Developing Effective Writing Process/Prewriting
The prewriting stage includes everything you do before writing your first draft. You may want to start with a very detailed read-through of your assignment to make sure you have a clear understanding of the purpose and requirements. Other important parts of prewriting are taking notes, brainstorming, outlining, and researching.
An outline will serve you well throughout the writing process. By outlining how you will organize and present your information, you will keep your writing structured and easy to understand for your reader. See our resource on ‘Creating and Using Writing Outlines’ and our Grammar Squirrel video on ‘Creating Writing Outlines’.
Researching is a very important part of prewriting, and you may find that it is also a component in your drafting and revising stages. As you get further into your writing project, you may realize that you need to explore more sources on a particular topic, or include a source from a different perspective. See our resources on ‘Finding Sources and Literature Searches’, ‘Identifying Different Types of Sources’, 'Integrating and Citing Sources’, and ‘Science Essay Writing – Essay Structure’.
- Questions to ask yourself:
- What do I know about this topic?
- What do I need to know or find out?
- What is my argument or thesis?
- How will I organize and structure my assignment?