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Notes # _____________
Ch. 1 Exploring the Writing Process

Did you know that the ability to write well characterizes the most successful college students and employees—in fields from education tomedicine to computer science? Skim the job postings in career fields that interest you and notice how many stress “excellent writing and communication skills.” Furthermore, reading and writing enrichour daily lives; in surveys, adults always rate reading, writing, and speaking well as the most important life skills a person can possess. With the help of this course, you should become a moreskilled, powerful, and confident writer. You will see that writing is not a magic ability only a few are born with, but a life skill that can be learned.


A. The Writing Process
Many people have themistaken idea that good writers simply sit down and write out a perfect letter, paragraph, or essay from start to finish. In fact, writing is a process consisting of a number of steps:
(1)prewriting, (2) writing, and (3) revising.


The Writing Process
(1) Prewriting
Thinking about possible subjects
Freely jotting ideas on paper or computer
Narrowing the subject and writing your mainidea in one sentence
Deciding which ideas to include
Arranging ideas in a plan or outline

(2) Writing
Writing the fi rst draft

(3) Revising
Rethinking, rearranging, and revising asnecessary
Writing one or more new drafts
Proofreading for grammar and spelling errors


Not all writers perform all the steps in this order, but most prewrite, write, and revise. Actually, writingcan be a messy process of thinking, writing, reading what has been written, and rewriting. Sometimes steps overlap or need to be repeated. The important thing is that writing the first draft is justone stage in the process. “I love being a writer,” jokes Peter De Vries. “What I can’t stand is the paperwork.”

Good writers take time at the beginning to prewrite—to think, jot ideas, and plan...