Lesson 1.2B: Introduction to the Writing Process
 The previous lesson focused on four different writing modes, briefly describing each and outlining in what type of situation you might use each of them. Deciding which writing mode you want to use is an important step in the writing process. This is called "finding your purpose."
The next step, once you've identified your purpose, is to generate ideas. There are a number of ways you can do this. Some common ways are listing ideas, or putting ideas in a web or mind map. You might talk to someone else to brainstorm ideas or even do some research.
Once you've generated some ideas on a topic, you need to sort through them and begin to organize these ideas into a logical sequence. This is how you give a shape, a structure to your writing.
In this lesson, we're going to focus on the paragraph, specifically the first stage in the writing process - the pre-writing, or what you do before you actually begin writing the paragraph itself.
Getting Started, Giving Yourself a Focus
Giving yourself a focus is a very important part of getting started in any writing project. If you've ever had your writing stall, and were unsure where to go with it or what to say, if you've ever found yourself staring at a blank page hoping the words would magically appear on the page, you've had WRITER'S BLOCK. All writers get this, so don't think you're the only one. A common reason for getting writer's block is because you probably don't know what you want to say or write. This could be because you didn't give yourself a plan for writing. If you have a plan, especially a plan that you've put on paper, you are less likely to have writer's block than if you have no plan at all. Once you have a plan, an excellent way of getting ready to write is to generate ideas. There are a number of ways to do this: brainstorming, mapping, or listening.
Go to "The Writing Process" in Writing on the Run! and read the sections titled "Pre-write" and "Write."
Discussion Prompt |
Identify and think about two methods you use to prepare for a writing project that were not discussed in Writing on the Run! |
Guidelines for contribution:
Respond to at least one other post and explain whether or not you would try that person's writing suggestions. Click here to make your journal entry.
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 Now complete Section Assignment 1.2A: Getting Ready to Write. Click here to download the assignment template.
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Summary
Completing this lesson has helped you to:
- use a variety of strategies to generate ideas for writing
- collect information prior to writing
- organize ideas before writing
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