A Closer Look at the Steps:

1. Prewriting

You’re ready to start writing. So why has that blank page been staring back at you for the past hour? Prewriting identifies everything you need to do before you sit down to start your rough draft.

• Find Your Idea Ideas are all around you. You might draw inspiration from a routine, an everyday situation or a childhood memory. Alternatively, keep a notebook specifically devoted to catching your ideas as they come to you. Your own imagination is the only limit to finding your source of inspiration.
• Build On Your IdeaTwo of the most popular methods of fleshing out your idea are free writing and brainstorming. Free writing means writing every idea that comes into your head. Do not stop to edit your mistakes, just let the ideas flow. Or, try brainstorming. If you're on a computer, try a manual process first to help you visualize your narrative: write your idea in the center of the page and work outwards in all of the different directions you can take your story.
• Types of Prewriting

*Brainstorming

*Webbing/Clustering/Mapping

*Freewriting

*Interest Inventory

*Picture Prompt

*Graphic Organizers

• Plan and StructurePiecing the puzzle together comes next. It's time to sort through your ideas and choose which ones you will use to form your story. Make sure you keep your notes even after your book is published – there may be the seeds for your next story as well.

TPAPT or RAFT

TPAPT

Topic – What are you talking about? Where are you going?

Purpose – Why are you writing? What are you trying to do?

Audience - Who are you writing to/for?

POV (Point of View) – 1^st/2^nd/3^rd person? Needs to fit your purpose.

Tone – Emotion you are writing with. Also needs to fit your purpose.

RAFT

R- a role from which to do the writing. The role may be as simple as self or as remote as that of an inanimate object. Roles should be chosen from those that exist within the realms of the real or vicarious experience of the student.

A- an audience for whom the writing is intended. Students need to write for audiences other than the teacher. The audiences for student writing may range from self to peers to the general public. Variation in audiences causes the student to vary the form and the level of the language used to express meaning.

F- a format in which to write. Students need to experiment with a variety of formats. Writing formats should include typical school writing formats, but can also include as many type of "real life" writing as possible.

T- a topic about which to write. Topics should relate to the role and audiences selected.

2. Writing

Now you have your plan and you’re ready to start writing. Remember, this is your first rough draft. Forget about word count and grammar. Don’t worry if you stray off topic in places; even the greatest writers produce multiple drafts before they produce their finished manuscript. Think of this stage as a free writing exercise, just with more direction. Identify the best time and location to write and eliminate potential distractions. Make writing a regular part of your day.

3. Revision

Your story can change a great deal during this stage. When revising their work, many writers naturally adopt the A.R.R.R. approach:

• Add: The average novel has between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Does your book have enough words to be considered a novel? Have you given your readers all the information they need to make sense of your story? If not, go back to your notebook that you kept for additional scenes and any additional details.
• Rearrange: Consider the flow, pacing and sequencing of your story. Would the plot be better served if some of the events occur in a different order?
• Remove: After making additions to your story, how is your word count now? Are your readers experiencing information overload? You may need to eliminate passages that don’t quite fit.
• Replace: The most effective way to revise your work is to ask for a second opinion. Do you need more vivid details to help clarify your work? Is one scene contradicting another? Ask friends or fellow writers to take a look and give you feedback, and if something isn’t working rewrite it and replace it.

4. Editing

You have overhauled your story. It’s time to fine tune your manuscript line by line. Check for repetition, clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Editing is an extremely detailed process and its best when performed by a professional. You can hire your own editor or utilized the editing services available through LifeRich Publishing. Nobody wants to read a book that is full of mistakes, and they certainly won’t buy a book that is riddled with them.

5. Publishing

You now have a completed manuscript ready to publish.

Final Draft

*Double-spaced with 1 inch margins all around

*Typed

*Black ink

*Times New Roman font with 12 pt. Type size

*Name/teach/class/date in top left corner