4. Process Writing
You can’t just sit down and type a good
essay.
A quality essay is developed.
Generally, there are seven steps.
5. The Seven Steps
Adapted from
Great Writing 4: Great Essays, 4th edition, by Keith
Folse, 2014, NGL Cengage
6. All Seven
1. Topic
2. Brainstorm
3. Outline
4. First Draft
5. Feedback
6. Revise
7. Proofread
7. 1. Topic
Sometimes the teacher chooses
Sometimes the students chose
Be careful not to stray from your topic!
8. 2. Brainstorm
Busy, stressed students (and teachers)
want to skip this step.
Don’t skip it!
It helps produce thorough work efficiently.
9. 2.5 Thesis
Tells the reader what will be in the essay.
Feels like a mini-outline.
Concise summary of all of your content.
10. 3. Outline
Choose and organize your content
Benefits:
No grammar!
Few words to spell!
Easy to see organization
11. 4. First Draft
Outline sentences and paragraphs
Some grammar and spelling necessary
NOT time to be perfect
12. 5. Feedback
About content and organization
Focus / relevance?
Ideas make sense?
Logical order?
Good essays are easy to read. Listen to
your readers’ points of view.
13. 6. Revise
Choose what changes to make.
If you make a lot of changes, maybe you
will want more feedback now!
15. Important Notes!
Your first draft will not be perfect!
Your first draft and your final essay will look
very different!
Proofreading before your essay is mostly
finished will just waste your time.