1. The 5 stages of The Writing process
Mrs. Hackworth
Comp 1
Day 4 Notes

2. The Writing Process
The Writing Process: a series of stages and steps used to write something. Stages are BIG and filled with steps. (You can use this process in any class to write any thing.)

3. Stage 1: Prewriting
Prewriting: consider your assignment, purpose, audience, determine your topic, brainstorming, arranging of details; overall: it is a time for making decisions about the assignment
Topic selection
Brainstorming
Research
Freewriting
Outlining
Mind-mapping

4. Drafting
Drafting (writing a first draft): ignore punctuation and other grammatical concerns and put ideas into sentences; imagine that you are train and keep that train of ideas going; don't stop.
Structuring prewriting into sentences and paragraphs
Wording of ideas

5. Revising
Revising: correct problems in your rough draft(s), such as do things make sense, are things in the right order, etc.
Read, re-read and re-read
Read your paper aloud
Peer Edit
Look for unity, coherence and overall structure

6. Editing Editing: a writer improves the smaller details of the paper.
Check conventions (grammar, punctuation, and mechanics)
Improve word choice
Improve sentence variety and structure

7. Publishing
Publishing: a writer reviews presentation and turns in the essay.
Print
Free of formatting errors
Submit to teacher and electronic site

8. Know your audience
A writer must know her audience and write to her audience.
This does not mean that you write to (addressing) your audience by using the language “in this paper I will be writing about”.
It is obvious that you are writing a paper and the topic should be apparent and clearly presented through formal language.

9. Determine purpose
Consider my purpose: what you are trying to accomplish, usually described as the (type of writing):
To inform or explain (expository); in school = 95%
To persuade (persuasive) (to a certain extent, you are always trying to persuade your teacher…)
To describe (descriptive): physical appearance or function
To narrate (narrative): to tell a story
You can have more than one purpose at a time. In fact, you could all four in the same assignment. Imagine that!

10. Complete audience worksheet with a partner