Writing process is a pedagogical term that appears in the research of Janet Emig who published The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders in 1971. The term marks a shift from examining the products of writing to the composing process of writers. This focus on process encourages composition students to see writing as an ongoing, recursive process from conception of the idea through publication. It asserts that all writing serves a purpose, and that writing passes through some or all of several clear steps. It was part of the general whole language approach, championed most prominently in Australia, New Zealand and the United States K-12 educational system.^{[citation needed]}

Generally the writing process is seen as consisting of six steps:

• Prewriting: planning, research, outlining, diagramming, storyboarding or clustering (for a technique similar to clustering, see mindmapping)
• Draft: initial composition in prose form
• Revision: review, modification and organization (by the writer)
• Editing: proofreading for clarity, conventions, style (preferably by another writer)
• Evaluation: By peers, teachers, and others.
• Publication: sharing the writing: possibly through performance, printing, or distribution of written material^[1][2][3][4]

These steps simplified for younger students, the above process is for secondary (and higher). The steps are performed in order, traditionally. Though this is not always the case with advanced writers. For example, the skills used in the prewriting process can be applied any time by writers seeking ideas throughout the process. It is not necessary to go through each step for every writing project attempted. The steps make up a recursive process.^[5]

The instructional theory behind the model is similar to new product development and life cycle theory, adapted to written works^{[citation needed]}. By breaking the writing cycle into discrete stages and focusing on strategies at each stage, it is hoped that writers will develop an appreciation for the process of seeing an idea through to successful completion in a logical way. Rather than presenting written works as acts of genius that emerge fully formed, they are shown as the result of several distinct and learnable skills.

Contents 1 See also 2 References 3 Selected Readings 4 External links

[edit] See also

• Writer's block
• Writing style
  • Style guide

[edit] References

[edit] Selected Readings

Elbow, Peter. Writing without Teachers 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, USA, 1998.

Murray, Donald. Writing to Learn 8th ed. Wadsworth. 2004

Pattison, Darcy. Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively.

[edit] External links

• Harvard student writing guides
• Resources for Writers, from MIT's Online Writing and Communication Center
• Writing Resources, from Princeton's Writing Center
• What Good Writers Know, from Yale's Writing Center
• BBC raw words guide to the writing process BBC raw - skills for everyday life