between steps as needed. For example, while you are revising, you might
have to return to the prewriting step to develop and expand your ideas

Prewriting

Prewriting is anything you do before you write a draft of your document. It includes thinking,
taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information. Although
prewriting is the first activity you engage in, generating ideas is an activity that occurs throughout
the writing process. During prewriting a writer will choose a manageable topic, identify a purpose
and audience, draft a sentence that expresses the main idea of piece, gather information about the
topic, and begin to organize the information. Examples of prewriting include brainstorming,
freewriting, and questioning. Many people find it helpful to use a shape planner or graphic
organizer to organize their thoughts during the prewriting process.

Prewriting stage s key in writing process. It involves generating idea’s part to determine the topic
and the position or point-of-view for a target audience. It is a planning stage which aids in the
development o an outline to organize materials for the final product.

Why Prewrite?

The pre-writing stage could also be dubbed the "talking stage" of writing. Researchers have
determined that talking plays an important role in literacy. Andrew Wilkinson (1965) coined the
phrase oracy, defining it as "the ability to express oneself coherently and to communicate freely
with others by word of mouth." Wilkinson explained how oracy leads to increased skill in reading
and writing. In other words, talking about a topic will improve the writing. This connection
between talk and writing is best expressed by the author James Britton (1970) who stated: "talk is
the sea upon which all else floats.”

Prewriting Methods
The following are prewriting methods.

• Brainstorming: This is the process of coming up with as many ideas as possible about a
topic without being worried about the feasibility or whether an idea is realistic or not. A
list format is often the easiest to organize. This can be done individually or in groups. It is
at this stage hat the writer can have connections that can be useful later.

Freewriting: The writer puts down whatever comes into his mind about the topic at
hand for a specific amount of time without minding grammar, punctuation, or spelling. They
try and come up with as many ideas as they possibly can to help them when they get to the writing
process.

• Clustering or Mind Maps: This involves concept maps and map minding. Both are visual
ways to outline information. Clustering is strategy that allows you to explore the
relationships between ideas. Put the subject in the center of a page. Circle or underline it.
As you think of other ideas, write them on the page surrounding the central idea.There are
many varieties of mind maps that can be quite useful in the prewriting stage. Webbing is
a great tool where a writer writes a word in the middle of a sheet of paper. Related words
or phrases are then connected by lines to this original word in the center. They build on the
idea so that, in the end, a writer has a wealth of ideas that are connected to this central
idea.
• Drawing/Doodling – This is combination of words with drawing whick opens up creative
lines of thought.
• Asking Questions -Another way of coming up with more creative ideas is through the use
of questioning related to the writing area or topic. These questions can help a writer uncover
a deeper understanding of the topic before he begins writing the essay.
• Outlining - Writers can employ outline to help them organize their thoughts in a logical
manner. They would start with the overall topic and then list out their ideas with supporting
details. It is helpful to point out to writers that the more detailed their outline is from the
beginning, the easier it will be for them write their paper.
DRAFTING

The second step of the writing process involves drafting. During drafting, the writer puts his ideas
into complete thoughts, such as sentences and paragraphs. The writer organizes his ideas in a way
that allows the reader to understand his message. He does this by focusing on which ideas or topics
to include in the piece of writing. During drafting, the writer will compose an introduction to the
piece and develop a conclusion for the material. At the end of this step of the writing process, the
author will have completed a “rough draft.”

Drafting process

The process of drafting a piece of writing begins with an analysis of the prewriting. The author
must use his prewriting notes to determine a focus for the piece. This may involve narrowing the
focus of the topic and perhaps identifying a purpose for the piece.

During drafting, the author should choose just one of these topics for his piece of writing. For
example, an author may decide to write an essay about dogs. He could have developed his
prewriting notes with information about three topics relating to dogs: Show dogs, working dogs,
and dog racing. These are all topics that could stand alone in an essay.

Once he has chosen a topic, he should identify a purpose for the essay. For instance, if the writing
was meant to be informational, he might choose to write about working dogs, his purpose being to
impart information. On the other hand, if he chose to write a persuasive essay, perhaps he would
choose to write about dog racing, arguing for or against this controversial topic. After determining
a purpose for a piece of writing, it is easy to begin drafting. Any information that is unrelated to
the topic and its purpose should be eliminated from the prewriting.

