What is the Writing Process?

Frequently, when we have a document to write, we sit down, write the document, and send it off—to our instructor, to our professor, to our colleagues, to our employer, or to our client—without going through the writing process...or without recognizing that we worked through the writing process. But writing a document is a process, and writers who work through the process tend to write more effective documents that more efficiently and concisely communicate with the audience.

So what are the steps of this process? Below, I will briefly describe the writing process, breaking it into steps and addressing the importance of each step.

Please note that I am writing in the first person, but the writing process may also involve a team of writers who bring different skills and roles to the process. So this description may apply to a collaborative writing process rather than the work of one person. 

Brainstorming

 The writing process beings with a thought: what am I writing about. This thought requires that I evaluate the document I'm writing and the rhetorical situation for that document. Therefore, I must ask

• Who is my audience for this document? What demographic information do I have for my audience? What knowledge of this topic does the audience have? What potential biases does the audience have? (My description of the audience should be more than a simple answer. Instead, the answer should include information about the audience's expectations, needs, previous experiences, feelings, thoughts, biases, etc. I must also consider the audience's knowledge base about the topic and the audience's reading level, as well as other characteristics that will affect my tone, my voice, my writing level, my terminology use, etc.)
  
• For what purpose am I writing this document? Am I seeing to inform or to persuade? What outcome do I want? What outcome do I expect? Has the audience requested this document—i.e., is my audience agreeing with this purpose, or am I approaching the audience with no previous contact? (My purpose must be defined before I begin planning the document. The purpose will determine what type of document I'm writing—e.g., a white paper, a proposal, a feasibility report, a lab report, a travel report, a progress report, a research report—and may also involve the genre of document I use—e.g., a presentation, a voice message, a formal letter, a blog post, an e-mail, a text, a memorandum, a report.)
  
• What constraints or limitations must I consider in regard to this document? How will the audience accept and read the document? Will this be a virtual, oral, or print document? What does the audience expect? Should I consider color, visuals, binding, and other document elements?

Once I evaluate the specifics of the audience, purpose, and constraints for the document, I need to think through how I will execute the creation of this document.

Planning 

The second step is planning. In this step, I identify the timeline, the cost (if any), and the manpower needs for the production of the document. If I'm going to need a team to help me or to consult with a subject matter expert, I will, at this point, evaluate my needs and involve those other players. I also need to consider the audience's needs and the client's requirements at this point.

In the planning stage, I need to take notes. If I'm working with a team, we may have an agenda for our meetings or I may take minutes when we meet. The documentation at this stage in the process is important because I may later need this information to ensure that I stay on task.

Outlining

Once I have identified the details of the document and have planned the process to accomplish the document, I need to outline the actual document. This requires that I know at this point what genre of document I'm creating so I can establish the "skeleton" of the document. This skeleton will help me to create the organization and the navigation—headings and subheadings—of the document.

Researching and Drafting

After creating a framework for the document, I begin to research the topic about which I'm writing and putting information into that framework. At this point, I must ensure that I record the sources for my information. If I work efficiently, I will save links to and copies of resources and will create bibliographic entries as I go through this stage: so that in later stages of the process, I am able to correctly cite my sources and I can quickly create a list of citations.

Research is an important step in the process, and the value of sources is important to consider at this point. In an academic or industry-focused document, you should seek to use peer-reviewed resources for your research. Peer-reviewed resources are those that have been reviewed by recognized experts in the field who provide constructive criticism to the author(s) of the resource. Typically, I search for peer-reviewed sources via academic databases (available through my university's library)—like EBSCO or LexisNexis—or via Google Scholar (which you can find through Google under "other.")

As I research, I document my sources using American Psychological Association (APA) style for my in-text and end-of-text citations. APA style is most frequently used format in industry. (Other styles include the Modern Language Association [MLA], American Medical Association [AMA], Chicago, and Turabian styles.) APA style is easy to use. For in-text citations, include the author(s) last name and year of publication in the text with page or paragraph numbers for quotes or paraphrases—e.g., Jones, 2008, p. 67. For end-of-text citations, follow similar patterns for books, chapters, articles, Web sites, and government documents; that format is available through the APA Style Guide, which is currently in its 6th edition, but I sometimes visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Web site's APA pages for examples.

After finishing my research and putting information into the structure of the document, I draft, using the old/new pattern for each paragraph to ensure that my narrative flows and I transition well from sentence to sentence.

Refining and Editing

Once I create a full draft of my document, I put the document aside so I can come back to look at the document with fresh eyes. Sometimes, I wait 2 hours, but sometimes, I pause the writing process as much as a week so I can return to the document.

After I pause, I return to the document and begin to refine and edit my writing, ensuring that I do not have voids in the research or construction of the document. I spend time refining the entire document (the big picture) but I also consider each paragraph and each sentence (the small picture).

Peer Editing

Once I have refined the document as much as I can, I send the document to a colleague and ask for constructive criticism. I typically ask specific questions, such as

• Is the structure appropriate for this audience and purpose?
• Am I addressing all elements that I need in the document?
• Is the tone, voice, and writing level appropriate?
• What voids do you see in the document?
• How can I improve the document?
• Do you see any errors?

For larger documents, I typically ask two colleagues to review and peer edit my document. This allows me to triangulate the review (provide three perspectives) and thus to ensure that we catch all the issues present in the document.

I then take the peer comments and apply those to the document, revising and refining further to address any issues that my colleague(s) identifies.

Proofreading

Once I have refined the document, I proofread the document. Typically, my colleagues have caught the issues (spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and style issues) in the document, but I find that every writer needs one last chance to go over the document. I read the entire document, particularly for mechanics and style, and frequently, I read paragraphs backwards so I can catch misspelled words.

At this point, I also check all sources to ensure that I have an end-of-text citation for each source with an in-text citation. And I also proofread all citations to eliminate errors.

Sometimes, I proofread two or three times. Proofreading is important because errors affect the audience's view of me and can damage my credibility and reputation as a source. This step is vital for the production of an ethical and professional document.

Finalizing

Once I've proofread the document, I finalize the document. If the document is a print document, I print a test version and look through it for issues. Then, I print on high-quality paper and present it with appropriate binding or a folder.

If I am publishing an online document, I copy paste and doublecheck formatting at this point.

I always leave plenty of time for this step in the process because I have seen projects fall apart at this point.