SIX STAGES IN THE WRITING PROCESS Creative Writing Assignment

THERE ARE SIX STAGES IN THE WRITING PROCESS 1. Prewriting 2. Drafting 3. Peer Evaluation and Self- evaluation 4. Revising 5. Proofreading 6. Publishing and Presenting

PREWRITING In the prewriting stage, you plan your writing; choose a topic, audience, purpose, and form; gather ideas; and arrange them logically. 1. Choose a topic- What are you gong to be writing about? Make sure you can support your ideas with details. 2. Consider your audience- Who will you be writing to? Should you discuss background information or does your audience understand the topic? 3. Purpose- Why are you writing? There are three main purposes, to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. 4. Structure/Organization- choose the format of your writing. Chronological order- sequence of events Cause- and- effect- choose an event and discuss the causes and effects Problem-Solution- Introduce a problem and present possible solutions Compare and contrast- Discuss the similarities and differences about a topic

DRAFTING During this stage you jot down your ideas on paper without worrying about getting everything just write. Your first draft will probably have the following: Punctuation errors Incorrect sentence structure Vague language Lack transitions But, it’s okay because you will evaluate and revise your writing!

PEER EVALUATION TO evaluate is to offer CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISICM. During peer editing, you should compliment your peer’s work and offer suggestions to help improve his/her writing. There are three types of evaluation: Individual conferences- one-on-one with your teacher Peer evaluation- work with a partner or group Self-evaluation- you can evaluate you or writing and offer areas for improvement

REVISING In the revising stage, you work to improve content, organization, and style, or the way you express your ideas based on the evaluation of your work in the previous stage. A cool way to revise is to cut your paragraphs and change the order of your essay/story. This will help you understand whether your writing has a flow, or if your ideas are strong.

PROOFREADING In the proofreading stage, you check your writing for errors in spelling, grammar usage, capitalization, and punctuation. After correcting these errors, you make a final copy of your paper and proofread it again. Common errors: There, there, and there To, two, and too Pronoun agreement Verb-tense agreement Punctuation (run-on sentences/ sentence fragments) Vivid language (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs)

PUBLISHING AND PRESENTING The final copy In the publishing and presenting stage, you share your work with an audience. This stage helps you develop a sense of pride, and displays the effort you put into your paper.

CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT Imagine that you are Nnaemeka at the beginning of this story and you have decided to write the letter that Nene is urging you to write. Write a letter to your father explaining why you cannot marry Ugoye Nweke but intend, instead, to marry Nene. Tips: Create a list of reasons for marrying Nene Create a llist of reasons against marrying Ugoye Prepare a counterargument or rebuttal Base your list on information provided in the story