rwinteractive

The Writing Process

The chart that follows shows the four stages of the writing process, all steps you will follow to write well, whether you are writing a paragraph or an essay. Keep in mind that you may not always go in a straight line through the four stages; instead, you might circle back to earlier steps to further improve your writing.

THE WRITING PROCESS

Generate ideas

CONSIDER: What is my purpose in writing? Given this purpose, what interests me? Who will read this paper? What do they need to know?

Determine your audience and purpose (see “Audience and Purpose”).
Find and explore your topic (see “Finding, Narrowing, and Exploring Your Topic”).
Make your point (see “Topic Sentences and Thesis Statements” in Chapter 3).
Support your point (see “Support for Your Main Point” in Chapter 3).

Draft

CONSIDER: How can I organize my ideas effectively and show my readers what I mean?

Arrange your ideas, and make an outline (see “Arrange Your Ideas” in Chapter 3).
Write a draft, including an introduction that will interest your readers, a strong conclusion, and a title (see Chapter 4).

Revise

CONSIDER: How can I make my draft clearer or more convincing to my readers?

Look for ideas that do not fit (see Chapter 4).
Look for ideas that could use more detailed support (see Chapter 4).
Connect ideas with transitional words and sentences (see Chapter 4).

Edit

CONSIDER: What errors could confuse my readers and weaken my point?

Find and correct the most serious errors in grammar (Chapter 15).
Look for other errors in style and grammar (Chapter 16).
Check your punctuation and capitalization (Chapter 17).