Introduction

“I work best under pressure.”

We have all probably heard this statement from someone trying to meet a late deadline. For writers, this approach means sitting down to write a paper just hours before it is due, writing only one draft, and submitting it. Such writing is a race against the clock, and there is no time for revision. Writers who believe in this method often say that working fast somehow releases their creative juices and helps them to beat writer’s block. Some even say they deliberately put a writing task off to the last minute rather than working on the assignment gradually and in steps.

Of course, we’re all busy people, and sometimes we feel that there is no time to develop a piece of writing over days or even weeks before it is due.  Sometimes we procrastinate, believing that we can produce good quality work just before the deadline. But such a “fast and furious” approach to writing is much more than just a problem of time management or procrastination. While most of us can write something up quickly, will this be our best work and will the resulting paper do justice to our topic and to our audience?  Racing against the clock, are we giving ourselves enough time to let the meaning of our writing mature, or do we commit to paper the first thoughts that come to mind simply because we don’t have time to develop them?

In this chapter, we explain how to approach writing as a process, which is quite the opposite of the “work under pressure” model mentioned above. Writers who take the process approach treat their work as a sequence of stages that take time and careful deliberation. They compose multiple drafts; they seek feedback from readers; and they revise the meaning of their writing heavily based on that feedback and on their own evolving thinking about the piece they are working on.

If you are writing a research paper, in addition to reading this chapter, it will be helpful to read Chapter 20: Identifying Issues for Research and Chapter 21: Writing with Sources, also found in this textbook.

Writing as a Process

Most writers do not begin a new writing project with its content and structure already settled in their minds. We may have an initial idea for a piece of writing, but in order to implement that idea, we have to shape and reshape it constantly as we write and rewrite. For example, we took every chapter in this textbook through several drafts before it was published. The parts were rewritten and reorganized as our thinking about them changed and as we received feedback from readers.

In other words, writing is a process—a non-linear and recursive process. Most writers do not “begin at the beginning” of a piece and “end at the end.” Instead, composing takes place in chunks, with authors going back and forth between clusters of ideas and writing possibilities, constantly reviewing and revising them, and moving them between the various parts of the prospective text.

Here are some basic principles of the writing process:

• Writing is a means of discovering ideas and thinking critically about them. The meaning of any text is created and evolves during composing and revision.
• In order to fully develop the content and structure of a text, multiple drafts are necessary.
• The writing process can be divided into stages of planning, drafting, and revision.
• Writing is a non-linear process, and its stages often repeat or overlap.
• Writers actively seek feedback from readers and judiciously use that feedback in their revisions.
• The writing process empowers writers by encouraging them to understand and refine their writing strategies and techniques.

What does all of this mean for you as a student learning to write in this class? First and most importantly, it means that you must set aside time to write regularly. While the complexity of your writing process may vary depending on the requirements of an assignment, even modest writing tasks benefit from multiple writing sessions spread over time. These allow you to plan and draft your text, solicit feedback, and make revisions. Sometimes, your instructor may help you to engage in the writing process with a series of exercises and activities. Often, the responsibility will be entirely yours, particularly when you have writing assignments outside of this class or when you are writing in your personal or professional life.

Moreover, committing to the writing process means committing to openness in how you think about and express your topic. Over the course of writing multiple drafts, your ideas will likely change in ways that require a new thesis, new supporting evidence, or new conclusions. The same can be said for organization. As your ideas develop, they may no longer fit into the structure you initially imagined for your text, prompting you to find a more appropriate way of presenting them. These moments in the process can be challenging because they require substantial revision, but we urge you to lean into these moments. They are indications that what you have to say and how you have chosen to say it are becoming more thoughtful and purposeful.

The remainder of this chapter explains the various stages of the writing process and describes strategies you can use during each stage to develop or revise a piece of writing. We discuss the stages—planning, drafting, revising—in what seems like chronological order. However, bear in mind that when you are working on a piece of writing, you will likely shuttle back and forth between the stages rather than moving straight through them a single time.

Continue Reading: 6.2 Planning