Chapter 9: The Writing Process

Introduction to Chapter 9

Many students feel about as comfortable groping their way through the fog as they do writing an essay. They may not be positive what a thesis is, and they may not know where to break their paragraphs. They never know for sure if they have a good paper, and the grade is often a big surprise.

A common misconception among beginning writers is that some people are naturally good writers, while others are not. This myth is frequently accompanied by a chronic case of the “I can’ts”: “I can’t write, I never could write, and I’ll never be able to write! What’s more, I don’t like to write!” Another misconception, sometimes held by writers whose first language is not English, is that all people who grew up speaking English are naturally good at writing. This is not true; even people who have been speaking English all their lives often struggle with writing.

Writing does not have to be akin to a walk in the fog. When equipped with a precise set of guidelines and an understanding of the writing process, anyone can learn to write well. No matter how much you have struggled with writing in the past, you can learn to become a successful writer, both in and out of college, by grasping a few fundamentals. You can be confident that you have written a good essay and should receive a pleasing grade. And once the fog dissipates, you might even discover that you enjoy writing.

Explore the following sections to learn about the components of the writing process.

Check out the image below that lists the stages writers may follow in the writing process.

Image representing the writing process. It lists prewrite, which is when ideas are gathered and organized; draft, which is when ideas are put on paper; workshop, which is when feedback is received from instructor and Writing Center; revise and edit, which is when changes are made based on feedback; and submit, which is when the essay is turned in and graded.

Licenses and Attributions

CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously:

Video Content (linked)

  • Four Steps to Pre-Writing: How To Brainstorm” authored by Business English. Provided by Business English HQ. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube license
  • How to Use Mind Mapping for Studying and Research” authored by CTLT Resources. Provided by UBC Learning Commons. Project: Three Minute Tutorials. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
  • Freewriting” authored by pattheprofessor. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
  • Proofreading” authored by FCCTutors. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License

License

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Integrated Reading and Writing Level 2 Copyright © 2018 by Pamela Herrington-Moriarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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