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While my college freshmen are working on their second essays of the semester, I have a break from grading papers and finally have time to write a post. It just seems fitting that I write about the writing process and the five steps I’ve found to help a writer along.

My Five Steps to Writing

1. Brainstorm / Freewrite: While it has been written that brainstorming and freewriting are two different processes, I tend to think that they are one in the same. The goal to this first step is to get the ideas out of your head and put them down on paper. You may have an idea about what you want to write about, but this first step can help you figure out what you’re really thinking.
2. Create an Outline: Once you’ve gotten ideas out, the next step is to organize the thoughts. Group similar ideas together and try to come up with four or five controlling ideas. After you have put the ideas together, write topic sentences for each idea. These topic sentences will help drive your thoughts for the body paragraphs. If you can’t write a sentence around the idea, it probably will not translate well into paragraph form. Your outline should include: I. Introduction (write working thesis based on topic sentences); II. Body Paragraph 1 (write first topic sentence); III. Body Paragraph 2 (write second topic sentence); IV. Body Paragraph 3 (write third topic sentence); and V. Conclusion.
3. Write Body Paragraphs: Take your first topic sentence and draft a paragraph from that idea. There are about nine rhetorical modes (types of paragraphs) that you can use: Describing, Storytelling, Defining, Using Examples, Showing How-To, Analyzing Parts or Categories, Analyzing Cause and Effect, Comparing and Contrasting, and Summarizing. Use one of these paragraph patterns as a way to develop information based on the way a topic sentence is written; essentially, let your topic sentence guide you as to which paragraph strategy you use for each paragraph. The paragraph strategies give your writing purpose and can help you make your point more effectively.
4. Write Introduction, Conclusion, and Title: Once you have your body paragraphs written, read your thesis to see if it still it is sufficiently supported in the body paragraphs. If it is not, simply rewrite it so that it is. Your introduction should tell the readers what you’re going to tell them, the body paragraphs should tell them what you want to tell them, and your conclusion should tell them what you told them. If you have a running metaphor or controlling idea, tie it all together with your title. Make sure that it is not a vague, one-word title but make sure it’s not too detailed either. It should be interesting enough that it will pique your readers’ interest and make them want to read it.
5. Proofread /Edit and Revise: This last step should take place at the end of the entire process. If you worry yourself about getting the grammar and punctuation right while you are writing, you may hinder the writing process. Just let your ideas out and then go back and make edits. The revision will include changing the location of paragraphs so that they more logical sense and will also include writing transitions that connect paragraphs to each other. Take time between writing and reading your essay so that you can look at it with fresh eyes and a different perspective. And if you can, try to have other people read your writing because they will always see something you may have missed.

So there you have it. The beauty to writing is that it is an art and not a science. There is no scientific formula for doing it - you don’t have to start at the beginning and finish at the end. And there is no right way to do it either.

You can take my suggestions or not; either way, you will be doing it correctly.

What have you found that makes a solid essay/article/etc.? If you have any additional tips, please share them in the comments below.