40 The Writing Process: Prewriting

Writing an academic essay is more than just putting words on a page; it’s a journey of discovery. It begins with a question, evolves through research and reflection, and culminates in a clear articulation of your insights. This chapter will guide you through the writing process, from pre-writing to overcoming writer’s block.

The Foundation: Pre-Writing and Inquiry

The writing process begins long before you start drafting your essay. In academic writing, pre-writing often starts with a question – a spark of curiosity that drives your exploration. This question then guides your research, leading you to discover and analyze relevant sources.

Ideally, your research will lead you to new conclusions and insights. Your essay becomes the vehicle for communicating these discoveries, demonstrating your learning and sharing your unique perspective. While there are prescribed structures for academic essays, the core purpose is to showcase your intellectual journey and the conclusions you’ve drawn.

Navigating Writer’s Block

Along the way, you may encounter writer’s block – a feeling that your ideas have stalled. This is a common experience, and there are various strategies to overcome it, depending on the cause:

• Distractions: If distractions are the culprit, try removing them or relocating to a quiet, distraction-free environment.
• Lack of Ideas: If you’re struggling with a lack of ideas, further research can provide fresh perspectives and inspiration.

Organizing Your Thoughts: Mind Maps, Outlines, and Dialogue

The pre-writing process also involves organizing your research and ideas. Different methods can help you structure your thoughts:

• Mind Maps/Webs: These visual tools help you connect seemingly disparate ideas and expand on your thoughts by exploring related details.
• Outlines: Outlines provide a structured framework for your essay. They can range from simple lists of keywords or phrases to detailed sentences that will eventually form your thesis, topic sentences, and supporting arguments. Outlines serve as a flexible tool for developing your ideas and ensuring a logical flow in your writing.
• Talking it Out: Even talking to others about the topic can be part of pre-writing. Information obtained needs to be mentally processed. Anything that helps you process the information, or connect the pieces, will help your writing. Talking about what you’ve learned is one way to process information. Sometimes you might do this in class discussion boards, but even if you don’t engage in something as a class, it will help you to talk to family or friends or others about what you are learning, which will help you fit the pieces together.

Free Writing: Unlocking Your Creative Flow

When you feel stuck, free writing can be a powerful tool to break through mental barriers.

• Unstructured Free Writing: Set a timer and write continuously, without regard for grammar, form, or coherence. Let your thoughts flow freely, whether they are related to your essay or not. This process can help clear your mind and release any mental blocks.
• Focused Free Writing: After unstructured free writing, try focused free writing, where you write continuously about your essay topic for a set period. Even if you repeat yourself, keep writing or typing. This technique helps you delve deeper into your topic and generate new ideas.

Drafting and Experimentation

Once the writing starts, some students write from the beginning to the end, but many take a different approach. For example, some write the introduction last because they feel that they can’t properly introduce something they haven’t written yet. In fact, some start with the conclusion to make a strong point and know where the essay is headed. Experimenting with different styles and approaches can be helpful.

During the writing process, it is best to focus on making your points clear and demonstrating critical thinking. General formatting to the degree you can will help, but corrections to grammar and format can be applied after the ideas are transferred from your head to the paper or screen.

Revising, Editing, and Proofreading: Refining Your Work

Most good papers have multiple drafts. Avoid turning in the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd draft. The first draft is just a starting point.

• Revising for Structure and Flow: Once you have your first draft, assess whether your paragraphs are in the best order, whether your paragraphs should be broken up or combined, etc. Restructuring the essay to ensure form and flow still applies to critical thinking because you are looking for the right strategy to convince your audience of your points.
• Formatting and Citation: After you are satisfied with the order and structure, work on general MLA format and citing sources.
• Proofreading for Mechanics: Before the essay is finished, proofread multiple times for mechanics, which includes grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation.

Key Takeaways:

• The writing process begins with a question and evolves through research and reflection.
• Pre-writing activities, such as mind mapping, outlining, talking it out, and free writing, are essential for organizing your thoughts.
• The writing process is cyclical, involving drafting, revising, and editing.
• Experiment with different writing approaches to find what works best for you.
• Multiple drafts and thorough proofreading are crucial for producing a polished essay.
• The purpose of academic writing is to communicate your learning and the conclusions you have drawn.

By embracing the writing process and utilizing these strategies, you can transform your ideas into compelling and insightful essays.

Reading Questions:

1. Remembering: What are three pre-writing activities mentioned in the chapter that can help organize your thoughts?
2. Understanding: Explain in your own words how “free writing” can help overcome writer’s block.
3. Application: How would you use an outline to ensure a logical flow in your essay, according to the chapter’s guidelines?
4. Analysis: Why does the chapter emphasize that the writing process is a “journey of discovery” rather than just a task of putting words on paper?
5. Synthesis: Combine the concepts of “pre-writing through inquiry” and “revising for structure and flow” to describe how you would approach writing an essay from its initial stages to its final draft.
6. Evaluation: Based on the information in the chapter, what conclusions can you draw about the importance of embracing the writing process and utilizing various strategies to produce a strong academic essay?