Northampton Community College. Norton Field Guide, 3rd edition.

1. The Writing Process

2. Drafting
 Don’t wait until the last minute!
 Establish a schedule that works for you
 Break down your writing task
 Expect surprises
 Expect to do more than one draft

3. Writer’s Block
 Think of an assignment as a problem to
be solved. Write it out in a single
sentence.
 Stop trying. Take a break. Come back
refreshed.
 Free write, brainstorm, outline
 Research what others have said

4. Assessing Your Own Writing
 When writing for yourself – don’t worry
 Personal writing = length
 When writing for others…
◦ Make sure your points come across clearly
◦ What needs work? What still needs work?
What do you need to say more (or less) of?

5. Consider the Rhetorical Situation
 Purpose
 Audience
 Genre
 Stance

6. Reviewing Your Writing
 Focus
◦ Thesis
◦ Introduction & Conclusion
 Support
◦ Reasons, Evidence
 Organization
 Clarity

7. Getting Responses
 Others can point out problems that you do
not see in your own text
 Answer specific questions you may have
about the audience of your text

8. Revising
 Major changes to the essay
 Layered
◦ Whole-Text
◦ Details
 Give yourself time to revise
 Sharpen your focus
 Strengthen the argument
 Clarify
 Rewriting – pg. 239

9. Editing
 Details
◦ Paragraphs, Sentences, etc.
 Paragraphs
 Sentences
 Words

10. Proofreading
 Clean up your work for presentation
 Spell check
 Formatting