8 The Writing Process
The Writing Process
The writing process is a series of steps that help you organize your thoughts, develop your ideas, and refine your work into a polished piece of writing. It usually begins with prewriting, where you brainstorm ideas, research your topic, and plan your approach. This stage is about exploring your thoughts freely, jotting down anything that comes to mind, and considering your audience and purpose. Once you have a clear idea, you’ll move on to drafting, where you start putting your ideas into sentences and paragraphs. This is where you build the structure of your piece, focusing on getting your ideas down rather than making everything perfect right away.
| Brainstorming | Drafting | Revising | Editing | Publishing |
After drafting, you enter the revision stage, which is all about improving the content and clarity of your writing. You’ll rework your ideas, reorganize sections, and make sure your arguments or narrative flow logically. Following that, you’ll move on to editing, where you focus on the finer details like grammar, punctuation, and word choice. This step ensures your writing is clear, concise, and error-free. Finally, the publishing or submission stage is when you prepare your work for its final presentation, whether that’s handing it in to your professor, sharing it with peers, or publishing it online. As with most processes, it’s normal to revisit earlier stages multiple times to refine your work.
There are a number of ways to organize your brainstorms get started writing, and it is important to find a way that works for you. Below you will find four main ways, including a mind map, and outline, freewriting, and using a grid.
Brainstorming: Four Ways to Begin
Mind Map
Mind mapping is a visual tool that helps you organize your thoughts and ideas by connecting them in a structured way. It starts with a central idea or topic, and from there, you branch out into related subtopics, each represented by a word or phrase. These subtopics can further branch out into more detailed points, creating a web-like structure that shows how your ideas are connected. Many writers like this method because the shapes show how the ideas relate or connect, and writers can find a focused topic from the connections mapped. Using idea mapping, you might discover interesting connections between topics that you had not thought of before.
To create an idea map, start with your general topic in a circle in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Then write specific ideas around it and use lines or arrows to connect them together. Add and cluster as many ideas as you can think of.
Outline
An outline is a structured plan for organizing your ideas before you start writing an essay or paper. It typically starts with your main topic or thesis at the top, followed by a hierarchical arrangement of main points and subpoints that support your thesis. Each main point is usually broken down into smaller details or evidence that you will cover in your writing. Creating an outline helps you to clearly see the overall structure of your essay, ensuring that your ideas flow logically and that you cover all necessary points. It serves as a roadmap to guide your writing process, making it easier to stay focused and organized.
There are two types of formal outlines: the topic outline and the sentence outline. You format both types of formal outlines in the same way.
- Place your introduction and thesis statement at the beginning, under roman numeral I.
- Use roman numerals (II, III, IV, V, etc.) to identify main points that develop the thesis statement.
- Use capital letters (A, B, C, D, etc.) to divide your main points into parts.
- Use arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) if you need to subdivide any As, Bs, or Cs into smaller parts.
- End with the final roman numeral expressing your idea for your conclusion.
Here is what the skeleton of a traditional formal outline looks like. The indention helps clarify how the ideas are related.
- Introduction
- Thesis statement
- Main point 1 → becomes the topic sentence of body paragraph 1
- Main point 2 → becomes the topic sentence of body paragraph 2
- Main point 3 → becomes the topic sentence of body paragraph 3
- Conclusion
Freewriting
Freewriting is a writing technique where you write continuously for a set period without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. The goal is to get your thoughts down on paper without censoring yourself or stopping to correct mistakes. This method helps you overcome writer’s block, discover new ideas, and develop your thoughts more fully.
Try writing for 3-5 minutes without stopping and try not to worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Instead, write as quickly as you can. If you get stuck, just copy the same word or phrase over and over until you come up with a new thought.
When writing quickly, try not to doubt or question your ideas. Allow yourself to write freely and unselfconsciously. Once you start writing with few limitations, you may find you have more to say than you first realized. Since freewriting encourages a flow of ideas without judgment, it can be a valuable way to generate content that you can later refine and organize into a more structured piece. Your flow of thoughts can lead you to discover even more ideas about the topic. Freewriting may even lead you to discover another topic that excites you even more.
Grid
A grid is a brainstorming tool that helps you organize and compare different ideas, topics, or aspects of your writing. It typically consists of a table with columns and rows where you can list out different categories or criteria in the columns and fill in related ideas or details in the rows. This method allows you to visually organize your thoughts and see how different elements relate to one another. For example, you might use a grid to compare themes across multiple texts, explore pros and cons of various arguments, or brainstorm different angles on a topic. Using a grid can help you identify patterns, gaps, and connections in your ideas, making it easier to decide what to focus on when you start writing.
This doesn’t need to be anything too formal; just jot down the main points you want to make, any supporting evidence or examples you plan to use, and the order in which you want to present them. An outline will serve as your roadmap and help you stay focused as you write.