The author begins writing by composing an introduction to the piece. The purpose of the
introduction is not only to state the topic of the piece, but it should also draw the reader in to the
piece of writing

The introduction to a piece of writing should be interesting. The tone of the introduction will vary
according to the topic. If an author is writing a personal narrative, he might decide to begin with
a creative quote about his experience. When writing an informational essay, the tone of the
introduction must follow suit. It should be focused and informative.

A solid, interesting introduction sets the stage for the rest of the rough draft. An author should
begin drafting the piece by organizing his notes in a sequence that will make sense to the
reader. The focus should be on logical connections between topics. A young writer will compose
the body of a piece of writing by including detail sentences related to the topic sentence. An older
author should organize his writing in to paragraphs. Each paragraph should include its own topic
sentence. Smooth transitions between paragraphs are important in creating a cohesive piece of
writing, no matter the subject. A writer should refer back to his prewriting to keep him on track
and ensure that the piece of writing maintains its focus.

A writer should complete a rough draft by composing a conclusion. The purpose of a conclusion
is to wrap up the piece of writing by connecting all of the related thoughts and ideas. The best
conclusions are creative, engaging, and leave few questions unanswered in the mind of the
reader. Younger students can conclude a piece of writing with a simple sentence. Advanced
writers should include a conclusion paragraph.

Editing

Upon completion of a rough draft, the writer should take on the first edit of his work. Editing is
an on-going process, not a onetime event. When an author edits his work, he is checking the piece
for errors. These are typically errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and formatting
(indenting of paragraphs, etc.). A writer should be encouraged to edit as much of his own paper
as possible. Early writers should, with some prompting, be able to check a paper for correct
capitalization and punctuation.

Editing should not be a negative process. This is a time to work on creating a polished piece of
writing that will make the author proud. The author should be reminded that he will need to edit
his work at least two more times. He will edit before composing a final copy and then use the
same process to check over his final product.
REVISING

Revision literally means to “see again,” to look at something from a fresh, critical perspective. It
is an ongoing process of rethinking the paper: reconsidering your arguments, reviewing your
evidence, refining your purpose, reorganizing your presentation, reviving stale prose. Thus
revising is "re-seeing" your paper in a new way. That is why revising here refers to improving
the global structure and content of your paper, its organization and ideas, not grammar, spelling,
and punctuation. That comes last.

Logically, we also revise before we edit because revising will most certainly mean adding and
deleting and rewriting sentences and often entire paragraphs. And there is no sense in editing
text that you are going to cut or editing and then adding material and having to edit again. Revising
is also part of the learning and discovery process. As you reread your paper, you may see
weaknesses in your argument that need strengthening, and you may thus have to do a little more
thinking and research. Or you may have to restructure your paper somewhat to make the
argument more logical. Keep your mind open to the possibility of learning in this stage.
Involvement of other relevant people is key in this writing process.

Revision Strategies

1. Ask yourself, "What's my best _____ and my weakest _____?" (sentence, example,
paragraph, transition, data, source, etc.) Be honest, and fix that weak spot!

