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Writing is a recursive process. There does not exist any single unique process of writing nor there is any ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of writing. However, the followings are the commonly used steps of the writing process:

Prewriting

Prewriting is the first activity the writers engage in but generating ideas take place throughout the writing process. It is anything that the writers do before they draft their documents. It includes thinking, taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information through interviews, observation, researching in the library or accessing archives.

Drafting

It is the stage in which the writers write sentences and paragraphs even if they are not perfect (Lamott, 1994). The authors concentrate upon explaining and supporting their ideas by creating thesis statement and topic sentences. Reading, rereading, writing some more, and deleting some parts is very common while drafting. It is not necessary to pay attention to spelling and punctuation marks at this stage.

Revising

This is very crucial stage in the sense that the writers should address readers’ needs and expectations by revising content and organization of the writing— if the reasons and evidence are sufficient enough to convince the readers, if readers need to know X before they understand Y, if the organization is effective. This is the stage to rearrange words, sentences, paragraphs, to take out odd parts, replace overused or unclear words or add transitions to make writing precise, concise, and accurate as possible. Also, authors need to check the connections between ideas to know whether they are clear. It is better to read out the writing aloud to confirm if it flows smoothly.

Editing

In this final step, authors are supposed to check if all sentences are complete. They are expected to check grammar, capitalization, mechanics, and spelling. Also change words that are not used correctly or need clarity. Also be sure if they are using proper formatting. Fulwiller (2002) suggests the following for editing:

1. Replace vague abstract nouns with specific concrete nouns.
2. Replace static verbs with action verbs.
3. Add modifiers for detail but delete them if they distract from your main point.
4. Write in the rhythm of natural speech unless you have a good reason for doing otherwise. (To check, read aloud.)
5. Begin sentences with old information, end with new. This strategy

makes the end of your sentences stronger.

6. Make sure all words in your sentences contribute to the meaning you intend; if not, delete them.
7. Eliminate all clichés.
8. Make passive constructions active.
9. Delete or rephrase all stereotypes.
10. Proofread by computer spell check and also line-by-line with your intelligent eye (p. 184).

Students are encouraged to visit the Writing Center or take any academic editing services to get help in all these processes of writing mentioned above.

References

Fulwiler, T. (2002). College writing: A personal approach to academic writing. Heinemann: Boynton/Cook Publishers, Inc.

Lamott, A. (1994). Shitty first drafts. Writing about writing: A college reader, 527-531.

Qualities of Good Writing

What is a ‘good’ writing? Or what makes a writing ‘good’? is a highly contested question. It is contested because there are no rules of thumb or any specific formula that determine the quality of a good writing. However, any academic writing with appropriate focus, development, unity, coherence, and correctness can be considered as a well-crafted piece of writing.

Focus: Any writing is expected to be guided by a focused single central idea. It should have a clear and specific purpose and should stay on a topic. Thesis statement of the whole article/essay and a clear main point or topic sentence (the main idea or point of a paragraph) for every paragraph help writers to be focused on their argument. For example:

Changing English: The African American Influence

If you ask average Americans where their language comes from, they will probably say "England." However, English vocabulary has also been influenced by other countries and groups of people. Some words are borrowed from other languages, such as typhoon, which originally came from the Chinese word, ‘tai-fung,’ meaning ‘big wind.’ Skunk, the name of a small, smelly, black-end-white animal, came to English from a Native American language. African Americans, too, have both contributed new words to English and changed the meanings of some existing words (thesis statement). (my emphasis, Zemach & Rumisek, 2009, p. 57)

Development: Every paragraph should be built on the main idea of the paper. Also, every topic sentence should be justified with the help of examples, descriptions, illustrations, and details. Let’s look at the details used in the given example:

Many students who study and work have to balance their schedules carefully. They have to make time to go to class, go to work, and also complete their homework. If they don’t plan their time carefully, they may not be able to meet these obligations and then they will face serious consequences. They may lose money by not making time for work, or they may get bad grades in their classes by not having time to study. After these obligations are met, there are other activities many students enjoy, like spending time with friends, doing hobbies, or dating. They will not have time for these extra activities without balancing their schedules first. It can be very difficult for students to make time for all of their obligations, but it is essential to their success and well-being. ()

Unity: Each paragraph should be interrelated and support the central theme or idea and all the sentences in a paragraph should stay ‘on track;’ that is, they should connect to the topic. Additionally, every paragraph should move around to prove the claim mentioned as a topic sentence.

Coherence: Any writing should have logical coherence, clear structure, and smooth flow. The use of transitions (besides, again, additionally, firstly, finally, then etc.) and connective phrases (as a result, in spite of, because of, due to etc.) help link ideas together and ensure that each paragraph builds on the previous one. In the following passage, the writer beautifully uses transitions to maintain coherence:

That night, we drank tea and then vodka with lemon peel steeped in it. The four of us talked in Russian and English about mutual friends and American railroads and the Rolling Stones. Seryozha loves the Stones, and his face grew wistful as we spoke about their recent album, Some Girls. He played a tape of “Let It Bleed” over and over, until we could translate some difficult phrases for him; after that, he came out with the phrases at intervals during the evening, in a pretty decent imitation of Jagger’s Cockney snarl. (Lee, 2008, p. 42)

Correctness: Good writing is supposed to be written in generally accepted standard English, with complete sentences. Since every writer has problems with only particular types of spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation errors, they should read through their final drafts carefully— looking for those errors which the writers frequently commit. Slowly reading each of these errors will, in most cases, ensure that readers’ attention will be focused on the message of the writing, not on the mechanical errors the writing has (). Careful proofreading helps make writing error-free.

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