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The Eight Steps to Writing an Essay
1. Cluster or brainstorm: Use a cluster or brainstorming list to help you develop the content for your essay. Remember that you can also use the clustering and brainstorming processes to help you-discover a focus for your essay or to help you think through a problem.
2. Number the bubbles on your cluster or the steps on your brainstorming list to give you the order for the development of your essay. Be sure to keep your audience in mind as you think about the order. You can also add bubbles to fill in holes in your development or delete unnecessary ones during this step.
3. Timed freewrites: Now do timed freewrites for each of the numbered bubbles on your cluster or items on your brainstorming list. Use a kitchen timer, clock radio, watch or wall clock to keep track of the time. I suggest that you start with 5-minute freewrites, minimum, and then adjust the time from there depending on the length of the essay desired.
4. Edit the freewrites: During this stage you should begin to shape your sentences, add punctuation and begin to check your spelling. You should also add transition material or delete unwanted stuff at this point.
5. Complete a second draft: If you are typing your essay you’ll need to clean up your freewrites by completing a second long-hand draft of your essay. Again, take a look at your grammar, punctuation and spelling during this step and make any needed adjustments to the shape of the essay: You can polish your transition sections and add other necessary text at this stage. If you’re using a computer you should type this second draft directly into the computer from your edited freewrites, tweaking the essay as you type.
6. Edit your second draft: Just as you did in Step Four, you’ll need to carefully edit this second draft. Look carefully at each word of the draft, checking for grammar/mechanical problems as you go. This is particularly important if you are using a Sell (sic) Check or Grammar Check program as these applications are not designed to catch all problems. Be particularly careful with your spelling, as there are many words which sound alike (homophones like there and their) and you may have used a word which is spelled correctly but is the wrong word for the context. Caution! Your Spell Check will not identify’ these special problems.
7. Type or print your essay. If you haven't been word processing your second draft, you'll need to type up your paper once you've done most of your editing. College and professional writing must all be word processed or typed.
8. PROOFREAD!!!!!!!!!!!: Research shows us that 60% of your grammar and spelling problems can be caught if you put your essay through a careful word-by-word final edit. Remember that most instructors would rather see pencil marks and liquid paper tracks than the mistakes. Go for “right” instead of clean and pretty.
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