2. Create a Reverse Outline of your draft. This is making an outline after your paper has
been written, and it will help you to see your draft’s structure and logical flow. To do this:
First, circle your thesis statement; Then, reading each paragraph one at a time, write down
the main point of each paragraph in the margin next to the paragraph. Once you have
created your reverse outline, you can look to see if the organization is flowing how you
want/need it to? Are your ideas moving logically? If not, rearrange your paragraphs
accordingly. Furthermore, now you can see if every paragraph is relating back to your
thesis some way. If not, add the necessary information or connections to make sure each
paragraph is supporting your argument. If there is a paragraph that doesn’t seem to fit
within your paper, you may need to develop that paragraph or possibly delete it. Do you
 see any gaps in logic, perhaps you need to add information (and to do so, you may need to
gather said information, perhaps through further research). See the Writing Center handout
on Reverse Outlining for further guidance.
3. Highlighter Approach. Using a highlighter (or highlighters) on your draft can help you to
better visualize where certain information is located in your draft and how that information
is working as a whole throughout your writing. To do this, use different colored
highlighters to isolate different content elements of your paper. For instance, you could
highlight all the evidence in your paper, or for a comparison paper, choose one color to
highlight one subject and a different color for a different subject to help you see if you are
spending more time on one element over the other. Or, for a paper with multiple sub-points,
you might choose different colors to highlight each sub-point to see how they are working
together in the draft.
4. Cut & rearrange. Using scissors, cut your paper into individual paragraphs. Each
paragraph becomes its own piece of paper. This method allows you to visualize and
physically rearrange your draft. You can rearrange the paragraphs to see the best option for
organization, development of ideas and argument, where your counterargument best fits,
and the flow of your writing.
5. Develop a Checklist based on your assignment prompt or the guidelines for your specific
piece of writing.
6. Paragraph-Level Revisions. To make sure each paragraph is well organized and effective,
look at each paragraph individually, examining the following elements: Topic Sentence,
Focus, Logic & Progression, Transitions, and Length. Be sure the paragraph has a topic
sentence that informs the reader what the paragraph is about/ where the paragraph will go.
Make sure the paragraph is staying on “topic” and not meandering into a new topic (and
not missing the topic completely). Are your sentences and ideas progressing logically?
Make sure you are using appropriate transition words and phrases between sentences, and
not just writing statement, statement, statement. If a paragraph is too long or trying to do
too much or making too many points, consider splitting it into two to be most accessible
for your reader.
 7. Finally, Get a reader’s response! Have someone else read your writing and give you
feedback. Can they easily follow your logic? Where are they confused? Where do you need
to make connections for the reader?

The Stages of the Publishing Process

If you’ve never written a book or published an article, the regular production of excellent quality
published manuscripts can seem like a magic trick. How does a rough paper get transformed into
a masterpiece that people want to buy and put on their bookshelves? The publishing process is
surprisingly complex, and to the uninitiated, seems as mysterious as any black box. But in fact, it’s
just like any process that creates the products around us. Let’s pull back the curtain and look at
everything that goes into transforming an idea in a writer’s head to an influential book or article
that you read in your classroom.

The publishing process comprises:

1. Acquisitions
2. Editing
1. Structural editing
2. Content editing
3. Technical editing
3. Design and typesetting
4. Proofreading
5. Printing
6. Sales
7. Marketing
8. Publicity

Publishing is actually a complex and multi-stage process, so you won’t be surprised to learn that
it can take at least one year to complete. However, this time can be shortened if you have an
existing relationship with a publisher or publishing company and some advance interest in your
work. First-time authors will have a harder time making it through the first step, i.e, acquisitions,
if they are relatively unknown. However, once you have successfully published and sold one book,
the duration of the publishing process will get shortened during your next project.

Preliminary steps: Acquisition and editing

The first steps of the publishing process are acquisition and editing. Acquisition can occur in
different ways, but generally authors send either a draft of their manuscript or a proposal to
multiple publishers. If a publisher is interested in your work, he or she will call a meeting with
their acquisitions team to discuss its pros and cons. The acquisitions team isn’t just limited to
editors. It includes people from sales, marketing, and publicity departments as well to evaluate
how well your book will sell in the current market. If they like your proposal or your manuscript,
they will offer you a contract. However, keep in mind that most major publishing houses won’t
read an unsolicited manuscript. For this reason, many aspiring authors seek out publication support
services or agents to help them shop their work to potential publishers.

Once you have drawn up a contract, either with the help of publication support services or on your
own, and signed the contract, your book will begin its journey through the editing process. As
shown above, the editing process can be broadly summarized in three steps: structural editing,
content editing, and technical editing. Structural editing focuses on the way your manuscript is
organized and whether it makes sense. The publishing house editors or in-house publication
support services will make suggestions for big changes, which you will be asked to review and
accept or reject. After everyone is happy with the way your manuscript is organized, the publishing
process moves on to content editing. This reviews your book for factual accuracy as well as flow,
transitions, wording, and so on. An aggressive content editor will revise your work to make sure
the style is consistent and the content is impeccable.

