The Writing Process

They are several steps in writing process. They are as follows:

1.      Prewriting

Prewriting is a way of warming up the brain before writing. There are several ways to warm up before writing:

a.       Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a quick way to generate a lot of ideas on a subject. The purpose is to make a list of as many as possible without worrying about how the writer will use them. The list can include words, phrases, sentences, or even questions.

To brainstorm, begin with a broad topic. Write down as many ideas about the topic as the writer can in 5 minutes. After that, add more items to the list by answering the questions what, how, when, where, why, and who. Then, group similar items on the list together and cross out items that do not belong.

b.      Clustering

Clustering is another prewriting technique. It’s a visual way of showing how the ideas are connected using circles and lines. When clustering, the writer draws a diagram of his ideas. In clustering, write the topic in the center of a blank piece of paper and draw a circle around it. Write any ideas that come into the writer’s mind about the topic in circles around the main circle. After that, connect these ideas to the center word with a line. Then, think about each of the new ideas, write more related ideas in circles near the new ideas, and then connect them. Repeat this process until running out of ideas.

2.      Writing

After the writer has spent some times thinking about the topic and doing the necessary prewriting, the writer is ready for the next step in the writing process. That is writing paragraph. In writing, begin with a topic sentence that states the main idea. Include several sentences that support the main idea. Remember! Stick to the topic. Do not include information that does not directly support the main idea. After that, arrange the sentences so that the order of ideas makes sense. Then, use signal words to help the reader understand how the ideas in the paragraph are connected.

3.      Revising

Revising is the process of making changes to improve it. In revising, make sure the writer has a topic sentence and cross out sentences that do not relate to the main idea. Do not forget to check if the sentences are in the right order. After that, add new ideas if they support the topic sentence. Make sure the writer has included signal words to help guide the reader. Then, check the punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

                                                                                    (Blanchard, Karen Lourie, 2002)

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