Writing is very similar to other things in life; you need to have a plan and be well organized before you start. For example, you would never think of building a house without first having blueprints (plans) that clearly define the layout of the house. Without first having a plan, the house would certainly end up as a disconnected, unorganized mess.
In other words, you need to be organized before doing anything that is not obvious or simple. As I mentioned, being prepared before starting the actual drafting process is necessary. When writing we organize our writing by adhering to the following processes:
Outlining Process 1. The student first thinks of an idea (main topic) about which he wants to write. 2. The student then thinks of details that support his main topic. Instead of placing these details on a blank piece of paper, we provide a rough outline form when needed. This rough outline form is simply a place where general ideas are written in an organized manner. Completing the rough outline is the first step in organizing your writing. 3. After the student is through placing his ideas on the rough outline, it is used to build a final outline. It is during the transfer of information from the rough outline to the final outline that the details contained on the rough outline are further organized and developed into sentences for the actual writing assignment.
Drafting Process 1. The final outline is used as a guide to write a rough draft of the writing assignment. Typically, the student merely transfers the information contained on the final outline to the rough draft of the writing. 2. The student then edits the rough draft for grammar and content. 3. The final draft of the writing assignment is then written.
We believe this process is the easiest and most straight-forward way to write any type of writing. By using these processes, the difficult task of writing becomes extremely simple and easy for anyone. The processes taught in this book can be used for any type of writing of any length ranging from a single paragraph to an entire book.