Chapter 4 The Writing Process
While writing can be a difficult process, it often feels more daunting before you start than when you are actually doing it. If you are intimidated by the thought of writing (as many are), you may find reassurance in this nugget of wisdom: The writing process is not just about writing! In actuality, the writing process starts long before you write anything on the page and continues long after you’ve written your first draft. Just as developing your argument is a process, so too is translating that argument into written form. A significant portion of the writing process is composed of research, argument development, brainstorming, planning, and outlining, all of which take place before you begin composing content. And even after you’ve finished a draft, you may spend just as much or more time revising, editing, and changing your paper as you spent writing it. The writing process is messy, uncertain, and chock-full of switchbacks, revisions, and gaps in the road, but it can also be empowering, rewarding, and manageable if you take it one step at a time.
Watch this video for several University of Puget Sound faculty perspectives on the writing process!
