The Writing Process

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Chapter 6

• The Writing Process

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The Five Steps in the Writing Process

• Planning
• Drafting
• Revising
• Formatting
• Proofreading

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Overview of the Process of Writing

• Specify the purpose of your message and analyze
  your audience
• Determine what information to include
• Determine what order to present the information
• Compose first draft
• Revise for content, style, and correctness.

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Overview continued

• Arrange document in correct format
• Proofread document for content, typographical
  errors, and format errors.

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Planning

• What is my purpose? General or specific? What
  do I want to achieve?
• Who is my audience?
• What do I know about my audience?
• Age, gender, social status, background, needs
• What do I want my audience to do with my message?

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Planning continued

• How do I persuade my audience?
• Ethos Based on who you are and how the audience
  perceives you (generally from past experiences)
  Celebrity endorsements
• Pathos Appeals to audiences emotions Be
  careful so as to not give the impression that
  emotions are all you have to base your persuasion
  upon.

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Planning continued

• Logos Based on logicfacts (true), inferences
  (probably true), opinions (possibly true)
• Content
• Include sufficient information which is complete
  enough without being too wordy.
• Brainstorming
• Mindmapping

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Mindmap
Application
Where do I send infor
GPA requirements
Scholarship application
What about grants
Deadlines
What kinds
Financial information
Do I need tax info.
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Drafting

• Most important concept is to let ideas go. Get
  ideas onto paper or into computer without
  attention to style, correctness, or format.
• Avoid writers block
• Avoid procrastination
• Avoid impatience
• Avoid perfectionism

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Drafting continued

• Choose the right environment
• Schedule a reasonable block of time
• State your purpose in writing
• Engage in free writing
• Avoid the perfectionism syndrome
• Think out loud
• Write the easiest parts first

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Revising

• Content--does the information relate to purpose?
• Is all information there?
• Is is written in a way that is clear to the
  reader?
• Style--has a variety of sentences, flows
  logically from one idea to another, uses active
  voice.

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Revising continued

• Correctness--grammar, spelling, punctuation, word
  usage.

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Formatting

• Correct format for company and for
  document--letter, memo, e-mail, report.

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Proofreading

• Read outloud
• Read backward
• Read to someone else
• Use ruler

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