The Writing Process
There is a process most people go through when they write something. This might not be the same for everyone but there is one commonality: the writer can go back and forth between stages. There are five stages: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing.
Pre-writing
This occurs when the writer organizes their thoughts or how the idea is created. For example, sometimes I get an idea for an entry while doing something completely unrelated. In my mind I begin to form a plan on how I am going to tackle my new task. That is pre-writing even though no “writing†took place – that is why they call this stage “preâ€.
Rough Drafts
This stage begins when the writer transforms the ideas in their mind to words. The draft does not have to be perfect but the draft should be organized. They teach students in school that written works should follow this pattern: a introduction that entices the reader to keep reading, the body where the writer makes the point concisely (supporting the introduction) and the conclusion summarizing everything. Do most bloggers do this? Can you say no?
Revising
In this stage the writer is looking at how the article flows and making corrections when needed. Depending on the writing style the writer might revise while making the rough draft. Many times I drastically changed the rough draft.
Editing or Proofreading
There is a difference between revising and editing. In the revising stage, the emphasis is on the flow of the writing. The editing stage focuses on grammatical errors. Each sentence is looked at for clarity and accuracy.
Publish
This one is obvious. If you are a blogger how many times have you published something then caught a mistake? I am guilty of this. Sometimes the mistakes do not jump out at me until I published the entry. Do not follow my lead, check, double check and triple check before publishing.
Summary
- The writing process might not be the same for everyone but there are common stages: pre-writing, rough draft, revising, editing and publish.
- Writers might go back and forth between stages, for example publishing something, noticing a mistake and editing the error.
- Written pieces should have an introduction, the body where the writer makes his or her point and a conclusion.
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