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							The Writing Process                                                                    The Writing Center
                                                                                                      Brigham Young University


  Writing can be intimidating, but following this step-by-step approach can make the experience less
     daunting.

An Overview of the Writing Process
      Prewrite. Gather ideas and think about the focus of your paper.
      Organize. Consider how to organize material.
      Draft. Write the actual paper following your predetermined organization.
      Revise. Evaluate the draft and rewrite by adding, moving, or cutting material.

  Prewrite
  Often the biggest challenge of writing is finding a topic that is focused and interesting. Even when a
      topic is assigned, deciding how to discuss that topic can be difficult. Prewriting exercises help
      generate ideas about what to write.
      Freewrite: Write down anything about the topic that comes to mind without stopping, editing, or
      evaluating. Explore some of your ideas and questions about your topic. Look for central ideas or
      a system of ideas through which your ideas are connected.
      Idea Map: Group your ideas into categories. Look for relationships between the categories that
      will lead to an assertion or argument you can make about the topic.
  Try one or both of these techniques to generate ideas that can lead to a thesis—an arguable assertion
      that outlines what you will be discussing. Going from a prewriting exercise to a clear focus may
      seem like a big jump, but often it is nothing more than following a train of thought through to its
      logical conclusion. The following freewriting session on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet
      Letter illustrates how a train of thought can eventually lead to a thesis:
           Hester Prynne is my kind of woman. The Puritans sure were strict. Hester didn't seem to mind the
      punishment she received for adultery. In fact, the letter A took on new meaning. Hester didn't seem to believe in
      the moral codes of the Puritans; she seemed to live in a moral wilderness where she was free to decide on which
      moral values she would follow. Hey, that makes me think that Hawthorne created Hester to be a symbol of a new
      morality—a transcendent morality. So, Hester symbolizes Hawthorne's transcendental beliefs in a higher law—a
      law based on the morality of the individual soul. Hey . . . I know what I’m going to write about!
      Prewriting can help you follow one idea to another until you start getting ideas for a thesis.

  Organize
  At this point, you should have a thesis that makes a central assertion or argument about the topic.
      This assertion or argument will be the focus of your paper. Once you have a thesis in mind, start
      considering how you will organize your material so that your essay will be clear and your thesis
      will be thoroughly supported.
  Thesis Structure. The thesis should set up key words or ideas you return to throughout the paper to
      strengthen and tighten your argument. Some writers include a preview of the main supporting
      points in the thesis. For instance, an essay explaining the rhetorical tools Martin Luther King
    uses in his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” might have a thesis statement that gives an
    organizational outline for the essay:
        Dr. King uses the tool of allusion to biblical accounts, classical philosophers, and previous efforts of civil
               rights workers in his letter.
    An alternative is to omit the organizational preview and focus only on the implication of the
    analysis of the tools Dr. King uses:
        Dr. King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” as a convincing rationale for the proper use of civil
               disobedience in the context of the Civil Rights Movement.
    A third option is to include both the implication and the organizational outline:
        Dr. King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” as a convincing rationale for the proper use of civil
               disobedience in the context of the Civil Rights Movement through his use of allusions to biblical
               accounts, classical philosophers, and previous efforts of civil rights advocates.
    Use whichever version works best for your paper—as long as your thesis announces exactly
    where you stand. With or without the preview in your thesis, be sure to express the supporting
    points as topic statements in subsequent paragraphs.
    Note: For more information on writing a thesis, see the handout Thesis Statements.
Argument Structure. Each section of the body of an essay begins with its own topic sentence and
    should focus on one aspect of the thesis. A section may be one paragraph or several. Defined by
    its topic sentence, each argument treats one part of the big idea.
Organize Using an Outline. Some writers can organize their thoughts and material just by working from
    a good thesis statement. Others prefer an outline. An outline is an organized list of your
    arguments and supporting information that shows the order for discussing ideas and how each
    will be used within your paper to support your thesis. An outline will usually save you time and
    increase your control of the essay’s direction as you begin a formal draft of the essay.

Draft
Introduction. Now you are ready to write a first draft of your essay. A formal essay begins with an
     introduction which awakens the reader's interest, sets the tone for the entire essay, and leads into
     the thesis and main discussion. Above all, your introduction must be clear. Besides the thesis,
     introductions should contain an initial comment on the topic and narrow the scope. Introductory
     paragraphs often take the following shape, sometimes called “the funnel.”

                                        General statement of the subject
                                            Focus on an aspect of subject
                                                     Thesis


    Note: For more information on writing an introduction, see the handout Introductions.
Body. The body of your essay supports the assertions made in the thesis. You need sufficient material
    that readers can follow and believe to successfully make your point. Each paragraph within the
    body of the essay should address an aspect of the thesis. Within each paragraph, offer
    observations and examples that tie the ideas to the thesis and support the claims made within the
    paragraph. Staying focused on the thesis gives the essay unity.
Conclusion. The conclusion of your essay brings all of the arguments of your paper into focus. Often
   your conclusion will tie all of your arguments back to the main assertion. Never stop just because
   you run out of words to write. Keep the conclusion relevant to the essay by evaluating or
   discussing the significance of the assertion you’ve made about your topic—it should answer the
    question “so what?” The conclusion can just review the ideas you’ve developed, and it can also
    put your discussion of the ideas into a larger argument or focus.
    Note: For more infromation on writing a conclusion, see the handout Conclusions.

Revise
The best writers are really the best rewriters—they polish their work over and over. When you have
   finished a first draft, you have really only begun. Plan to rewrite at least once, revising until the
   essay represents your best work.
Revision involves more than proofreading for spelling mistakes, though this is important. When
   revising, start by evaluating the content of your paper. Make sure that the thesis and each
   argument in the paper are sufficiently supported and that the arguments themselves are clear and
   logical. Also make sure the style of writing you’ve used is appropriate for the assignment. Then,
   focus on addressing any mechanical errors that remain.
    Note: For more information on revising your paper, see the handout Revision.

                                                       Jessie Leatham & Steve Haderlie, summer 2005
                                                   Based on a handout by Paul Corriveau, March 1993