Chapter Two

The Writing Process

COLLEGE WRITING SKILLS
JOHN LANGAN
 Prewriting Techniques

1. Freewriting
2. Questioning
3. Making a List
4. Diagramming
5. Preparing a Scratch Outline
 Freewriting
 Write nonstop for ten minutes and jot down in rough
sentences or phrases everything that comes to mind
about a possible topic.

There are lots of things I get annoyed by. One of them is

politishans, in fact I am so annoyed by them the last thing I
want is to write about them. Another thing that bothers me
is noisy people at the movies. I used to love the movies….
Freewriting
 Do not worry (yet) about spelling,
grammar and punctuation.

[. . .] There are lots of things I get annoyed by.

One of them is politishans. [. . .]

 Just explore your topic

 Questioning ???
Ask as many questions as you can think of
about your subject.
Why?
When?
Where?
What?
Who?
How?
 Making a List
(aka “brainstorming”)
 Collect a list of ideas and details that relate to your
subject.
 Do not worry about the order of the items on your
list.
 Traffic is bad between my house and theatre
 Noisy patrons
 Don’t want to run into Jeremy
 Hard to be on a diet
 Diagramming
(aka “clustering” or “mapping”)
 Write your subject in the center of a blank sheet of
paper.
 Jot down ideas and details around the subject.
 Use lines, boxes, arrows and circles to show
relationships among ideas and details.
 Diagramming
Traffic getting
to theater Line at
box office Might see
old boyfriend
Too many people

Moviegoing
Temptations
Noisy People
Adults
Chocolate Teenagers
Popcorn
bars
Yelling Coughing Telling Plot
Showing off
and sneezing
 Preparing a Scratch Outline

Think carefully about:

The point you are making
The supporting items for that point
The order in which you will arrange
those items
 Writing a First Draft

Your Goals:
State your thesis clearly.
Develop the content of paper with
plenty of specific details.
 Revision

Set your draft aside for a while.

Work from typed or printed text.
Read your draft aloud.
Add your thoughts and changes above
the lines or in the margins of your paper.
3 Stages to the Revising Process

Revising content
Revising sentences
Editing
Revising Content

Unity
Thesis must be clearly stated
in introductory paragraph.
Supporting paragraphs must
back up thesis.
 Revising Content

Support
 At least three separate points
must support the thesis.
Plenty of specific evidence must
be provided for each supporting
point.
Revising Content

Make sure you have:

an interesting introduction
a solid conclusion
an accurate title
a clear method of organization
transitions and connecting words
 Revising Sentences

 Use parallelism to balance words and ideas.

 Keep voice and tense consistent
 Avoid slang, clichés, pretentious language, and wordiness.
 Use active verbs.
 Vary your sentences
 Editing

Check for and correct errors in:

grammar
punctuation
spelling