by Michele Van Pelt

Created on: March 07, 2010

The process approach to writing is based upon five steps that are taken while forming a well written composition.  The steps do not have to be completed in a specific order.  In other words, the first step does not have to be first but could occur first, third or at the same time as another step.  These five steps are:  prewriting, composing, revising, editing and publishing.

The first step that is part of the writing process is known as prewriting.  This is when most of the initial thought processes and paper preparation take place.  A student must choose a topic to write about.  Many times this can involve brainstorming in which a student thinks of several topics (or the class as a whole) and then he or she narrows down the topics based typically based upon prior knowledge.  Usually, if a student has some prior knowledge on a topic and is interested in this topic, the student will write a more interesting and effective paper. 

Another part of the prewriting process is the planning of the paper.  This can involve narrowing topics down even further.  If research needs to be done to complete the paper, it is typically completed during the planning phase also.  Brainstorming can also be utilized during the planning stage and can include clustering, freewriting and rehearsing.  Clustering is utilized to link like words or thoughts together about a topic.  A student would freewrite when he or she wants to put down words or phrases as they come to him or her about a particular topic without worrying about the proper order of these thoughts.  Rehearsing is a form of editing in which a student would think out in his or her head how he or she wants the paper to flow, be organized, etc.  It is really another form of composing.    

Prewriting is an important step in the paper writing process especially if a student is choosing a topic that he or she may have some prior knowledge on but not enough to write about.  It allows the student to gather ideas in a less regimented fashion in order to write a more effective paper.

The second step of the writing process is composing.  Composing is the actual writing process of the paper.  The student puts down on paper his or her thoughts about the topic and begins to build a logical, flowing paper.  Composing can include a first draft and a final draft or several drafts before the final draft is reached.  Obviously,

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