Writing with Style Writing and Style Manual 
Poway Unified School District

THE WRITING PROCESS

Pre-writing |  Drafting |  Revising | Editing |  Publishing

There are five basic stages that we go through when we write.  

1. Pre-writing 

2.  Drafting

3.  Revising

4. Editing

5.  Publishing

However, it is very important to realize that these are stages, not independent steps.  Depending on the writing task and the situation, you may follow these stages in order from start to finish, or you might find yourself going back and revisiting these stages several times before you are done.  Also, you will not take every piece of writing you do through all of these stages.  

Stage 1:  Pre-writing

Before you sit down to write something, you need to figure out what you are going to write about.  Most of us start with a topic, and then decide what we have to say about this topic.  For an essay, you might generate a “working thesis” or a main idea that you would like to explore, and then start collecting information and ideas that relate to that idea.   

Ways to Generate Ideas

• freewrite or use a journal
• collect and review class or reading notes
• review assignments and discussion questions
• use graphic organizers, like Venn diagrams
• participate in class or small group discussions
• talk out ideas with a partner
• determine who, what, where, when, why, and how
• determine what you already know and what you still need to learn about your topic
• do some research to learn more information

Ways to Plan Your Writing

• create a cluster, diagram, or web
• make an outline
• identify pros and cons
• list supporting arguments
• sort and organize note cards by topic  

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Stage 2:  Drafting

Once you have planned out your ideas, the next step is to start drafting, or writing.  As you write, keep referring back to your notes and the plan that you determined in Stage 1, but don’t be afraid to change the plan when needed.  During the drafting stage, you should concentrate on organizing your information logically and developing your topic with enough detail for your audience and purpose. See the Organizing Writing section for more information.

As you work, keep the following things in mind:

Drafts are for the writer:

Our brain processes information as we write things down.  You will find yourself making connections and discovering new ideas as you are writing your first drafts.  When this happens, you should go back to the planning stage (Stage 1) to work in these new ideas. You may even need to change your thesis or the angle you are taking on the topic.

Drafts are not perfect:    

Because you are really drafting for yourself, to understand your ideas and put them into words, you might be unhappy with your early results.  Don’t agonize over every word and sentence because you’ll give yourself writer’s block!  You will never send off a draft to your audience without at least SOME sort of revision or at least editing.  Just get some words down on paper even if they sound silly or awkward. You can always go back and fix it later – that’s what revision is for.

Drafting takes time:  

The more complicated your writing task is, the more time you should allow yourself for drafting.  As you discover new ideas and connections, you need the time to incorporate them into your plan!  Don’t procrastinate, and don’t feel that you have to finish your whole paper in one sitting.  

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Stage 3:  Revising

What is revision?  

If drafting is for the writer, revision is for the reader.  During revision you consider your writing from your audience’s point of view.  In fact, to revise means literally to “re-see” or “re-look” at your writing. When you revise, you are looking at the parts of your document and making sure that each part works together to make a coherent whole.  You may need to change the order of your information, expand certain sections, or cut details in others.  Often, you will need to go back to the drafting stage and re-work parts of your paper.  Revising is NOT editing!  Save the spelling, grammar, and sentence fixes for later.   

 Most writers find it helpful to have someone else read their writing at this stage. A reader who is unfamiliar with your document can help you identify which parts are working and which parts are still unclear.  

Revising for Audience:

• Is the level of detail appropriate for my audience (not too general or too specific)?

• Are my ideas presented in a logical order that will be evident to the reader? 

• Do I use clear transitions to help the reader follow my train of thought?  

• Are my sentences clear and specific?  

• Do I say what I mean and mean what I say? 

• Is my tone and style appropriate for my audience?  

Revising for Purpose:

• Is my purpose clearly stated for the reader?

• Do I clearly maintain that purpose throughout the document?

• Does all of my supporting information clearly relate to my purpose?

• Do I organize my ideas to best fulfill my purpose?

Revising for Form:

• Do I follow the established form of the document I am writing?

• Do I separate ideas into paragraphs with clear topic sentences?

• Do I maintain a balance among my points, developing each to the same extent?

Stages 1-3 are not independent steps but rather stages within a cyclical process. Good writers move back and forth between planning, drafting, and revising many times during the course of creating a single document.  

Stage 4:  Editing

While revision focuses mainly on making your content clear for your reader, editing focuses on making your document meet the conventions of standard written English.  During the editing stage, check the following:  grammar sentence structure  word choice  punctuation  capitalization  spelling  citation and document format

Computers aren't perfect While spell-check and grammar-check programs are helpful to identify errors, they are not foolproof.  Spell-check programs will not catch mistakes where you have used the wrong word, for example.  Grammar-check programs may help identify fragments and run-ons, but sometimes the corrections they advise are simply wrong.

See the sections on Solving Writing Problems, Mechanics, and MLA Format for specifics.  

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Stage 5:  Publishing

Writing is communication—if you have written something, you must have intended for someone to read it, even if that person is only yourself.  When you publish a document, you are releasing it to the public for others to read.  Not all of your writing will be taken through the publishing stage, but even turning a paper in to your teacher constitutes “publishing.” Ways to publish your writing include:

Updated 06/23/03 by D.Hogan
Poway Unified School District
©February 2003