The Writing Process: Unlocking the Secret of Effective Writing

1
The Writing Process Unlocking the Secret of
Effective Writing

• Click through the following pages to learn more
  about the writing process.

2
The Steps in the Process

• Selecting refers to the process of choosing a
  subject to explore in writing.
• Collecting refers to all of the searching,
  gathering, thinking, talking, and planning that
  goes on during a writing project.
• Connecting refers to all the writing you do to
  connect and shape your thoughts into a meaningful
  composition.
• Correcting refers to those finishing touches
  which are made as the writing is put into its
  final form. It includes editing and
  proofreading.

3
Selecting

• Sometimes, you are given a subject to write
  about. When you have the topic, there is not
  much to select.
• If you do not have a topic, here are some
  activities to help you.
• Free write This is a time to write for 5-10
  minutes about the topic youd like to write
  about. This is a time to jot down ideas and
  thoughts.
• If you are stuck, you may want to ask friends or
  family members to help generate ideas.

4
Collecting Searching and Shaping a Subject

• We will use this method when we do research later
  in the semester. Research is important if you do
  not know much about the topic. Well cover this
  later.

5
Connecting Writing the First Draft

• Write freely about your subject. Let your pen,
  or of you are typing, let the keyboard do the
  talking and connecting. Dont hesitate. Just
  write.
• Write as much as you can in your first sitting
  while all of your ideas are fresh in your mind.
  Write until you come to a logical stopping point.

6
Connecting Revising Your Writing

• Go back to the writing and read it aloud. Do you
  have smooth-reading sentences? Are the ideas
  interesting? Ask friends and family what they
  like and dislike. What makes sense and what does
  not make sense at this point?
• Look at the big picture. Do you have a clear
  focus?
• Do you feel anything could be added or rearranged
  more effectively?
• This is a time to cut, add, rewrite and refine
  your writing.
• After making changes in the main part of the
  writing, review your opening. Make sure it draws
  the reader into the main part of your writing and
  gives at least a taste of your focus or main
  point.

7
Correcting Preparing the Final Copy

• Spelling Have you spelled all words correctly?
• Punctuation Does each sentence end with a
  punctuation mark? Have you placed commas
  before the conjunctions and, but or or in
  compound sentences? Are apostrophes in place to
  show possession or to mark contractions? Have
  you properly punctuated any dialogue or written
  conversation with quotation marks?
• Capitalization Have you started sentences and
  dialogue with a capital letter? Have you
  capitalized specific names of people, places or
  things?
• Usage Have you misused any of the commonly
  mixed pairs or words there, their, theyre to,
  too, two its, its are, our your, youre.
• Grammar Do your subjects and verbs agree? Do
  you have sentence fragments or run on sentences?