A Functional
Writing Process for this (or any) Class

Helpful Hints to Think of Before You Begin

• Set Reasonable Goals: to hold the reader's interest, tell
  a compelling story, to include sensory details in a draft, to maintain a focus
  on what took place, to complete a draft by dinner;
• Do the Easy Parts First;
• Make writing a Habit (as long as it is occasional it will
  be awkward and hard);
• Find a regular Time and Place;
• Do some Warm-Up Writing before Tackling Your Essay--freewriting;
• Write Fast;
• Reward Yourself with Some Short Breaks;
• If you get stuck, be willing to return to invention strategies
  to generate more ideas.

Prewriting

1. Decide upon a subject (such as a story about your childhood).
2. Decide upon a topic using some of the prewriting strategies.

When you have a topic:

3. Decide on your purpose (rhetorical goal/controlling idea)
   for writing on that topic.
4. Gather material, using a prewriting/invention strategy.
5. Select and decide upon best material, which you then organize
   in the most effective manner possible. This is where audience awareness comes
   into play.
6. Review your pre-writing materials. After giving them a good
   look, put them aside, out of sight. This is a bridge between pre-writing and
   writing.

Drafting

• Start with a working title. Chances are that if you can't
  come up with some sort of a title you don't know what you want to write about.
  Move on if you are having trouble coming up with a title.
• You needn't concern yourself with writing the introduction
  first; go right to the heart of the matter and if you need to, right an introduction
  later. When you have a better idea what you are saying, it will be easier
  to introduce the material.
• Once you begin writing, concentrate on the logical smooth
  flow of ideas and details--move as quickly as possible, with a minimum of
  judgment, while composing the draft. Imagine speaking your draft to someone
  as you compose. You are now forging new and meaningful relations among your
  ideas and information.
• Your goal with the first draft is to get as much information
  on paper as possible.
• Ignore spelling, sentence structure, grades, messiness and
  other outside concerns.
• After you have put all of this to paper, you have completed
  a draft of your essay.

Revision Process

• It is often best to get some distance between yourself and
  a draft. This entails setting it aside for a day or two. Of course, if you
  are not working ahead you can't do this.
• Assume new identity: that of reader/editor
• The process then includes reading your paper to other writers.
  These writers will offer feedback on the strong and weak points they see in
  your paper. You then take this information and use it to improve your essay.
  You will also, if you pay attention, come across strong and weak points in
  the essays that are read to you, and you will be able to use those ideas to
  improve your essay. Have a goal for your revision: clearer, better detail--

• Make use of the written comments received during peer review.
• Evaluate your essay before and after going over peer responses.

When on Your Own, Use the Following Revision Process.

1. First revise for ideas: clarify the main idea. Read through
   your draft. Mark any areas which seem unclear, but don't think about fixing
   them until you've read the whole essay. When finished reading, put the essay
   aside and see if you can write a sentence containing the main idea. Compare
   to the existing thesis/controlling idea. Once you have said it as clear as
   you can, evaluate it for honesty and freshness.
2. Read the draft again. Evaluate the details. Are they concrete
   and specific? Do they create sensory images? Do they convey the necessary
   message to your audience.
3. Read the draft again and check the order of your presentation.
   Is it as effective as possible? This is a good place to use outlining.
4. Revise for word choice. Be sure each word is doing its job
   and carrying its weight. In general, use Anglo-Saxon root words which are
   usually one or two syllables. If you can replace a three-plus syllable word
   with a one or two syllable equivalent, you should do so.
5. Next revise for mechanics. Use a handbook to check any punctuation
   you are unsure of, or where you commonly make mistakes. This is editing.
6. Do all of the above as many times as needed.

• The more you rewrite now, the better you get at it and the
  less you will have to do it in the future.
• If introduction seems dull, begin with the second paragraph.