Main Stages of the Writing Process

In this article, you will learn useful tips at writers-house.com website. We will review the key concepts and approaches that will be appreciated by students who start their education in North America. To ensure the effective writing process, students should be familiar with different citation formats, be able to provide references and use common expressions.

Stages of the Writing Process

The writing process is complicated, and it has several main stages. All the writers have their own processes but some principles are universal. For example, all writers have to brainstorm and come up with interesting and relevant topics. They need to outline their papers before writing the first draft. They also have to revise their papers, adjusting the structure and fixing mistakes.

Brainstorming

Before you get to writing, you should figure out what you’re going to write about. Brainstorming requires you to generate ideas. The more ideas you have, the better. There’s no need to evaluate your ideas at this stage, just list them or draw a diagram or map. Don’t try to make your ideas grammatically perfect, just focus on creativity.

Writing an Outline

Once you’ve got a list of ideas, you can outline your paper. Just think of its structure and think in which order you will convey your ideas. Don’t forget to check the requirements and make sure that the structure of your paper fits the type of writing assignment. Most often, academic papers include an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, different assignments may have different structures. When you have an outline, the whole writing process gets easier because all you have to do is add the necessary details.

Rough Drafts

Sometimes, professors ask their students to provide a rough draft. In this case, you have to show what you have while the work is still in progress. When a professor asks for a rough draft, it means that they want to make sure that you’re moving in the right direction. The rough draft shouldn’t be perfect, however, it must contain all the major parts of your paper.

Editing and Revision

First, it’s important to mention the difference between revision and editing. Revision implies checking the consistency of ideas, the topic, and your audience. For example, you may want to add a few paragraphs or to remove some unnecessary content. Revision is all about organizing your writing so that your readers can understand you better.

Editing implies fixing grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Before you submit your academic paper, you need to polish it and get rid of any phrases that sound awkward or don’t make sense.

Polishing

You may have noticed that professors like to tell their students about the importance of polishing their writing. Usually, the term “polishing” is used when talking about making something shiny and smooth. The same way, when you polish your writing, it means that you fix any grammar mistakes and make sure that everything makes sense.