The Writing Process

The writing process is something that no two people do the same way. There is no "right way" or "wrong way" to write. It can be a very messy and fluid process, and the following is only a representation of commonly used steps.

STEPS OF THE WRITING PROCESS

STEP 1: PREWRITING
      THINK AND DECIDE

•   Make sure you understand your assignment. See Research Papers or Essays
•   Decide on a topic to write about. See Narrow your Topic
•   Consider who will read your work. See Audience and Voice
•   Brainstorm ideas about the subject. See Prewriting Strategies

STEP 2: RESEARCH (IF NEEDED)
      SEARCH

•   List places where you can find information. See Doing Research
•   Do your research. See Evaluating Sources and Primary vs. Secondary Sources
•   Make an Outline to help organize your research. See Outlines

STEP 3: DRAFTING
      WRITE

•   Put the information you researched into your own words. See Paraphrase and Summary
•   Write sentences and paragraphs even if they are not perfect.
•   Read what you have written and judge if it says what you mean. See Thesis Statements
•   Write some more. See Incorporating References
•   Read it again.
•   Write some more.
•   Read it again.
•   Write until you have said everything you want to say about the topic.

STEP 4: REVISING
      MAKE IT BETTER

•   Read what you have written again. See Revising Content and Revising Organization
•   Rearrange words, sentences or paragraphs.
•   Take out or add parts.
•   Do more research if you think you should.
•   Replace overused or unclear words.
•   Read your writing aloud to be sure it flows smoothly.

STEP 5: EDITING AND PROOFREADING
      MAKE IT CORRECT

• Be sure all sentences are complete. See Editing and Proofreading
•   Correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
•   Change words that are not used correctly or are unclear.
•   Make sure you are using the appropriate Style formatting.   

See for MLA: Purdue OWL MLA Style Introduction

See for APA: Purdue OWL APA Style Introduction

See for Chicago: Purdue OWL CMOS General Format

for examples. Have someone else check your work.

Revised: 07/18

¹Adapted from The five steps of the writing process. lewis.cpsb.org