Stages in the Writing Process - UW Faculty Web Server

							                            Stages in the Writing Process
    Note: teachers of writing and professional writers emphasize that we can use the writing process, to
    manage diverse tasks, to shape “information” into “evidence” and to refine “first” into “accomplished”
    ideas, because like our observations and ideas, like our understanding of the task at hand, writing
    unfolds in stages and across specific stages of preparing and thinking about its content.


        Pre-Write              Draft                       Revise                     *Edit
Clarify the Task: Scope,   Get your Rough Ideas         Re-read and Re-work       Read your Draft Aloud
Purpose and Audience       Down on Paper               your Draft:                and Mark Errors,
                                                                                  Effective and
Consult Samples of Like    Integrate New Ideas         What does the Draft        Ineffective Expression
Projects and Templates     and Observations as you     Claim or Propose?
                           Draft                                                  Edit for:
Collect and Sort                                       Does the Draft State the
Information                Draft Continuously,         Reasons that Support       1. Clarity, Focus and
                           Return to Sticking Points   your Claim or Proposal?       Reasoning
Itemize Ideas and          Later
Observations                                           Does the Draft Offer a     2. Grammar and
                           Appraise Ideas,             Valid Overview of             Standard use of
Consult with Content       Connections and             Relevant Evidence?            English
Experts and Peers          Sections: What’s
                           Working? What’s not?        Does the Draft Analyze     3. Punctuation and
Rough-out Key Ideas                                    Evidence in a                 Spelling
and their Connections      What has been Clarified     Thoughtful and
                           about your Focus,           Comprehensive way?         4. Tone, Voice and
Rough-out Proposed         Analysis and your                                         Style of Address to
Sections of Document.      Conclusions?                Revise your Outline to        your Reader
                                                       Guide Revision.
                                                                                  5. Consistency and Use
                                                                                      of the Document
                                                                                      Format.
Book Survey,               Rough Draft                 Peer Review, Self-         Revising for Style
Reading,                                               Evaluation, TA             and Clarity,
Lecture, Sections                                      Comments,                  Correcting Errors and
Discussion, Precis,                                    Conference Feedback        Formatting:
In-class and                                           Revision Planning          Citations, Titles
Overnight Writes,                                      and Targeted Re-
Small Group Work                                       writing of the Draft
and Presentations,
Outlines and
Proposals

*Shift from a writer’s to a reader’s perspective as you edit: Where do you see and hear
obstructions to the clarity and development of ideas? Where will readers find your writing
clearly stated, focused and persuasive? Where will readers struggle or be put-off? Where
will the grammar, style and format facilitate their navigation through the document? Where
will they obstruct it?