Writer's Choice Grade 12

Unit 2: The Writing Process

Overview

Regardless of the type of document being written, the process of writing requires five steps: prewriting (in which ideas are formed), drafting (in which ideas are solidified in words), revising (in which material is organized and refined), editing and proofreading (in which the written work is corrected and "polished"), and publishing or presenting (in which the final product is presented to the audience).

To choose a topic in the prewriting stage, writers may use a variety of techniques—for example, clustering, brainstorming, and freewriting. It is important to identify the purpose of a document, profile the audience, and focus on the topic.

In drafting the document, the writer should first select an organization pattern that the audience can follow. Regardless of the purpose for the writing, it is important to state the main idea clearly and then present details that support the points being made.

Revising the writing involves improving the structure, so that sentences and paragraphs seem connected and so that they appear in logical, coherent, and cohesive order. A peer reviewer can provide valuable insights into the clarity of the material.

In the editing and proofreading stage, errors in grammar, word usage, punctuation, parallel construction, and spelling are corrected. This is also the time to eliminate excessive repetition of words, expressions, and sentence construction.

The final stage is presenting the document to the selected audience. The work may be either published (printed and made available for readers) or presented orally (onstage, in a forum or panel discussion, or in a debate).

This process sounds like an orderly progression of steps. In reality a writer may move in and out of each step several times before the product is considered finished. During the drafting process, a writer may ask a reader for feedback that identifies the need for modification at any stage. The actual process of writing each document fits into the writing process, but that process is unique for every author and every document.