2.6: Getting READY TO WRITE- The P.O.W.E.R. Writing Process

Portland Community College via OpenOregon

In this course, you will focus on both the process of writing and the product of writing. That’s because writing is recursive. Recursive means circling back and repeating some steps in the process. As many people say, “good writing comes from rewriting.” It’s more than sitting down and typing something. Please avoid the “one and done” attitude (writing one draft and stopping). That approach will not help you now, and it will not help you in the future.

You have the P.O.W.E.R.

No two people follow exactly the same writing process. However, there is a basic pattern that is useful for any student of writing. You can remember the steps by its initials: P.O.W.E.R. And it is a method that gives you — as the writer — the power to not only write faster, but also to write so that others can better understand your meaning.

P = Prewriting

Collect your information. This might mean making a list, drawing a mind map, or free-writing. However, it might also mean more formal research at the library or online. (Important: If you use information from another source such as a book or website, remember to save the details about that source so that you can tell your reader where the information came from.)

O = Organization

Now you need to take those pieces of information — the combination of your research and what you know — and create a map of your essay. This might be a formal outline. It might be a graphic organizer. It might even be a simple list of information with similar items grouped together or put in order. This is when you can check for missing information and also start to see the flow of your essay.

W = Writing

This is when you fill in the gaps. Add as many supporting details as you can: descriptions, facts, figures, reasons, explanations, definitions, etc. Write as much as you can. Don’t worry yet if it is good. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, or word count. The point of this step is to get everything from your mind to the paper so that you can work with it later.

E = Evaluate

Now is the time to stop and think more critically about what you write. Ask yourself these questions:

• Did I explain everything in detail?

• Is everyone related to my topic?

• Does it flow well? Is everything in a logical order or sequence?

• Does it make sense?

• Have I cited my sources? In other words, have I told my readers where I got my information?

The best feedback comes from your readers, so share your work with your peers (classmates) and your teacher and/or visit a tutor. Get as much feedback from them as possible — and then decide which changes are necessary and which depend on your style. However, in this step, remember to focus on content and organization.

R = Revising and Editing

This step has two parts: revising and editing.

Rewriting makes big changes — and that’s OK! You can add, delete, or move words, sentences, or even whole paragraphs! This is a natural part of the writing process.

When you think you have finished, then it’s time for editing. In this phase, you look at the little things: grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and formatting. Follow the instructions on the assignment sheet to make sure that your essay looks as good as the information it contains.

Attribution:

"2.6: GETTING READY TO WRITE- The P.O.W.E.R. Writing Process" was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Timothy Krause (OpenOregon) via "Synthesis: Integrated writing skills for advanced students of ESOL" that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform and is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Adapted by Laura Paciorek.