Forget the writing process
Good writers make a strategic choice

What people call "the writing process" is a grab bag of techniques and strategies for all writing genres.

Writers may have one set of procedures they use more often than others to present material, but good writers know more than one process.

Picking a process to use should be a strategic decision. Writers should select a writing process that suits the project they have in mind, very much the way knitters select knitting needles for a project they have in mind.

Writing process components

All the procedures that are collectively called a writing process have five components:

• Finding some topic to write about.

• Deciding what to say about that topic.

• Deciding how to organize the information.

• Developing the central idea.

• Presenting the idea in accordance with appropriate writing conventions.

The effort and time required to complete any of the stages varies with the type of writing required.

Rather than bore or confuse students with theory, good teachers immerse them in learning a set of strategies suited to one specific writing genre until they can produce competent writing in that genre.

If you've been at this site before, you know I teach students to write using a writing process that facilitates writing essays in the thesis-and-support format, which is the dominant pattern of required writing in schools, colleges, and job settings.

This particular writing process stresses the planning and polishing stages of writing and de-emphasizes multiple revisions as a means of improving writing by novice writers working toward competence.

Writing process planning activities are discussed on this site on the thesis statement and plans & outlines threads.