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1. AN OVERVIEW OF WRITING
& THE WRITING PROCESS

2. Speaking vs. Writing  Similar or Different?
 Is writing more formal? More accurate?
 Is writing a natural activity?
 Is writing a unique in that it expresses displacement
of space and time?

3. The Purpose of Writing
A clear purpose plays a significant role in writing
effectively. Here are some reasons why you may write:
 To express yourself
 To persuade
 To inform
 To entertain

4. The Audience in Writing
Imagine you share your experience in saving someone’s life
by performing CPR with three people: your father, your
best friend, and the admissions officer at your first-choice
college, how will you describe what happened?
 Will the description be the same for each person?
 Will you use the same word choices and tone?
 Audience and purpose not only determine how you
write; they shape your content, or what you write as well.
Therefore, the first step to writing better essays is to
understand who you are writing for and why you are
writing.

5. The Writing Process
Writing is a recursive process that involves at least
four distinct steps:
 Prewriting
 Drafting
 Revising
 Editing.

6. The Writing Process (Contd.)
Prewriting
Prewriting, the first step in the writing process, is
anything you do before you write a draft of your
document. It includes thinking, taking notes, talking to
others, brainstorming, outlining, gathering
information (e.g., interviewing people, researching in
the library, assessing data), and any other means to
focus your thoughts around your purpose for writing.

7. The Writing Process (Contd.)
Drafting
 Drafting occurs when you put your ideas into sentences
and paragraphs, concentrating upon explaining and
supporting your ideas fully, and connecting your ideas.
 This draft tends to be writer-centered: it is you telling
yourself what you know and think about the topic.
 You don’t need to pay much attention to such things as
spelling, but pay more attention to the purpose and focus
of your work.

8. The Writing Process (Contd.)
Revising
 Revision is the key to effective documents. Here you
think more deeply about your readers’ needs and
expectations.
 The document becomes reader-centered. How much
support will each idea need to convince your
readers? Which terms should be defined for these
particular readers? Is your organization effective? Do
readers need to know X before they can understand
Y?

9. The Writing Process (Contd.)
Editing
 Check for the development of any generalized ideas
and the supporting information, such as details,
illustrations, and examples.
 Check for such things as grammar, mechanics, and
spelling (i.e. fragments, run-on sentences, comma
splices, clichés, verb tenses, etc.)
 The paper is now ready for your readers to read.