The Process of Writing As A Productive Activity

Composition or writing is a process. You have to go through the different steps of this process before you reach the final product. The different steps are as follows:

1. Accessing the writing situation.
2. Planning.
3. Reading.
4. Rough writing.
5. Proof reading editing/Revising.
6. final draft writing.

1.Assessing the writing situation:

This involves analyzing the following:

 a.The Topic: Clear interpretation and understanding of the topic is the first step. Focus on key words for this.

b.The Purpose: This refers to your aim behind writing, that is, are you writing to inform, persuade, argue, describe, narrate, compare and contrast, analyze, evaluate, etc.

c.Audience: Clearly analyze and understand your readers. This is important in guiding you in your selection of material, your vocabulary, your style, and attitude.

d.Tone: Clearly decide for the correct tone you will adopt in your writing. Tone refers to the voice of the writer. Tone will depend on your audience, subject matter, purpose, and domain of writing.

2.  Planning:

Writing is similar to constructing something. So, you first need to plan your writing.
Following things are done in the planning stage:

     

a.Generating ideas: When your mind is blank, you can use the following techniques to come up with ideas:

1.Brainstorming: Brainstorming refers to intense and free thinking about the topic. Jot down all the ideas that come to your mind ignoring issues like relevance or importance of ideas and points. You are scanning your brain for any prior knowledge you have about the topic. Brainstorming is usually done in groups. 

An example of brainstorming would be:

2.Clustering: Clustering is similar to brainstorming. It only differs in three ways. First, it is more specific than brainstorming. Second, it is never done in groups. Last, it involves more focused thinking, and is a better tool when writing shorter texts. 
An example of clustering are as follows:

3.Free writing: Free writing is a popular technique used by writers to practice writing in general, or to collect their initial thoughts and ideas on a writing topic. It is often, used as a preliminary to more formal writing.

The technique involves continuous writing, usually for a predetermined period time (often 5. 10, or 15 minutes). Writing is done without regard to spelling, grammar, etc, and no corrections are made. If the writer reaches a point where they cannot think of anything  to write, then they write that they cannot think of anything, until they find another line of thought. The writer allows himself or herself to stray off topic, and to just let their thoughts lead them wherever they may. At times a writer may also do a focused free write where a chosen topic structures their thoughts. Expanding from this topic, their thoughts may stray to make connections and create more abstract views on the topic. This technique helps them to explore particular subject before putting their ideas into a more basic context.  

Free writing is often done on a daily basis as a part of the writer's daily routine. Also, students in many writing courses are assigned to do such daily writing exercises.

                       

4. Discussion: Discussion can also be very helpful in generating ideas. Jot down the ideas in a notebook.

The above techniques can be used for coming up with ideas. After generating ideas, scan and review your ideas. According to the word limit, select the most relevant and important ones for your essay. Decide for a logical order for your ideas. Arrange then according to the order and make an outline to help you achieve organization, and clarity. If you are unable to come up with ideas or points, you can search for them.

b. Searching for ideas: To search for ideas, you have to read books on the essay topic, or surf the net. Skim and scan sites or books. Separate relevant information from the irrelevant one. It is very important to take notes while reading as you will not remember later. When you are done with reading, make an inventory of important points you got after searching. Organize them into an outline for your essay by arranging them in a logical order.

Once you have a rough outline containing ideas for your essay, it is time to move on to the next step of the writing process.

3. Reading:

After planning, reading is done. Reading helps in getting more ideas, vocabulary, sentence structures, etc. Add the new information in your outline. Revise and finalize it.

4. Rough Writing:

After reaching a final outline, it is time for you to start writing your essay. Write a rough draft ignoring grammatical and organizational concerns. Focus on free expression of ideas uninterrupted by any regard for propriety of any kind. Most writers find beginning with the introduction paragraph difficult. So, they begin with the main body of the essay, and later on construct an introduction paragraph. Your outline and ideas undergo considerable revision at this stage. Most writers achieve a true grasp on their topic at this stage. After having written the rough draft, it is now time to bring into consideration the issues you ignored in order not to disturb a spontaneous flow of ideas.

5. Proofreading Editing/Revising:

Check your essay for grammatical, structural and organizational mistakes, unity and coherence, etc. Revise expression.        

6. Final Draft Writing:

After proofreading and editing, write a final draft of your essay.