Writing Process

THE DEFINITION OF WRITING PROCESS

The writing process refers to everything writer do, from the
moment they start thinking about what to write, until the final
copy is completed.
The writing process is a series of steps that writers follow to
create and refine their written work. Understanding the writing
process is essential for students, educators, and professionals
looking to improve their writing skills and produce high-quality
written content.
The writing process is a systematic approach that writers use to
create, revise, and refine their written work.
About the writing process, Ur (1996:168) summarizes on it and its
implications for teaching.
• First, different writers may produce equally good results through
widely different process.
• Second, writing is a messy business. Most students progress
through a number of untidy drafts before reaching a final version.
• Third, writing is potentially satisfying. If students are writing on
topic about which they feel they have something worthwhile or
interesting to say, the process of writing can be absorbing and
enjoyable.
• Last, they learn to write through writing. Teachers are suggested to
get their students to write a lot, thinking as they do so and learning
from their own writing experience.
 THE STAGES OF WRITING PROCESS
1. Prewriting Stage
The first stage is prewriting. It is a way to get ideas. In this step, writers choose a
topic and collect ideas to explain the topic. Likewise, Glencoe (2001:43) states
that prewriting begins the moment writers start to collect ideas. During this
activity, they explore ideas for writing topics.
This is the initial stage of the writing process where writers brainstorm ideas,
research the topic, and plan their writing. Prewriting helps writers clarify their
thoughts and develop a clear direction for their writing.
Furthermore, Tompkins & Hoskisson (1995:211) suggest that in the prewriting
stage, students should choose a topic; consider their purpose, form and
audience; use informal writing strategies to generate and organize ideas; and
write a collaborative composition.
Techniques Suggested in Prewriting Stage

There are some techniques or ways a teacher can do in the

prewriting stage. Gebhard (2000:227) suggests that the
techniques of prewriting can be through brainstorming,
clustering or word mapping, strategic questioning, sketching,
free writing, exploring the senses, interviewing, and
information gathering.
2.Drafting Stage
The second stage is drafting. In this stage, writers begin to put their
ideas into written form. They focus on getting their thoughts down
on paper without worrying too much about grammar, spelling, or
structure. Drafting helps writers create a rough draft that they can
revise and refine later.
3.Revising Stage
The third stage is revising. During the revision stage, writers review
and refine their draft. They make changes to improve the content,
organization, and clarity of their writing. Revising involves adding
new information, deleting unnecessary content, and reorganizing the
text to enhance its overall quality.
4. Editing Stage
The fourth stage is editing. Editing is putting the piece of
writing into its final form. Editing focuses on correcting errors
in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence
structure. Writers carefully proofread their work and make
necessary edits to ensure that their writing is clear, concise,
and error-free.
5.Proofreading
The final stage of the writing process involves carefully
reviewing the text for any remaining errors or typos.
Proofreading helps writers catch any overlooked mistakes
before finalizing their writing.
 Prewriting Strategies
Prewriting deals with a series of strategies designed to find, gather
and produce information about a certain topic in writing. Prewriting
is the first stage of the writing process and the point at which we
discover and explore our initial ideas about a subject. Prewriting
helps us to get our ideas on paper, though not usually in an
organized form, and brainstorm thoughts that might eventually
make their way into our writing.
According to Smalley, there are four prewriting techniques that the
writers can use to generate ideas as they begin to write, namely:
brainstorming, free writing, WH-questions, and clustering.
 WH-questions
These are the wh-forms and we use them to make open or wh
questions : what, when, where, which, who, whom, whose ,
why , how , they are all used to elicit particular kinds of
information.
Strategic questioning lets the writers consider the topic
through a series of questions. Here, the writers answer a set
of questions designed to guide the writing, such as “What do
you want to write about?” ”What is your goal?” “What do you
need to find out?” Here, writers are given chances to consider
what they know and need to learn about the writing topic.
 Free Writing
Free writing is writing without stopping. It means
writing whatever comes to mind without worrying
about whether the ideas are good or the grammar is
correct. The purpose is so free up the writer’s mind
to let it make associations and connections.
 Clustering

Clustering or word mapping is a prewriting technique of

making a visual map of ideas. In clustering, the writers
use a key word placed in the center of a page, then, jot
down all the free associations. Here, the writers’
associations are clustered together and stem off the
central word.
 Brainstorming
Brainstorming, also called listing, is a good technique to generate
ideas and to get information that a writer needs. It is a sudden
insight or connection. In brainstorming, students call out as many
associations as possible while the teacher jots them down.
There five steps of brainstorming process in writing, as follows:
1. Brainstorm list. In this step, the writer quickly makes a list of
every word, every phrase, every ideas that comes into the writer’s
mind about the topic. Write every thought down. Don’t worry if it is
correct or not. The goal is to list as much as possible as quickly as
possible.
2. Edit brainstorming list. The second step is to edit the brainstorming list. In
this step, the writer includes in the final paragraph and what he/she want to
omit by combining ideas that belong together, crossing out words that
repeat the same ideas, and crossing out that are not directly related to the
main ideas.

3. Organize the list. The third step is to put the list in order. Here, the steps
should be in time order. What happens first? Second? Third? Last? Notice
that each step is given a capital letter (A, B, C, etc.).
4. Making an outline. The fourth step is to add title and give a
topic sentence. Here, the title is centered at the top. The topic
sentence is placed below the title and the five steps listed under
the topic sentence and have capital letters (A, B, C, and so on).

5. Writing the paragraph. The last step is to write the paragraph

based on the outline made.