T HE W RITING P ROCESS

F IVE S TEPS OF T HE W RITING P ROCESS  Prewriting, Inventing, and Planning  Writing and Drafting  Revising  Editing and Proofreading  Publishing

P REWRITING, I NVENTING, AND P LANNING

 Understand the assignment or purpose of the piece  Read the assignment and related materials  Discuss with peers and instructor  Identify purpose and audience

P REWRITING, I NVENTING, AND P LANNING  Explore your subject, develop multiple ideas, and identify a narrowed topic  Brainstorm  List  Map  Free write  Journal  Discuss

P REWRITING, I NVENTING, AND P LANNING  Discover your perspective  Read  Do light research  Develop a tentative thesis  Revisit the purpose of the assignment or piece

P REWRITING, I NVENTING, AND P LANNING  Compile research and evidence  Identify research needs  Conduct research  Gather information

P REWRITING, I NVENTING, AND P LANNING  Organize ideas  Outline  Index cards  Notes  Think through your project on paper

W RITING AND D RAFTING

 Produce a document with an introduction, thesis, body, and conclusion  Review prewriting materials  Compose using a computer, voice to text software, or pencil and paper

W RITING AND D RAFTING  Establish a baseline or starting point for project  Ensure all important prewriting ideas have been included  Put ideas on paper with tentative organization  Make your ideas tangible  Get through the entire project once

R EVISING

 Address large scale (“global”) issues that arise from the rough draft  Put paper down and return with “fresh eyes”  Read paper aloud  Conference

R EVISING  Think about purpose  Does your paper do the work called for?  Think about audience  Is the tone appropriate for the audience you are addressing?  Think about focus  Is there a clear thesis/focus?

R EVISING  Think about content  Are your main points adequately developed?  Have you supplied reasons and specific evidence to support each of your main points?  Think about organization  Does the draft follow a logical organizational pattern?

E DITING AND P ROOFREADING

 Edit to improve word choice, style, tone, and effectiveness  Mark places that are confusing, hard to read, or choppy  Underline transitional words and phrases – are there places where you need stronger transitions?

E DITING AND P ROOFREADING  Edit to improve word choice, style, tone, and effectiveness  Look carefully for the types of grammatical errors you frequently make (your pattern of error)  Re-read and adjust your introduction and conclusion

E DITING AND P ROOFREADING  Begin by using spell check and grammar check  Print a copy of your draft and read through it “backwards”  Read aloud to hear mistakes you might not see  Conference  Make sure the paper is properly formatted using MLA or APA style

P UBLISHING

 Share completed project with audience  Read writing aloud  Publish in newspaper, magazine, online, in campus publication  Submit to group, employer, or instructor  Present at meeting, class, or gathering  Reflect on writing experience

R ESOURCES TO H ELP NMCC S TUDENT W RITERS

 Academic Success Center  Located off the Christie Lobby  Sign up to work with a tutor or walk-in for help  Bring a hard copy of your assignment  Plan to sit with a tutor and discuss your writing for minutes  For more information, contact Laura McPherson at (207) or stop by her office  Get tutor schedules and writing resources online at center.php center.php

R ESOURCES TO H ELP NMCC S TUDENT W RITERS  The Online Writing Lab at Purdue   Work with classmates  Make an appointment with your instructor  Look in the index of your text  Visit class website

Q UESTIONS ?