Writing a college essay can be a very difficult task. However, there are techniques to
help make this task easier. The writing process is a three stage approach to planning
and creating a college essay. These stages are known as prewriting, writing, and
revising. If a student follows this process, she will write a good paper.
The first stage of the writing process is called prewriting. There are five prewriting
techniques that help writers to understand the topic and purpose of the writing
assignment and limit the topic to a manageable and appropriate idea. The techniques are
brainstorming, freewriting, diagramming, making a list, and preparing an outline. In
brainstorming, you generate ideas for you writing. A writer might view a film and
discuss or write their impressions, write a list of ideas for an essay, or discuss a
topic with a group of students. You might ask yourself some questions such as What? Why?
When? Where? How? and Who? In freewriting, you write non-stop about a subject for a
certain amount of time. Spelling or punctuation, mistakes, and finding exact words do
not matter. It helps you to get a clearer picture of what you are trying you say.
Diagramming is helpful for people who think in a visual way. You can put your idea in a
circle or block and branch off examples or other ideas pertaining to it. The fourth
technique is making a list. You list as many items you can that has a relation to your
topic. Your goal is to make details and to gather as much material as possible so you
have something to start with when you go to write your paper. The last technique is
preparing an outline. The thesis statement is clearly stated on the outline and a
specific outline format is followed. Outlining gives you a sense of organization and
allows you to see quickly if you have enough support for your ideas. After the writer is
done prewriting, she moves on to the next step.
The second stage for the writing process is called writing. In the writing phase, you
make decisions about developing and organizing your ideas into writing and discover what
you know about the subject. Insights gained from the prewriting phase help shape ideas
into meaning for yourself and others. The writer may prepare a rough draft, focusing on
the purpose of the writing and choosing a suitable form for a specific audience. You
need a thesis to work with first. The thesis will be your guide while you write your
essay. An effective thesis statement should not be an obvious opinion that every reader
already shares and focuses on an idea that can be supported evidence rather than emotion.
Writers might develop ideas using imagery, logical argument, supporting detail,
examples, etc. After the writer is done with the writing stage, she moves on the third
step.
The third stage of the writing process is called revising. You clarify and refine your
writing in thesis stage. After you have finished one our more drafts of the essay, you
should begin revising your paper. Revising might involve reworking the written
expression, so that it clearly and actively conveys the ideas, rearranging words or
sentences to create and effect, and inserting punctuation and correcting spelling to
assist the reader. At this stage of the writing process, you are interested in
clarifying the message by changing words, sentences, or even whole paragraphs. Two
examples of revising are editing and proofreading. When you edit your paper, you are
looking for mistakes in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, and usage. Proofreading comes
after you edit in the final copy for any mistakes in typing or handwriting. Revising
might also involve redrafting.
As you can clearly see, the writing process is a three step approach that makes writing
easier. If you follow these steps, you should be able to write a good college essay.
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