The Writing Process

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Chapter Introduction The writing process is an important practice to consider when writing a document. It will help you to write in a clear, professional manner that will effectively communicate your document’s information. When setting out to write a document, it is important to consider the following things. Purpose Having a specific purpose in mind while writing will give your document clarity and direction. Too many documents suffer from the author having a lack of purpose in mind, which makes the document sound vague. This can frustrate readers who are looking for a purpose to the document. For example, the purpose of this introduction is to briefly describe and outline the basics of the writing process. Audience It is important to consider the audience of your document. Knowing a bit about the people who will be reading your document will help you with writing the document. For example, the audience for this introduction will most likely be third year computer science students who are enrolled in Technical Communication. Ideas and Outlines Think about what sort of information you’ll need, as well as devising a strategy for acquiring this information. Once you’ve finished this stage, you’re ready to start incorporating information into your document. Make sure that you record your notes carefully so it’s clear that you’ve borrowed the information. Use the ideas you've gathered to create an outline. Start by writing down as many points as possible. Once you've finished, group related ideas together, while removing material that seems irrelevant. Finally, transform those groups into a final outline. Organizing and Writing the First Draft The main idea of writing an initial draft is to write as quickly as possible. Try to set aside a period of time when you can work uninterrupted. Don't stop to edit, that can slow the pace of your writing to a crawl. Focus on completing the easiest sections, and save writing any summaries for last. Editing and Revising In order to transform a draft into its final form, you're going to have to do some editing. When going through your draft, consider expanding or shortening sections, or even moving them around. Also, along with editing for grammar and mechanics, it is important to edit for style as well. These steps can be made easier by getting someone else to critique your work too.

Editing and Revising

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