1. Writing Processes & Strategies
Adapted from Exploring College Writing by Dan Melzer

2. Overview
Five myths about college writing
Understanding writing assignments
Finding topics
Drafting and revising
Editing and proofreading

3. Five Myths about College Writing
Processes
Myth #1: Good college writers create a perfect draft
on the first try.

4. Five Myths about College Writing
Processes
Myth #2: Successful college writers don’t need any
help during the writing process.

5. Five Myths about College Writing
Processes
Myth #3: Some people will never be good college
writers.

6. Five Myths about College Writing
Processes
Myth #4: You can use the same writing process for
every college writing assignment.

7. Five Myths about College Writing
Processes
Myth #5: Revising simply means changing a few words or
sentences.
A novice writer’s reflection on the revision process:
“I read what I have written and I cross out a word and put
another word in; a more decent word or a better word.”
An advanced writer’s reflection on the revision process:
“In one draft, I might cross out three pages, write two, cross
out a fourth, rewrite it, and call it a draft. I am constantly
writing and rewriting.”

8. Understanding Writing Assignments
Look for key verbs such as define, argue, compare,
summarize, and others.

9. Understanding Writing Assignments
Think about the genre of the writing assignment and
try to find examples of this kind of genre to use as
models.

10. Understanding Writing Assignments
Think about the intended audience.

11. Understanding Writing Assignments
Ask your peers and your instructor questions about
the writing assignment.

12. Understanding Writing Assignments
Collaborate with a tutor at the Write Place!

13. Finding Topics
Inventing a topic can be no easy task. Invention
techniques can help you select a topic before you
start writing or even after you’ve started drafting.

14. Finding Topics
Create an authority and interest list.
What are you an expert in/on? What are your major
interests? Can you connect your expertise with the
assignment or task?

15. Finding Topics
Use freewriting to generate topics.
Try blind writing with the computer screen turned off.
Try talking about your subject and recording while
you talk.
Surf the Internet and brainstorm topics.
Read and research to generate ideas for a topic.

16. Finding Topics
Meet with your instructor during office hours to
discuss topic ideas.
Visit the Write Place!
Narrow broad topics.
Use clustering to generate or narrow a topic.

17. Drafting and Revising
Write down what you already know about a topic and
what questions you have about a topic before you
begin drafting.
Write a “discovery draft,” a focused freewrite of an
entire draft in one sitting.
Try the talk-and-transcribe technique.
Don’t edit in early drafts.
Start with what you’re most interested in or confident
about writing.

18. Drafting and Revising
Remember the differences between revising and
editing/proofreading.
Give yourself time to look at what you’ve written with
a fresh eye.
Get feedback from your instructor.
Get feedback from your peers.
Get feedback from a tutor at the Write Place!

19. Editing and Proofreading
While revising means making big changes to your
essay (topic, organization, adding/removing
paragraphs, further research), editing means
focusing on sentence-level issues.
Read what you’ve written out loud or have someone
else read it to you out loud.
Find an outside reader (peer, family member, friend).
Keep an editing journal (record your trouble areas).

20. Editing and Proofreading
Work on patterns of error with your professor or a
tutor.
Read, read, read. The more you read, you will gain a
greater understanding of sentence structures,
vocabulary, and styles of writing used for different
purposes and situations.
Don’t be frustrated if you struggle with errors in your
college writing career.

21. References
Revised and adapted from:
Melzer, Dan. Exploring College Writing:
Reading, Writing, an Researching across the Curriculum.
Oakville, CT: Equinox, 2011. Print.