The Writing Process:

1. The Writing Process The Writing Process: A cycle for successful writers Publish

2. The Writing Process The Writing Process Authors use the writing process to write effectively. This process has five steps. • Prewrite: plan the writing • Draft: write the sentences • Revise: improve the writing • Edit: correct the writing • Publish: share the writing

3. The Writing Process Good writers use all five steps as they compose. • You will usually follow the steps in order, but not always. • You might skip a step and come back to it later. • Other times you might repeat a step several times. • Some pieces of writing take longer to develop than others. The writing process will probably unfold differently every time you write!

4. The Writing Process Step 1: Prewrite Choose a Topic • What topics interest you? • What topics do you know a lot about? • What topics might interest your reader? Gather Ideas • Think of specific ideas related to your topic. • Think of ideas that your audience might not know. Organize Ideas • Choose clear, unique, and interesting ideas. • Group related ideas together.

5. The Writing Process Prewriting Strategies • Read • Draw • Listen • Make a Web • Talk • Brainstorm • Debate • Free-write • Journal • Think

6. The Writing Process More Prewriting Strategies • Tell a story • Do an experiment • Narrow a topic • Interview an expert (or the teacher!) • Use a graphic organizer • Look at drawings or pictures • Listen to music • Surf the Internet (supervised)

7. The Writing Process Step 2: Draft Refer to your prewriting. • It will help you get started. • It will help you stay organized as you draft. Write your ideas into sentences and paragraphs. • Get your ideas on paper neatly and correctly. • Fix mistakes you notice, but don’t stop to check conventions. Use good word choice. • Use clear, descriptive words that you already know. • Don’t slow down to look up new words. Write with an appropriate voice. • Write as if you were having a face-to-face conversation with the reader.

8. The Writing Process Drafting Strategies • Let your ideas flow freely onto the paper. • Use your prewriting as a guide, but feel free to add new ideas or remove ideas. • Pay attention to neatness and correctness, but don’t slow down to check for mistakes. • Include a beginning, middle, and ending. • Double-space, respect margins, and cross out text instead of erasing.

9. The Writing Process Step 3: Revise Make your writing better: • Add interesting ideas and delete boring ones. • Make sure everything is in the correct order. • Use a mix of long and short sentences. • Start your sentences with a variety of words. • Replace ordinary or overused words with clear and precise ones.

10. The Writing Process Revising Strategies NOTE: Writers do not necessarily revise for all traits on every paper! • Focus on one trait at a time. • Use a rubric to guide your changes. • Read your paper aloud. Put it down for fifteen minutes. Then read it aloud again. • Make sure ideas are in order, and use transitions. • Mix long sentences and short ones. • Use the thesaurus carefully! Choose only words that you are sure make sense. • Include a great introduction and a thoughtful conclusion.

11. The Writing Process Step 4: Edit Make your writing correct and easy to read. Focus on conventions: • Spelling • Capitalization • Punctuation • Grammar

12. The Writing Process Editing Strategies NOTE: Writers do not necessarily edit for all traits on every paper! • Edit for one thing at a time. • Check spelling backwards, starting with the last word. • Use a conventions rubric to guide your changes. • Read your paper aloud. Put it down for fifteen minutes. Then read it aloud again. • Double-check all proper nouns, titles, and the first word of each sentence. Are they capitalized?

13. The Writing Process Step 5: Publish Focus on presentation. Share your writing. This can be done • aloud. • in print. • by displaying your work. • by mail or e-mail. • electronically. • Handwriting • Margins • Ink color • Graphics • Spacing

14. The Writing Process Publishing Strategies NOTE: Not all written work will necessarily be published! • Author’s Chair • Gallery Walk • Read or display excerpts in class • Class-bound volume or anthology • Newspaper • Website (school or other—supervised) • Assembly • Bulletin board • Small-group sharing • Contests

15. The Writing Process The Writing Process: A cycle for successful writers Publish