MODULE: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Chapter 4: The Writing Process

Objectives:
a. Illustrate that writing is a process and that re-writing is part of that process.
b. Write an academic paper following the writing process.

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The Writing Process

The Pre-Writing Process

The writing process consists of different stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, and
editing. Prewriting is the most important of these steps. Pre-writing is the "generating
ideas" part of the writing process when the student works to determine the topic and the
position or point-of-view for a target audience. Pre-writing should be offered with the time
necessary for a student to create a plan or develop an outline to organize materials for
the final product.
The pre-writing stage could also be dubbed the "talking stage" of writing.
Researchers have determined that talking plays an important role in literacy. Andrew
Wilkinson (1965) coined the phrase oracy, defining it as "the ability to express oneself
coherently and to communicate freely with others by word of mouth." Wilkinson explained
how oracy leads to increased skill in reading and writing. In other words, talking about a
topic will improve the writing. This connection between talk and writing is best expressed
by the author James Britton (1970) who stated: "talk is the sea upon which all else floats.”

Prewriting Methods
There are a number of ways that students can tackle the prewriting stage of the
writing process. Following are a few of the most common methods and strategies that
students can use.

1. Brainstorming - Brainstorming is the process of coming up with as many ideas as

possible about a topic without being worried about the feasibility or whether an
idea is realistic or not. A list format is often the easiest to organize. This can be
done individually and then shared with the class or done as a group. Access to this
list during the writing process can help students make connections they may want
to use later in their writing.

2. Freewriting - The free write strategy is when your students write whatever comes
into their mind about the topic at hand for a specific amount of time, like 10 or 15
minutes. In a free write, students should not worry about grammar, punctuation, or
spelling. Instead, they should try and come up with as many ideas as they possibly
can to help them when they get to the writing process.

3. Mind Maps - Concept maps or mind-mapping are great strategies to use during
the pre-writing stage. Both are visual ways to outline information. There are many
varieties of mind maps that can be quite useful as students work in the prewriting
stage. Webbing is a great tool that has students write a word in the middle of a
sheet of paper. Related words or phrases are then connected by lines to this

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original word in the center. They build on the idea so that, in the end, the student
has a wealth of ideas that are connected to this central idea. For example, if the
topic for a paper were the role of the US President, the student would write this in
the center of the paper. Then as they thought of each role that the president fulfills,
they could write this down in a circle connected by a line to this original idea. From
these terms, the student could then add supporting details. In the end, they would
have a nice roadmap for an essay on this topic.

4. Drawing/Doodling - Some students respond well to the idea of being able to

combine words with drawings as they think about what they want to write in the
prewriting stage. This can open up creative lines of thought.

5. Asking Questions - Students often come up with more creative ideas through the
use of questioning. For example, if the student has to write about Heathcliff's role
in Wuthering Heights, they might begin by asking themselves some questions
about him and the causes of his hatred. They might ask how a 'normal' person
might react to better understand the depths of Heathcliff's malevolence. The point
is that these questions can help the student uncover a deeper understanding of
the topic before they begin writing the essay.

6. Outlining - Students can employ traditional outlines to help them organize their
thoughts in a logical manner. The student would start with the overall topic and
then list out their ideas with supporting details. It is helpful to point out to students
that the more detailed their outline is from the beginning, the easier it will be for
them write their paper.

The Drafting Process:

Developing Your Thesis Statement

What you have written in the after-reading part in the earlier activity could already
be developed as your thesis statement. A thesis statement is the claim or stand that you
will develop in your paper. It is the controlling idea of your essay. It gives your readers
idea of what your paper is all about.
A strong thesis statement usually contains an element of uncertainty, risk, or
challenge (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 200634). This means that your thesis statement
should offer a debatable claim that you can prove or disprove in your essay. The claim
should be debatable enough to let your readers agree or disagree with you.
Your thesis statement should not merely announce something or state a fact.
'Women and men are born to perform specific roles" is not a good thesis statement
because there is nothing to contest in that statement it is just stating that women and men
have specific roles to perform. You should give your thesis tension by introducing ideas

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that may challenge your reader's views. Your analysis of your readers will be of help here.
For instance, the sample thesis statement given earlier could be improved into: "Although
there seem to be specific roles assigned to women and men, those roles should never
dictate nor limit women and men to do other things that are beyond their assigned roles?
This thesis statement challenges the stereotypical roles assigned to women or men, and
not everyone may agree to it so this is something that you can explore in your paper.
Also, you will have to gather evidence in order for you to back up your thesis statement.

