Resources

The Writing Process

As you prepare to write, review the assignment instructions carefully and be sure you understand your instructor’s expectations for your assignment, such as:

expected length and due date
resources you are expected to use (or to avoid)
goals you are expected to accomplish in the assignment
purpose of the assignment

Because we are only ever presented with a finished written product, many students believe that the writers of the academic works they encounter in class simply engage in a bit of research, reflect a little, then sit down and write continuously from beginning to end. While there may be a few writers who sometimes work this way, the writing process is almost always more complex – messy, meandering and recursive.

The belief that writing is a smooth linear process can lead to feelings of confusion and incompetence that make it difficult for you to get started. In fact, it is perfectly normal – even for experienced scholars – to experience false starts, have second thoughts, and engage in multiple revisions, all of which are typical aspects of a productive writing process. Recognizing that it takes time to complete ideas, create arguments, and device a logical, coherent response to an assignment prompt is an important step in becoming a succssful writer. See the Time Management module for strategies to assist your planning.

Should I write a thesis statement/position statement first?

Writing a definitive thesis or position statement before you have truly explored your research and analysis by working through your ideas can lead you to ignore logical issues or omit essential research, resulting in a flawed, biased, or confusing piece of writing. While many writers will draft a tentative working thesis/position statement as they begin to write, they are careful to review and modify it as they work through their ideas and expand their research as necessary during their writing process.

Should I prepare an outline before starting my writing?

Once you have done your research and/or have a good idea of the material you are working with and the position you wish to take, preparing a point-form outline can be a useful strategy to organize your ideas and create a map for developing the ideas that relate to the position you have arrived at. However, creating a structure before you have explored your topic can be counter-productive, as you will likely end up trying to make your research fit your position rather than drawing your position from your research. In addition, not all people feel comfortable reducing their thoughts and information to point-form notes and prefer to write out their ideas in sentence form or to create diagrams/mind-maps to determine what they are thinking and where their argument/discussion needs to go. No matter what method you choose, it is important to work through your research and your thinking in a recursive way to determine the structure that will work for the material, discipline, and purpose of your assignment.

Should I write the introduction first?

Writing an introduction to an assignment before you have worked through your research and your thinking is like trying to introduce a guest speaker at an event without knowing anything about them. While you might want to write your “provisional thesis/position” at the top of your draft to remind you of the position you think you want to take, it’s more productive to write your full introduction after you’ve worked through your ideas in draft form, as the specifics of your position may change as you do so.