Assignment: Writing Process Essay

Length: 2–3 double-spaced pages

For this assignment, you will demonstrate and submit a prewriting in the style of your choice and a draft about your writing process.

Assignment Instructions

Step 1: Review Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a technique of listing as many ideas as possible about your writing topic. The greatest rule of brainstorming is to keep the process as broad and open as possible. This video suggests several things that you DON’T want to do.

Step 2: Review Mindmapping

Mindmapping is similar to brainstorming, but it is much more visual. It allows you to create connections between ideas. It can be a useful step after brainstorming, or it may match your style better if brainstorming seems too random. This video provides a good overview:

 

Step 3: Review Freewriting

Freewriting is a process of simply writing. It helps you get started and can expand your thinking. Watch this video to learn more about this technique:

Step 4

Choose one of the prewriting techniques (Brainstorming, Mindmapping, Freewriting, or something else?) that best fits your style.

Step 5: Review the writing prompt

My Writing Process

After reviewing Defining The Writing Process, how would you describe your writing process? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer? What works for you to get started with writing? Have you ever experienced writer’s block? What did you do? Think about your impressions of Hale and Lamott’s writing processes. What new information did you learn from Hale and Lamott that you can apply to your writing process? What are your goals for the term as we study and work to improve your writing?

Step 6

Create a prewriting in the style of your choice for the prompt.

Step 7

Develop a draft according to the following guidelines. Papers submitted that do not meet the requirements will be returned to you ungraded.

  • 2–3 typed, double-spaced pages (between 400–600 words)
  • submitted as either a .doc, .docx, .rtf file

Step 8: Submit your prewriting and draft as a single file upload

If you developed your prewriting by hand on paper, scan or take a picture of your prewriting, load the image onto your computer, and then insert the image on a separate page after your draft.