Example: Rhetorical Strategies Grid
| Passage (Quote or Paraphrase) | Passage | Passage | |
| Idea or Example | |||
| Idea or Example | |||
| Idea or Example | “Though many kinds of physical work don’t require a high literacy level, more reading occurs in the blue-collar workplace than is generally thought, from manuals and catalogues to work orders and invoices, to lists, labels, and forms. With routine tasks, for example, reading is integral to understanding production quotas, learning how to use an instrument, or applying a product. Written notes can initiate action, as in restaurant orders or reports of machine malfunction, or they can serve as memory aids.” |
This passage represents a claim of fact because Mike Rose shows that while many people don’t think that those in blue-collar jobs read much at work, this is actually false. In truth, Mike Rose says, blue-collar workers read quite a lot, especially while completing the routine tasks of their jobs. |
This claim of fact about how much a blue-collar worker reads on the job contributes to the audience’s overall understanding that blue-collar workers actually do exert mental energy on tasks at work that illustrate their critical thinking and literacy skills. After reading this passage, the intended audience would see that there are many ways of reading that we don’t normally think about, and that blue-collar workers often engage in these ways of reading. |
Example: Research Synthesis Grid
| Source One | Source Two | Source Three | |
| Idea | |||
| Idea | |||
| Idea | Cornelsen – Women accredited the WASP program for opening new doors, challenging stereotypes, and proving that women were as capable as men (p. 113) – Women could compete with men as equals in the sky because of their exemplary performance (p. 116) – WASP created opportunities for women that had never previously existed (p. 112) – Women’s success at flying aircrafts “marked a pivotal step towards breaking the existing gender barrier” (p. 112) |
Stewart – WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp) was 1st chance for women to serve in army, given full army status in 1943 as WAC (p. 28) – Needs of the war were so great that women’s traditional social roles were ignored (p. 30) – Military women paid well for the time period and given benefits if they became pregnant (p. 32) – The 1940’s brought more opportunities to women than ever before (p. 26) |
Scott – Women born in the 1920’s found new doors open to them where they once would have encountered brick walls (p. 526) -Even women not directly involved in the war were changing mentally by being challenged to expand their horizons because of the changing world around them (p. 562) – War also brought intellectual expansion to many people (p. 557) |
Drafting Your Essay
Once you’ve organized your thoughts, begin drafting your essay. Don’t worry too much about making it perfect on the first try. The goal is to get your ideas down on paper. Start with an engaging introduction that clearly states your thesis—the main argument or point of your essay. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea that supports your thesis. Make sure to use topic sentences to introduce these ideas and transition smoothly from one paragraph to the next. As you write, keep your audience in mind and aim to communicate your ideas as clearly and concisely as possible.
After you’ve completed your first draft, take a break before revising. This break will give you fresh eyes to see where you might improve clarity, logic, and flow. During revision, check for any gaps in your argument, and make sure each paragraph contributes to your overall thesis. Pay attention to your word choice and sentence structure, aiming for variety and precision. Finally, proofread carefully to catch any grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. Remember, writing is a process, and each draft brings you closer to a polished, final essay.
Getting in the Writing Mindset
Everyone has their own writing happy place. Find a location that minimizes distractions—somewhere where you can focus entirely on your writing.
Before you begin writing, I also recommend you take a few moments to clear your mind. You might try deep breathing exercises or a brief meditation to help center your thoughts. This can help reduce anxiety and improve concentration, allowing you to engage more fully with the writing process. I find helpful to set clear intentions or goals for my writing sessions when I do this; you might decide on what you want to accomplish, whether it’s completing a full rough draft or completing a specific section.
As you write, try to stay present in the moment. If you find your mind wandering or feel overwhelmed, pause and take a few deep breaths to refocus. Remember, the goal is to create a space both physically and mentally where you can write with intention and clarity. If you enjoy guided meditation or would like to try it I recommend this energizing five-minute meditation by Kimine Mayuzumi.
Revising and Editing
Revising is the first stage of refining your draft and involves looking at the big picture. When you revise, you focus on the overall structure, content, and clarity of your essay. This is the time to ask yourself questions like:
- Does my thesis clearly express my main argument?
- Are my ideas logically organized?
- Does each paragraph support my thesis with strong evidence and analysis?
During revision, you may find that you need to reorganize paragraphs, add more detailed examples, or even rewrite entire sections to better convey your ideas. Revising is about enhancing the substance of your writing, making sure your argument is coherent and your ideas are fully developed.
On the other hand, editing is about polishing the finer details of your essay. This process involves carefully checking for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting errors. Editing is where you fine-tune your word choice, improve sentence structure, and ensure that your writing is clear and concise. Unlike revising, which may involve making significant changes to your content, editing is more about perfecting what’s already there. It’s the final step before submitting your essay, where you ensure that your writing is polished and free of mistakes.