Organizing Your Paper

Your next task as a writer is to support your thesis statement with sufficient
evidence, data, and examples. Some people think that this is where the "real- writing
begins because this is where you will support your thesis statement and expound on it as
well.
As a writer, your main aim is to organize your ideas in a logical order. Organizing
your ideas means finding the connections of one point to another and establishing a link
from one idea to another. The challenge for you as the writer is to be able to "weave back
and forth between generalizations and specifics" (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 2006:40).
Some writers start organizing their draft by making an outline. Outlining is an
effective way of ensuing the logical flow of your ideas. You may opt to use the standard
outline complete with roman numerals and indentions or you may use lists, diagrams, or
maps.
You start your essay with writing the introduction. The introduction for academic
essay provides a background of your topic, poses a question regarding the topic, explains
how the question is problematic and significant, and gives the writer's thesis statement.
After this one- or two-paragraph introduction to your essay, develop the body of
your essay. This is where the bulk of the essay is found and where you develop an answer
or propose a solution to the thesis statement that you have given in the introduction. You
can outline your main points before writing the body of the essay. In the body, you have
to support your main points and include the other details that would support your thesis
statement.
Your conclusion should bring together the points made in your paper and
emphasize your final point. The conclusion may also leave a thought-provoking idea that
you wish your audience to consider. Do not just summarize your main points; make sure
that you synthesize your main points and emphasize your thesis statement. Remember
not to open a new topic in the conclusion.

The Post-Writing Process

According to Murray (2005), "Writing is revising." Columnist Ellen Goodman
(quoted in Nadell, Langan, and Comodromos 2005:60) seems to echo that statement
when she said that 'What makes [her] happy is rewriting.... It's like cleaning house, getting

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rid of all the junk, getting things in the right order, tightening up.' These are professional
writers, yet they acknowledge the necessity to review and revise their work.

I. Revision
Revision is the general process of going back through your whole draft, from start
to end, and improving on or clarifying your subject’s meaning. This includes adding in,
taking out, moving around, and polishing certain parts of your draft to make a much more
understandable and easier for reading.
Revision focuses on the bigger picture of your draft.

II. Editing
Editing (Proofreading) is the more meticulous process of clarifying meaning by
revising each word and line of your draft. This includes working on grammatical principles
such as subject-verb agreement, verb tense, noun and pronoun usage, prepositions, and
sentence transitions; and typographical matters such as punctuation, spelling, and
capitalization.
Editing focuses on its finer details, making sure every word contributes precise
meaning to your writing subject.

Just like Murray and Goodman, you also have to keep in mind that writing is a work
in progress; it cannot be perfected all at once. You have to go through the process of
writing as we mentioned earlier.
There are two processes involved in post-writing: revising and editing. According
to Murray (2005:273), revising is re-seeing the entire draft so that the writer can deal with
the large issues that must be resolved before he or she deals with the line-by-line, word-
by-word issues involved in editing?
Murray (2005:273-275) provided this checklist for revising:

Subject
• Do I have something to say?
• Are there readers who need to hear what I have to say?
Focus
• Does the draft make a clear dominant point? Are there clear, appropriate
limits to the draft that include what needs to be included and exclude what
is unnecessary? Authority
• Are the writer's credentials to write this draft established and clear?
Context
• Is the context of the draft clear?
Voice
• Does the draft have an individual voice?
• Is the voice appropriate to the subject?

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• Does the voice support and extend the meaning of the draft?
Reader
• Can you identify a reader who will need to read the draft?
• Are the reader's questions answered where they will be asked?
• Does the draft fulfill the reader's expectations of that form?
Structure
• Will the lead attract and hold a reader?
• Does each point lead to the next point?
• Does each section support and advance the meaning?
• Is the reader's hunger for specific information satisfied?
Documentation
• Does each reader have enough evidence to believe each point in the draft?
Quantity
• Where does the draft need to be developed?
• Where does it need to be cut?

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Use the following marks as a guidelines for proofreading:

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EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

For further reading please refer to the link provided:
Pre-Writing
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq2sF4GTQgM
Pre-Writing Strategies
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQJSrQT9loI
The Writing Process
• https://coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/writing/02/pre
-writing.php
• https://coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/writing/02/duri
ng-writing.php
• https://coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/writing/02/pos
t-writing.php

Book
Saqueton, Grace M. & Uychangco, Marikit Tara A. 2016
English for Academic & Professional Purposes.
Quezon City: REX book Store Inc. REX Knowledge Center.

Online Source
https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/writing-process/
https://library.defiance.edu/writingprocess/writingprocess

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