Lesson One

LESSON ONE

Like most things in life, writing is easier, more complete, and fun when you follow a process.  Having a plan and following a process helps you to communicate better and helps your readers enjoy what you have written. 

In this Unit, you will learn how to write a simple prewriting and then move from the prewriting to an outline.  Both prewriting and outlining will help you to organize your thoughts logically.  You will learn about prewriting strategies such as brainstorming, cubing, free writing, T-notes, etc.   

In this Unit you will also review paragraph outlining and the parts of a paragraph outline. To outline a paragraph means to give the main features of a paragraph using headings and subheadings which summarize the important points.  When you know how to write an outline, it will make your writing much easier and more fun. 

An outline assists you in pre-planning your writing.  It helps you to organize your ideas and details into groups so that your writing will make sense to the readers.  If you write an outline before you write a final composition, you will find that your thoughts are better organized. An outline is similar to a blueprint that a person uses to build a house.  In other words, outlining is simply an organizational tool with certain simple formatting rules.

The writing process with its six steps will help you to make your writing easier for readers to follow.  There must be a plan, some preparation, goals, and basic steps when writing.  So get ready, get set, WRITE!

THE BASIC STEPS OF WRITING

To become a good writer and to communicate effectively to your readers, there are basic steps that you must take in the process of writing.  As with most things that a person does in life, planning helps things to go more smoothly.  The basic steps that all writers should take include:

Prewriting 

Prewriting includes finding a topic to write about, finding a goal or the reason for writing, recognizing your readers (or audience), collecting supporting details and information, and deciding on the best way to communicate all of this to your readers.  Prewriting requires various skills such as brainstorming, cubing, freewriting, T-notes, and other activities. 

Outlining 

An outline assists you in pre-planning your writing.  It helps you to organize your ideas and details into groups so that your writing will make sense to the readers.  If you write an outline before you write a final composition, you will find that your thoughts are better organized. An outline is similar to a blueprint that a person uses to build a house. 

Rough Draft 

After you have planned and organized the details and ideas in an outline, you will need to write a rough draft, or a first version.   

Editing/Revising 

The step of editing/revising is very important because when you read through your rough draft, you will think of many things that you needed to say differently. You will see statements which needed to be clarified or phrased differently. You will also find careless spelling and grammar errors which you will want to change. It is a wise idea to read your rough draft out loud to someone to make sure that each and every statement is written the way you intended it to be written.  Hearing your paper read out loud may cause you to locate passages which do not flow smoothly.   

Final Copy 

After you have made the necessary revisions to your rough draft, you will create the final copy from your rough draft.  The final copy will have all mistakes corrected. 

YOUR PURPOSE FOR WRITING 

Before you begin to write, you need to decide what the purpose of your composition is to be. There are four basic purposes and reasons why writers write.  They are as follows:  

• to create  

• to express   

• to inform  

• to persuade 

Please read the details of each basic purpose below: 

To Create 

Writing is an art.  When you write, you are using words to create a picture.  Some creative writings include poems, stories, plays, movies, and songs.   

To Express 

Writing helps you to express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  Writing is therapeutic and helps you to relax, to work things out, and to “get it off your chest."  Writing is fun! 

To Inform 

The art of writing can also be practical and informative.  To explain, inform, list, and give facts and information are just a few of the reasons for doing an informative writing. 

To Persuade 

Writing can be used to persuade, or to convince, your readers to take your side on certain topics.  You may use writing to convince your audience to take action or to believe the way you believe.