The Writing Process: An Overview

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The Writing ProcessAn Overview
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The Writing Process
Pre-Writing
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Pre-Writing Techniques
How do you organize your ideas when you are
preparing to write?

• Brainstorming
• Discussing
• Free Writing

• Listing
• Outlining
• Charting/Mapping

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Brainstorming

• Brainstorming means thinking of as many ideas
  as possible in a short amount of time.
• Write down your ideas so that you dont forget
  them.
• Write down everything that comes to your mind
  dont worry about sorting out good and bad
  ideas.
• Dont worry about spelling or grammar.

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Example of Brainstorming

• Topic What would I do with one million dollars?
• Travel--Europe, Asia, S. America
• Pay off our house
• Share--give a scholarship, donate to charities
• Buy a lot of books!
• Invest/save and let the interest grow

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Topics for Practice

• Take 5 minutes to brainstorm ideas about the
  following question
• What are some of the most memorable experiences
  of your life?

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Discussing

• Discussing is similar to brainstorming, but you
  do it with a partner or group.
• Assign one person to write down the ideas.
• Write down everything that group members say
  related to the topic dont worry about sorting
  out good and bad ideas.
• Dont worry about spelling or grammar.

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Topics for Practice

• Take 5 minutes to discuss the following question
  with a partner or group
• What do you think are the most important events
  in a persons life? (starting school, getting
  married, etc.) Why are they important?

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Free Writing

• Free Writing is like pouring all of your
  thoughts onto paper.
• Dont take your pen off the page keep writing
  for the entire time.
• If you dont know what to write, write I dont
  know what to write until you do.
• Dont try to sort good and bad ideas.
• Dont worry about spelling and grammar.

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Example of Free Writing

• Topic Describe the most beautiful place youve
  seen.
• I remember climbing to the top of Smolenskii
  cathedral in autumn, the leaves of St. Petersburg
  on fire, like an ocean of gold red leaving me
  breathless with its depth. Stretching out for
  miles and miles it was all I could see and
  suddenly the grime and sorrow of the city was
  drowned with beauty, Gods beauty, Gods love for
  everyone, his artistic touch meant just for me at
  this moment.

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Topics for Practice

• Free write for 5 minutes on the following topic
• What is the most frightening experience you have
  ever had?

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Listing

• Listing is similar to brainstorming. The
  idea is to write down as many things as possible.
• Use single words or phrases, not sentences.
• Listing works well for descriptive-type writing.
• Dont worry about spelling or sorting out good
  and bad ideas.

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Example List

• Topic Describe your favorite room in the
  house/apartment where you live.
• Kitchen/Dining Area
• White tile, walls, countertops
• Flood of sunlight
• Healthy plants
• Sturdy pine furniture
• Glass door--view of lawn and trees

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Topics for Practice

• Take 5 minutes to practice listing in response to
  the following topic
• Describe your bedroom in the house you grew up in.

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Outlining

• Outlining is a more organized form of
  pre-writing than the others we discussed.
• It can be used after you have generated ideas
  through brainstorming, free writing, or other
  pre-writing techniques.
• It works well for structured types of writing
  such as essays.
• You can use complete sentences, but you dont
  have to.

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Example Outline

• I. Introduction Internet dating has
  advantages and disadvantages.
• II. Advantages
• a) meet people around the world
• b) not based on appearance
• III. Disadvantages
• a) can you trust them?
• b) may be too far away to meet in person
• IV. Conclusion Some success stories, but too
  risky

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Topics for Practice

• Spend about 5 minutes creating an outline based
  on the following topic
• Do you agree with the English Only policy at the
  ELC? What are the advantages and disadvantages
  of this policy?

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Charting

• Sometimes you will want to organize your ideas
  for writing in a chart.
• Charting works very well for comparison/ contrast
  writing or examining advantages and
  disadvantages.
• You can use many different kinds of charts,
  depending on your topic and the kind of writing
  you are doing.

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Example Chart
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Topics for Practice

• Draw a chart to organize your ideas about the
  following topic
• Compare the similarities and differences between
  your city and Provo.

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Mapping

• Mapping, sometimes called semantic/ idea
  mapping or webbing, is another way to organize
  your ideas.
• Start with your topic in the center, and branch
  out from there with related ideas.
• Use words and phrases, not complete sentences.

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Example Map
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Topics for Practice

• Draw a map to organize your ideas about the
  following topic
• What are some things that you have learned in
  your life so far?

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Writing Process Stages

• Prewriting
• Organizing
• First/Rough Draft
• Revising
• Final Copy ???
• Proofreading

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Organizing/Outlining

• Decide what points from prewriting will be
  included in essay/composition
• Give them order (chronological, spatial, order of
  importance, etc)
• Use numbers
• Draw arrows and shuffle ideas around
• Determine items not to be included and cross them
  out

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First/Rough Draft

• Initial attempt at sentences and paragraphs
• Work from the organized prewriting
• Use complete sentences grouped according to
  similar ideas
• Unity all sentences in paragraph relate back to
  topic sentence
• Coherence all sentences make sense/are logical
  in order presented

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Revision

• Check! Check! Check!
• Identify and correct any content errors
• Reorganize
• Omit unnecessary parts/wordiness
• Check for correct grammar, spelling, punctuation,
  capitalization, sentence structure, etc.
• Peer-edit an extra set of eyes can oftentimes
  find things that you cannot!

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Final Copy/Proofreading

• Is it???
• Look over your work re-read
• Have someone else read/check it
• If you find any errors, correct them
• Check! Check! Check again!
• If another proofreading yields no errors, then it
  is your final copy

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Use of Writing Process

• These steps will be adhered to for all
  composition work
• Writing pieces are not simply one and done, but
  rather, they are works in progress
• You may always re-submit a composition to be
  re-evaluated for that very reason
• The average of the two scores will then become
  your recorded grade

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Format for Compositions

• All stages of Writing Process evident and
  handed-in with word-processed final copy stapled
  on top (if utilizing GoogleDocs, all parts must
  still be submitted)
• Double-Spaced
• 1 margins all around
• 12-pt. font
• MLA heading

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MLA Heading for Compositions

• 1 margin
• Barack Obama
• English 3
• R. MatsagoInstructor
• September 6, 2011 (due date)

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Writing Genres for Compositions

• Descriptive
• Narrative
• Persuasive
• Expository

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Descriptive Writing

• Do what it saysdescribe!
• Paint picture for audience through use of
  effective words
• FRED use facts, reasons, examples, details

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Narrative Writing

• Tells a story
• May be your own (autobiographical) or someone
  elses (biographical)
• Generally organized time-wise (chronologically)
  using transitions to get from one part to the next

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Persuasive Writing

• Goal is to get another to see/believe your way of
  thinking
• Convince through use of persuasive techniques
  (ethical appeal, emotional appeal, rational
  appeal)
• Again incorporate FREDfacts, reasons, details,
  examples
• An essay, by definition, is your opinion backed
  up by evidence

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Expository Writing

• Expose or reveal a truth
• Explain a process
• Detail items on an agenda
• Summarize something

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SAT and PSSA Writing

• May be any type of those mentioned
• At least 2 different types
• Timed (no extra time for SATs)
• Stages of Writing Process should be utilized to
  organize and control focus
• Final Draft goes in space allotted to be
  evaluated
• PRINT NEATLYeasier for human to read/grade

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Rubric for Standardized Tests

• Focus
• Content
• Organization
• Style
• Mechanics