Stages in Writing

Stages in Writing

Writing, Rewriting & Mechanics

Tips for you and to share with your student….

There are four stages in the writing process.

Step 1: Planning

ü  Before you start writing you have to think about what you want to say. Why are you writing and who is your audience? Create an outline, make a list, or write notes as you plan what to write.

Step 2: Drafting

ü  As you write your first draft, put all ideas into sentences, and then organize sentences in paragraph form.

ü   Concentrate on explaining and supporting your ideas fully.

ü  Begin to connect your ideas and supporting points.

ü   Don’t pay too much attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling at this stage.

Step 3: Revising

ü  After writing your draft, revise your writing. Eighty per cent of writing is revising. Revising focuses on the meaning of your writing, not on grammar, spelling, and punctuation—they come later. At this stage, make sure your writing says what you intend to say. You are continuing to focus on content, what you want to say.

ü  Have a system to mark the draft as you read it for the purpose of revising your writing. Here are examples:

a.    Draw a straight line under words that strike you as effective, such as specific vocabulary, strong verbs and specific details.

b.    Draw a wavy line under words that are weak or unconvincing, words you repeat too often, and ideas that seem vague or unnecessary.

c.    Put brackets around sentences or groups of sentences that you think could be combined.

d.    Put parentheses around sentences that are awkward or don’t make sense.

e.    Star clear ideas and use a question mark for those that are less clear

 

Step 4. Proofreading

ü  The last stage checks for grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation errors.

ü   Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same time.

ü  Read slowly, and read every word. Try reading out loud, which forces you to say each word, and also lets you hear how the words sound together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.

ü  Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.

Adapted : http://www.ed.psu.edu/isal/PDFs/Tutor_Flipbook.pdf