Steps to the Writing Process
Someone has rightly said that writing is an art and can be accomplished with practice. Some people are born writers because writing comes naturally to them. They just have to hold a pen in their hand or place the fingers on the key board and thoughts pour on the piece of paper or a word file. Lucky them! But not of all of us can avail to this luxury. Yet, it is not even an impossible art to master. With regular practice and good command over the language, it is possible to create some good literature. The practice includes following the few steps to the writing process that makes your work comprehensive and readable.
There are times when we wish we had good writing skills. Be it elocution competitions, essay competitions, script writing for role plays, writing letters to the friends and family members, writing formal letters, expressing grievances, writing thank you notes, birthday wishes, and many more such moments where we need to have good writing abilities to convey the written message effectively. This article will share information on the basic steps to the writing process that would assist you in becoming a better writer. Given below are some of the writing fields that require different creative writing skills and abilities.
- Article Writing
- Letter Writing
- Song Writing
- Business Writing
- Copywriting
- Essay Writing
- Fiction Writing
- Content Writing
- Freelance Writing
- Technical Writing
- Resume Writing
- Persuasive Writing
- Script Writing
Thinking and Background Research: It is one of the most crucial steps to the writing process. You must start thinking deeply before you start writing about a particular topic. You also have to decide on the topic you are planning to write and how much information you are going to include about that topic in your writing piece. For example, if you want to write about flowers you must decide what you want to say about flowers. 'Flowers' is a broad topic and you need to narrow down the topic so that it becomes easy for you to write and simple for readers to comprehend.
You also need to find out the primary information about the topic so that you provide readers with the facts and not the false information. Look for books, personalities, and websites that can provide you the information. As you do the research, note down the source of information as well for further reference. You can consult your friends, parents, teachers, or experts about the topic. Before you start writing, you must decide your target reader and write accordingly.
Writing: Once you have all the raw material and sources available with you, it is important that you put that information in your own words. This step is certainly going to test your creativity so that you can create and generate the original content without copying anybody else's literature. This is one of the steps to the writing process that would give you a chance to develop your own writing style. It would also help you establish a good command over the language and the subject you are writing on. Once you are done with putting the issue in your own words, read the whole thing. Make sure it means what you are trying to say. Check if it conveys the right message. You can take the suggestion from your friends or parents regarding the same.
Rewriting: Even most of the established writers produce the great piece of writing after revising it many times. Revising the written material involves putting the information in a way that it makes sense to the reader. The flow of the article or written piece must have logical connections. This is one of the steps to the writing process that tests your analytical abilities and logic skills. You must present the information in a way that none of the lines or paragraphs look abrupt or unnecessary. You must put the ideas and thoughts in a proper order and flow so that it becomes readable for everyone. You have to rearrange, delete, or replace the sentences or paragraphs if they are not making sense or you may choose to improvise on the earlier literature. This procedure is also known as editing. Once you are done with the changes and additions, read out the piece again to make sure it is in sync.
Proofreading: It is one of the most important steps to the writing process that many people tend to neglect and avoid. But remember that readers are sharp and can catch smallest of the mistakes. So, it is important that you proofread the article thoroughly. Small spelling mistakes or punctuation mistakes create an impression of irresponsible and untidy writer. So make sure that you crosscheck all the spellings, grammar, format, capitalization, and punctuations meticulously. If you are not sure about a certain word then it is wise to refer to a standard dictionary or a thesaurus. Once you are sure all the things are correct, pass on the literature to someone else to proofread so that not even a minute mistake is left.
Publishing: Now here comes the cherry on the cake step where you are supposed to share your writing with others and win a lot of accolades from people who love reading good stuff. There are many ways you can publish your work. If you are participating in an essay competition then submit the neatly written work to the organizers. If writing is your hobby then preserve your written work in file or folder as a hard copy or on the computer. You can share these articles with your friends and family members. You can also think of publishing your work through school publications or various commercial magazines and books. You may also wish to start blogging or self publish the articles online on various websites. All these things will also help you share your writing with others and earn some bucks as well.
These were some of the essential steps to the writing process. Given below are some of the tips for the writing process that can help you make your writing effective:
- The introduction should be interesting and enticing so that the reader is encouraged or tempted to read further.
- The language should be artistic but not very difficult that can put off the reader. So use simple words and language.
- Make sure that the sentences are not very long and complicated.
- If possible, try to end the article on a thought provoking note so that the central issue or idea of your topic lingers in the mind of the reader.
- You must also check for the facts and figures you have used in the article or the essay.