It is important to recognize that your editors may make some suggestions that you find difficult to
understand or accept based on their knowledge of the current publishing market. While you have
some control over what to accept, in reality, your editor has a lot of power as soon as you sign your
contract. Remember to be flexible and keep the market in mind. Once you have accepted the major
changes, a technical editor will review your work to make sure it is free of grammar, punctuation,
and spelling errors. Once you have reviewed and accepted the changes, this part of the publishing
process is over.

Next Steps: Design, Typesetting, Printing, and Proofreading

Now the publisher or their in-house publication support services will work with you to make sure
that your book looks presentable when printed. You will choose a cover design, a font, and
someone will typeset the book for you so that it looks great. A test print will be made and then
proofread to ensure there are no hidden errors that were not caught by the editing process. Once
you have worked with the publisher to get a beautiful draft of your book in print, it is time to move
on to the final steps of the publishing process

Final Stage: Sales, Marketing and Publicity

Even the best-written books need marketing and publicity to make sure they end up in front of the
readers who will be interested in them. Major publishers and publication support services engage
in marketing and publicity of promising new books to ensure that sales are high, and your new
book will be no exception. In today’s world, marketing can include a vast number of methods.
Your book may be marketed via ads in newspapers or journals, but you might also be asked to
market it on podcasts, through interviews, and among well-known authors to get your name and
the book out there. The publication support services offered by your publishing team will also
hype you as they work with their network of book distributors and convince them to acquire your
book and sell it. Soon, your book will be printed and hit the shelves.

It is important to note that the steps for online journal publication are a bit different than those of
book publishing. Online journals generally do their own publicity, sales, and marketing, and
without a print version, design and typesetting are less involved processes as well. Most online
journals offer publication support services. However, if you are submitting a manuscript for online
journal publication, you might need to seek out publication support or research publication
solutions that are specifically tailored to academics. Regardless of whether you are writing a book
or an article, knowing the stages of the publishing process can help you know what to expect and
ease your way through.
Recursion

The one where you start with brainstorming, then a draft, then a revised draft, and are finished
once you’ve finished editing. It feels almost like a template at this point. While it gets the job done,
it can feel like you’re just hitting arbitrary goal posts and just reiterating on your first ideas until
you’re tired of writing and are waiting for it to be over with already. This is why when I recently
came across the idea of recursive writing, it made me rethink my entire writing process.

The idea of recursive writing is simple: Instead of going by a rigid linear outline, you should
continuously venture and go through different stages of your writing process continually. After
writing your draft, try thinking of any new ideas that may have sprung to mind while writing. Now
try refining those ideas and write your next draft, then revise again. Rewrite, revise, and rewrite
again. The point of this is to push you to continually try new ideas in your writing, as well as giving
you more opportunities to edit your work until it reaches its full potential.

Diagram made by me.

“Recursive” simply means that each step you take in your writing process will feed into other
steps: after you’ve drafted an essay, for instance, you’ll go do a bit of verification of some of your
facts — and if you discover that you’ve gotten something wrong, you’ll go back to the draft and
fix it. But doing that may well require you to loop back to a different section of your essay to
rewrite or to take it out altogether-and that revision, in turn, might mean that you need to rethink
your organization. At some point, you know that the work is done.

By having a much more fluid approach to your writing, you may find yourself taking more risks
and trying out things you previously would not have thought to try. It tests your ability to
objectively look at your work and analyze how you can change it for the better, as well as what
could be done differently.

Since implementing this technique I have found myself putting more care into my work, but
simultaneously less afraid of “ruining it” or wasting time with an idea I may end up not liking as
much as I had thought. Instead, if something isn’t working, I simply go back to one of the previous
stages and try it again, leading to me ultimately getting more writing done than I would have if I
had just continued lamenting over this idea.

Overall, though I do still use the linear model as a template of sorts at times, I’ve found this model
to be incredibly beneficial for me and my writing. I’ve especially been more mindful of
continuously going back and brainstorming, as I’ve always had a bit of fear over changing too
much after I’ve already started or “gotten too far in the process.” This flexibility has been freeing
in a way, and I hope that this process continues to push me out of my writing comfort zone.