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Prewriting, Writing, and Revising
| Prewriting | Writing First Drafts | Revising/Proofeading |
Prewriting is preparation that you can do before you actually write your paper, essay or summary. Prewriting helps you organize your thoughts, plan your research or writing, and clarify your thesis.
| Visual Prewriting |
Pre-Writing Strategies |
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Guide to Mapping |
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Sample of a Tree Diagram |
| Questioning and Freewriting |
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Using Questions |
| Links: |
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Analyzing Your Topic (Texas A&M University) |
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Freewriting
(University of Northern British Columbia) |
| Outlining |
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Formal Three-Part Outline |
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Sample Outline |
| Links: |
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Developing an Outline (Purdue University Online Writing Lab) |
After you have completed some prewriting activities, you will either start researching your topic (for a research paper), or begin writing the first draft of your essay. It is in the first draft that you will clarify your thesis, begin writing your introduction and conclusion, and start work on the body paragraphs.
Once you have completed the your first draft, you should look for ways to improve your work. This part of the writing process is generally called revising.
After you have written several drafts of your paper, and you think you are basically finished, you should proofread your paper to catch any grammar, spelling, and format errors.
| Revising |
Essay Check List |
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Revising
Your Paper (Texas A&M University) |
| Proofreading |
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The Gallaudet Writers Handbook |
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Punctuation and Grammar Review |