Prepared by: Kashif Iqbal

Lecturer. 0333-2371651
GTCTB Lahore

2.2 The Development of Writing; writing process

Planning/editing/revising

Introduction

Writing is a process that involves several distinct steps which are:

a. Prewriting
b. Drafting
c. Revising
d. Publishing

It is important for a writer to work through each of the steps in order to

ensure that he has produced a polished, complete piece. The writing
process is not always linear. A writer may move back and forth between
steps as needed. For example, while you are revising, you might have to
return to the prewriting step to develop and expand your ideas.

Prewriting is anything you do before you write a draft of your document. It

includes thinking, taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming, outlining,
and gathering information. Although prewriting is the first activity you
engage in, generating ideas is an activity that occurs throughout the writing
process. During prewriting a writer will choose a manageable topic, identify
a purpose and audience, draft a sentence that expresses the main idea of piece,
gather information about the topic, and begin to organize the information.
Examples of prewriting include brainstorming, free writing, and questioning.
Many people find it helpful to use a shape planner or graphic organizer to
organize their thoughts during the prewriting process.
Drafting

The second step of the writing process involves drafting. During drafting, the
writer puts his ideas into complete thoughts, such as sentences and
paragraphs. The writer organizes his ideas in a way that allows the reader to
understand his message. He does this by focusing on which ideas or topics to
include in the piece of writing. During drafting, the writer will compose an
introduction to the piece and develop a conclusion for the material. At the
end of this step of the writing process, the author will have completed a
“rough draft.”

Drafting — The Process

The process of drafting a piece of writing begins with an analysis of the

prewriting. The author must use his prewriting notes to determine a focus for
the piece. This may involve narrowing the focus of the topic and perhaps
identifying a purpose for the piece.

For example, an author may decide to write an essay about dogs. He could
have developed his prewriting notes with information about three topics
relating to dogs: Show dogs, working dogs, and dog racing. These are all
topics that could stand alone in an essay. During drafting, the author should
choose just one of these topics for his piece of writing.

Once he has chosen a topic, he should identify a purpose for the essay. For
instance, if the writing was meant to be informational, he might choose to
write about working dogs, his purpose being to impart information. On the
other hand, if he chose to write a persuasive essay, perhaps he would choose
to write about dog racing, arguing for or against this controversial topic.
After determining a purpose for a piece of writing, it is easy to begin
drafting. Any information that is unrelated to the topic and its purpose should
be eliminated from the prewriting.

The author begins writing by composing an introduction to the piece. The

purpose of the introduction is not only to state the topic of the piece, but it
should also draw the reader in to the piece of writing. For young children, the
introduction may be one sentence stating the topic. More sophisticated
writers will create an introductory paragraph that identifies the topic, sets the
purpose for the writing, and suggests how the topic will be developed
throughout the piece. The introduction to a piece of writing should be
interesting. The tone of the introduction will vary according to the topic. If
an author is writing a personal narrative, he might decide to begin with a
creative quote about his experience. When writing an informational essay,
the tone of the introduction must follow suit. It should be focused and
informative.

A solid, interesting introduction sets the stage for the rest of the rough draft.
An author should begin drafting the piece by organizing his notes in a
sequence that will make sense to the reader. The focus should be on logical
connections between topics. A young writer will compose the body of a piece
of writing by including detail sentences related to the topic sentence. An
older author should organize his writing in to paragraphs. Each paragraph
should include its own topic sentence. Smooth transitions between
paragraphs are important in creating a cohesive piece of writing, no matter the
subject. A writer should refer back to his prewriting to keep him on track and
ensure that the piece of writing maintains its focus.

A writer should complete a rough draft by composing a conclusion. The

purpose of a conclusion is to wrap up the piece of writing by connecting all of
the related thoughts and ideas. The best conclusions are creative, engaging,
and leave few questions unanswered in the mind of the reader. Younger
students can conclude a piece of writing with a simple sentence. Advanced
writers should include a conclusion paragraph.
Editing

Upon completion of a rough draft, the writer should take on the first edit of
his work. Editing is an on-going process, not a one time event. When an
author edits his work, he is checking the piece for errors. These are typically
errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and formatting (indenting of
paragraphs, etc.). A writer should be encouraged to edit as much of his own
paper as possible. Early writers should, with some prompting, be able to
check a paper for correct capitalization and punctuation. As a child ages, he
will be able to correct other errors on his own. Some students find it
beneficial to read their work out loud while editing. This makes it easier to
find mistakes. Editing should not be a negative process. This is a time to
work on creating a polished piece of writing that will make the author proud.
The author should be reminded that he will need to edit his work at least two
more times. He will edit before composing a final copy and then use the same
process to check over his final product.

The Importance of Modeling

Writing can be a difficult process for children. Many students are hesitant
writers. Because of this, it is important for the home teacher to demonstrate
appropriate writing strategies. When dealing with a child who does not enjoy
writing, it is very important to model each step of the writing process.

The home teacher should plan to model a composition which parallels the one
being written by the student. For example, if the child is writing on the topic
“My Favorite Vacation,” the home teacher might choose to write his own
composition at the same time as the child is writing, focused on a similar
topic. This topic might be “My Favorite Weekend” or “My Favorite
Holiday.”
The home teacher should plan to work through each step of the writing
process with his student. The teacher should show the child, with his own
topic, how to complete a prewriting exercise. He should then assist the
student with this activity, moving through the process step by step, focused on
the topic chosen by the student. A child does not instinctively understand
how to take prewriting notes and convert them in to a piece of writing. The
home teacher should model the procedure for this with his own topic. He
should take the time to explain to the student how he chose to focus his
composition, why he has chosen to include certain ideas instead of others, and
how he plans to organize the piece of writing. The teacher should then
encourage the student to verbalize his thought process and work together to
assist the child with the assigned composition.

Writing is a flexible process. A confident author recognizes that there is

always room for improvement and celebrates each step toward a finished
piece of writing that he is proud of.