Writing Process

Writing is not a "sit-down-just-before-the-deadline-and-do-it-all-at-once" activity. Rather, it is a multi-stage activity, and a college writing class expects that you will take time to plan, draft, and revise each assignment before.

Planning -- Choosing a Focus

Exploring your Ideas
The course will ask you to experiment with different methods of exploring through writing, such as brainstorming, idea-mapping, and freewriting.  We'll go through each of those strategies in class, though you're welcome to try them on your own. (See section 2b in SF Writer.)

Drafting --  Giving Form to Your Ideas
Your writing task is not finished once you get to 200 words. College writing students are expected to make occasional mid-course corrections to stay on track, and frequent hairpin turns in order to follow an idea that heads off in an unexpected direction.

You won't be able to cover every possible answer to the prompts in just 200 words.  Try jotting down your reactions to each prompt, and see which one sparks your creativity the most.  Choose that prompt as your topic, and determine what your answer will be. 

Rather than wasting 20 words repeating or rephrasing the question, just focus on giving the answer.  

Revising -- Seeing Again, Building on Strengths
Once you have a decent draft, try putting it aside and coming back the next day. You might also try

• trading drafts with a classmate and exchanging ideas (this is perfectly acceptable in a writing class)
• asking someone else to read your draft to you

Find some way to help you step back from the act of composition, and take on the role of the critical reader, so that you can focus on making the approach you've chosen as effective as possible.