Making the Writing Process More Manageable

Brainstorm. Make an outline. Get some feedback. Make a draft. Research. Cite your sources. Take good notes. Find quotes to use. Write a strong introduction. Write a strong conclusion. Make sure you capitalize everything correctly. Add some commas. No, that’s too many commas. Delete some commas. Change your mind. Rewrite. Get more feedback. Smooth out your sentences. Decide you don’t like that quote you used. Find a new one. Stumble upon a new source. Change your conclusion. Realize your conclusion doesn’t match your introduction anymore. Change your introduction. Rearrange your paragraphs to match your new introduction. Check for run-on sentences. Explain confusing vocabulary words. Add a title. Put in a works cited page. Proofread. Are you tired yet? Writing is a lot. It’s not just one skill, and it’s not something we can just learn once and be done. This lesson helps you figure out how to focus your attention so that you do the higher order concerns (HOCs) before moving to the lower order concerns (LOCs).

Watch the Video

Get a Handout

Check your Understanding

Reflect on It

After learning about the “Making Stage” and the “Polishing Stage,” reflect on your own writing process.

How do you tend to write? Do you carefully plan your paper before you start using an outline and brainstorms? Or do you just dive in and start writing? Do you tend to have a lot of grammar and style errors to clean up at the end? Or do you write carefully from the start?

What do you think you could improve about your writing process? What do you think is working well?

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. This is just a reflection on your current practices and what you might like to do in the future.

(Tip: This prompt could be used as part of a discussion or as an informal writing prompt. If you write about it informally, remember the goal is to explore your thoughts, not to write perfectly polished sentences. Don’t worry if you have a misspelled word or put commas in the wrong place. Just focus on getting your ideas onto the page and really thinking about the questions.)