Steps to successful writing

ADVANCED LEVEL. HOW TO WRITE EOI REUS 2010-2011

STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL WRITING

Here are some common problems that you may have encountered when you have to

write a composition:

1. You don’t have enough to say about the topic.

2. You don’t know how to begin.

3. You don’t know how to organize your ideas.

4. You are unsure of your grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary.

5. You don’t know how to end your composition.

6. You don’t have enough time to finish.

And if this were not enough, you always have the feeling that you should get things

right the first time you try. Does it sound impossible? You’re right!

And that is why you must learn to look at composition as a process, not as a finished

product.

The following steps are aimed to help you solve many of your writing problems. Of

course, the time you will need to complete each step varies depending on the nature

of the writing project. For instance, if you are a subject matter expert, you might not

have to spend any time on external research. If you write a particular type of

document regularly, you might not have to spend much time on preparation. In fact,

you might even have a template that you simply fill in each time you write.

When writing, you can prepare, research, and organize your ideas by thinking of your

audience and purpose and generate the points (organization) you want to cover in

your text.

Once you have put your list of points in order, writing should be as simple as turning

the points into sentences.

Then you revise to ensure you are making your primary point (conveying your

purpose), proofread to check spelling and grammar.

If you follow the writing process, you will become a more effective and efficient writer

as the time you invest up front in preparation, research, and organization pays

dividends when it comes time to write and revise.


STEP 1: PREPARING

Before you are ready to begin writing your composition, you must know what you want

to say and how to organize your ideas. The following activities will help you to do so.

� Brainstorming

Once you’ve chosen your topic, you should make a list of all ideas that come to your

mind. At this stage, don’t worry about grammar, spelling or whether the idea is

relevant or not. Just quickly put down on paper any ideas you have before you have

a chance to forget them.

� Grouping your ideas

Read through the list of ideas you have written down. Can you relate them to any

other ideas in the list? Your ideas will probably fall into a few main groups. Write

the same number or letter next to all the ideas that form a group. Do the same for

the next group of related ideas.

� Getting rid of irrelevant ideas

Cross out any ideas that do not fit into any of your groups.

� Naming the groups

Give each group a name. This will help you in the next stage, when writing the first

sentence of each paragraph.

� Ordering your ideas

Number the groups in the order you would like to mention them.

STEP 2: WRITING

Now that you have a clear idea of what you want to say, you are ready to begin

writing. Again, don’t worry about neatness, grammar, spelling or punctuation. Just try

to get your ideas down on paper as quickly as possible.

Leave wide margins when writing to make notes later on. Leave spaces between the

lines for additions or corrections. If you can’t think of a word in English, write it in your

mother tongue. If you can’t spell a word, write it any way you can. Circle the word so

that you’ll remember to come back and check it at the next stage.

Keep on writing.

Your composition will include the following parts:

1. The opening

The opening is a general presentation of the topic in one or two sentences. Try

to start your composition with an opening that will catch your reader’s interest.


If you can’t think how to begin, don’t worry. Go on to the body of the

composition, as you can always come back to the opening later.

2. The body

Use the notes you prepared to help you write the body of your composition.

The names you gave to the groups of ideas will help you to write the first

sentence of each paragraph. The ideas that belong to each group shoul all be

in the same paragraph. When you finish developing a group of ideas, start a

new paragraph.

3. The closing

The closing sentence or paragraph usually restates the opening in different

words.

STEP 3: IMPROVING

When you have finished writing the first rough draft, you will almost certainly need to

improve it. Reread your composition and clearly mark the things that need improving.

Check the following things:

1. The content

Have you included all the points you wanted to mention?

You can still add new information, details or examples, or cross out any ideas

that seem irrelevant.

2. The organization

Are your ideas easy to follow?

Have you presented them in the logical order?

Have you used connector to link your ideas?

3. The language

Are your sentences complete?

Is the word order correct?

Are the verb tenses correct?

Is the vocabulary appropriate?

Have you repeated the same word too often?

Is the register the most appropriate one? Or is it too formal or informal?

4. The spelling and punctuation

Is your spelling correct?

Does every sentence begin with a capital letter and end with a suitable

punctuation mark?

Have you used capital letters where necessary?

What about punctuation, have you used commas, stops and hyphens when

necessary?


TIP If you can’t find the proper spelling of a word because you can’t use a

dictionary, try to write another word that you can spell or rephrase. It’s better

than having an unnecessary mistake.

STEP 4: REWRITING

When you are satisfied with your work, copy it onto a clean sheet of paper. Be sure

you include all of your corrections.

� Try to type your writings whenever you can.

� If typing is not a possibility, make sure your handwriting is neat and easy to

read and leave a margin on the leaf-hand side for possible corrections.

� Make sure your paragraphs are clearly indicated: by indenting (moving the first

word of the paragraph to the right) or by skipping a line before beginning a

new paragraph. Both styles are correct, but be consistent in your composition.

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Steps to successful writing