The Writing ProcessThe process of writing varies for each

individual who sets out to begin a task, however as a high school student, you are still developing your own personal technique. As you gain experience and confidence you will find that your own method will start to take

shape, and steps may start to combine or get skipped. Until then, you should go through

each step carefully and thoughtfully to ensure you are producing your best work possible.

Step 1: Prewriting

This is the THINKING and PLANNING stageHere you should:

• Decide on a subject• Take into consideration the interests of your

audience• Limit t he focus of your subject so that it is not

too broad• Formulate a tentative thesis statement• Generate ideas for a subject

This may look different to different people, but a graphic organizer is an excellent tool to help you start thinking…

Stage #2: Drafting/Composing

• Use the ideas generated in the prewriting stage to compose a first draft

• Drafting involves selecting words, composing sentences, developing paragraphs, exploring questions, connecting ideas and experimenting with meaning

• The process of composing the first draft usually helps you claficy and expand on your preliminary ideas

Stage #2: Cont’d

• Your introductory paragraph sets the scene for what comes later. You should spend a significant amount of time on this section of your essay.

• This is where you need to state your thesis and establish an organizational pattern for what comes later.

Stage #3: Revising

• Now you must bring focus and clarity to your first draft by re-thinking what you have written.

• Add concrete details and examples to your draft to eliminate anything that is unnecessary.

• Successful paragraphs have three main characteristics: unity, coherence and emphasis.

Stage #3: Cont’d• Unity: the paragraph contains only what is

relevant to the topic. Everything else should be omitted. Question yourself constantly and ask if it is relevant to your topic.

• Coherence: the logical arrangement and progression of ideas within a paragraph. Present your ideas in a proper sequence and by using transitions or connective words to show clearly how ideas are linked.

• Emphasis: the specific elements and key ideas that stand out in some way, perhaps through parallelism in grammatical structure

Stage #4: Editing/Proofreading

• Editing requires a positive mindset. You have to want to find errors in style and structure.

• It involves clarifying your written draft and cutting words and whole sentences where necessary.

• It requires a thorough checking of spelling, grammar, usage, and formatting.

• It also involves proofreading to ensure that you have a final draft suitable for publication

Stage #4: Cont’dHints to Proofreading:• Its O.K. to use people! Ask friends and family to help you

out. Try to switch it up so that one or two people don’t hate you.

• Spellcheck is not good enough! It doesn’t catch miss-spelled words, that are words.

• Read aloud- if you catch yourself stumbling over a section, it is likely that your reader will too. Try to re-word it so it is less awkward.

• Walk away. Edit for a while, then walk away and come back with a fresh pair of eyes and brain. Works wonders!

Stage #5: Publishing

Only happens sometimes…• Share your writing with your teacher and peers during

a writer’s conference to help you decide which selections to put before a larger audience.

• Produce writing products such as essays, school newspapers and magazines.

• Organize a reading circle that meets periodically to share writings

• Submit your work to local newspapers or magazines.• Enter your work in writing competitions. Good for

getting scholarships!