I-10. Explain the writing process.

1. Prewriting: Also known as brainstorming, this is where the author decides on a topic to write about and additional ideas under that topic to discuss. The additional ideas should all be ones that support or enhance the main topic of the paper. Deciding the layout and format of the piece is also considered at this step. The author decides what type of material is going to be written, who the audience will be and what type of layout is appropriate. 2. Drafting: The author writes down a rough draft of the piece. All of the ideas that were generated in the prewriting stage should be placed in the rough draft. Elements such as grammar and spelling should be disregarded at this stage since the author is just attempting to get all his/her thoughts on paper. 3. Revising: All of the ideas that were written in the rough draft can be moved and rearranged at this stage. The author can read through the piece and decide one idea should be at the end rather than the beginning. Ideas can be replaced, moved, or added as needed. This stage only deals with the big picture of the piece and its ideas. 4. Editing: Once the author has placed the ideas in order, editing can begin. Editing focuses on the technical aspect of the piece. Spelling, grammar, word choice, and repetition of words are examined during the editing stage. Editing requires the author to go through each word and sentence of the piece and determine if everything is correct and sounds good to the reader. 5. Publishing: Publishing can mean something different depending on the piece that was written. For professional authors, it means getting their work published somewhere, book, magazine, or article. For students, publishing means creating a final copy of their work in a neat and colorful way. Students can either nicely handwrite their work or have it printed on a computer for a more professional look. A cover page can be included as well.