The writing process
What is ‘writing’, in your opinion?
Like many people, you might say that writing is the act of physically writing out thoughts or words. While this is partly true, this definition describes only one part of a complex process made up of many steps. To write successfully, you also need to think, research, plan, organize, draft, revise, rethink, analyze, and brainstorm.
When people say that they’re “bad at writing,” it’s often true that they actually just need to make a few adjustments to one part of the process. The more you understand your writing process, the more control you have over it, and the more easily you can improve the parts of the process that aren’t working well for you (yet).
Keep this in mind as you review the three main parts of the writing process, which are given below.
The three parts of the writing process (40-20-40)
Pre-writing (40%): In the pre-writing stage, you might read an assignment prompt, research, make an outline, sketch some ideas, brainstorm, jot down notes, or even just think about your writing topic while you’re on the bus or driving home. This part of the process should also include thinking about the context, audience, purpose, and channel of your message (which you will learn about later in this chapter).
Drafting (20%): In the drafting stage, you’ll write down words using your preferred method. You may compose your document in a notebook and then type it out, use speech-to-text technology to turn spoken words into text (see ‘Technology Tip’, below), or write your first draft quickly in one long paragraph so that you don’t get stuck or lose your train of thought.
Revision (40%): In the revision stage, you’ll completely rethink your draft. Many students think that revising is just a quick check for grammar and spelling errors, but revision is – or should be! – a lot more than that. Expert writers often spend most of their writing time (40% or more) on revision. They may reconsider their content, re-organize their points, make their sentences more concise, and fine-tune their tone and style; they likely also get feedback from a colleague, read their work aloud, or put the work away for awhile so they can review it with a fresh perspective.
Note: Your writing process won’t be a straight line, and that’s a good thing. Expert writers switch between different parts of the process as needed. For example, while drafting a marketing message, you might realize that you don’t understand the needs of your audience and decide to do more research, which will briefly take you back to the pre-writing stage. This back-and-forth might feel frustrating if you are a new writer, but don’t worry: it’s actually a sign that you are doing it right!
Technology tip
Speech-to-text software was originally created for people whose disability impacts their hand function or fatigue levels, but it has a wide range of applications. For example, artist and parasport athlete John Loeppky, who has cerebral palsy, uses it in the pre-writing stage when he is writing something creative that has a strong voice. He gets his thoughts down, then edits them. Many people use speech-to-text apps to brainstorm, to write down a great idea when they’re away from home or to look at their writing in a new way. You can try out a free speech-to-text program SpeechNotes.
Key Takeaways
- The writing process consists of three key stages: pre-writing, drafting, and revision.
- The pre-writing stage often includes brainstorming, researching, outlining, and thinking about the message’s context, audience, and purpose (CAP).
- The drafting stage is where ideas are written down, creating a first draft.
- The revision stage involves reviewing, editing, and refining the content, structure, tone, and style to improve the clarity and effectiveness of the message.
- The writing process is not a straight line and usually involves switching back and forth between stages.
Knowledge check
