The Writing Process

1. The Writing Process Generating Ideas

2. Inventing Your Writing Through experience and practice, successful writers have made two discoveries that can help you succeed with your writing: • Writing is a process. Writers, like inventors, create their work in stages (exploring, planning, writing, and revising), not all at once. • There are many ways to write successfully. Each individual’s writing process is unique. There is no single “right” way to write.

3. Exploring Possible Topics As you critically survey a writing assignment and begin to see what to do, create choices for yourself. Discover what you think about possible topics by doing various kinds of exploratory writing. Find out what works best for you in which situations, and adopt these writing strategies to your style and habits.

4. Types of Exploratory Writing • Keeping a journal or diary—daily records of experience, reflection, and opinion • Brainstorming—free-association lists • Brainstorming dialogues—talks with friends, family, fellow students, coworkers, and teachers to get feedback on your ideas • Topic mapping (clustering and branching)—visual representation of your ideas and the connections between them • Freewriting—sentence form free-association

5. How to Explore a Writing Topic • You can do exploratory writing in two ways. In unfocused explorations, write whatever comes to mind, whether everything connects or not. In focused explorations, try to focus on one topic, unless you get pulled to something more interesting. • Set a time limit, usually 7 to 15 minutes. Start writing about whatever comes to mind the moment you begin. Write by hand or use a computer.

6. How to Explore a Writing Topic • Don’t stop. If your mind suddenly goes blank, write “blank, blank, blank” or repeat your last word until thoughts begin flowing again. • Don’t censor. Write whatever comes to mind, however strange it sounds. It may lead to something important or powerful. If you don’t like what you’ve written when you finish, you can throw it away.

7. How to Explore a Writing Topic • Don’t change anything. If you write something one way and think of another way, make a slash (/) and then write the second version. • Don’t stop to correct mistakes. Don’t worry about them. You’re only exploring.

8. Choosing a Topic A good writing topic has these characteristics: • It is important. A good topic is important to you and your readers. • It is fresh. A good topic is new to you or your readers, or your approach to a familiar topic is fresh. • It is challenging. Choose topics that challenge your thinking, curiosity, or feeling. Easy topics may lead to boredom for you and your readers. • It fits the occasion. It reflects your interests, meets the assignment, fulfills reader expectations.

9. Focus Your Writing • Focusing a project means becoming clear about your subject, figuring out what’s most important about it, what you want to do with it, and the point you want to make. • To focus your writing narrow your topic, write a purpose statement, and ask questions.

10. Narrowing Your Topic

11. Narrowing Your Topic

12. Writing a Purpose Statement • After surveying the requirements of the assignment and exploring your ideas, write a tentative purpose statement. Briefly tell yourself what you want to accomplish in your writing. This purpose may change as your project unfolds, but writing it out early will guide you. • Example: I want to inform urban and suburban readers that, for many, bicycling is a solution to the frustrations of rush-hour commuting.

13. Asking Questions • Jot down questions based on the 5 W’s + H, or use the critical thinking questions listed in the “How to Think Critically” box (Dodds pp. 6-7). Ask other questions relevant to your topic. • Examples: • Who should become a bicycle commuter? • What problems do bicycle commuters face? • What are the benefits of bicycle commuting? • How can a cyclist begin commuting by bicycle?

14. Consider Your Voice (Persona) • Everything you write has a voice, also called a persona. Readers hear it in your words and sentences, in your attitude toward your subject, and in your relationship with them as readers. • Just as you modify the way you speak to suit various occasions, so should you adjust your written voice to suit your project.

15. Consider Your Voice (Persona) • Each of these features of a writer’s voice can be adjusted toward one or the other end of a spectrum: Tone Formality Balance Manner of Address

16. Consider Your Voice (Persona) • For formal academic or professional writing: • Aim to sound fair, objective, and relatively serious • Generally make your style straightforward and to the point • Use “I” to refer to yourself only if necessary, but focus on your subject • Avoid slang and most contractions, but don’t sound pompous or flowery • Whatever you write should sound like you speaking in a voice suitable to the subject and occasion

17. Consider Your Voice (Persona) • For personal or informal writing: • The more personal your subject, the more informal you can be • Informal writing leaves lots of room for variety in vocabulary, attitude, and style of expression • Notes of Caution: • Keep in mind the knowledge and interests of your readers • Use complete sentences and good grammar except when appropriate • Avoid emoticons and text shorthand

18. Gather the Materials for Your Writing • See page 33 in your text for a list of materials you’ll use to develop your ideas and support your points. Not all of these materials will be useful for every project • Using lists, notes, photocopies, or computer files, gather the materials that are suitable for both your purposes and your readers’ interests and needs.