Composition Writing Steps

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Put Your Ideas in Order

* Look through your notes.
* Use numbers to put them in the order you want to mention them in writing.
* You don't need to use all your ideas.
* You can add more if you want to.

Drafting

* Now you really begin writing. Write away!
* Don't worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation or the best wording.
* Write on every other line.
* Leave a wide margin. You can use this space for additions, comments...
* Push yourself to the end of the first draft. Don't stop to correct yourself.
* If unsure of the spelling of a word, put a ? above it and go on.
* If unsure of punctuation, put a dash (-) and go on.
* If unsure about which word to use, write two or three words, or write the
   words in your main language, and go on.


If you run out of ideas:

a. Look back at your preparation notes.
b. Read what you have written so far.
c. Put your writing away for a while.

Revising

The revising stage is where you check that:

* You have said what you wanted to say.
* You have said it in a clear and appropriate way.
* You have said it in a way that will interest your reader.

Here are some changes you may want to make when revising.

* Changing the order of the parts (use arrows)
* Taking out parts that are not necessary (cross over)
* Adding parts (use your margin, write them after and put an arrow)
* Saying something in a better way.
* Combining two or three sentences into one.
* Making long sentences into two or three shorter ones.

Proofreading

Proofreading is very important in the writing process. You should give it some time and attention in all your writing. See proofreading details.

* Changing parts that aren't good.
* Substituting one word for another. (correcting vocabulary)
* Correcting grammar, punctuation and spelling.
* Use high quality vocabulary. (use your dictionary)

At this point, you have done the hardest part and you don't want to lose points / quality for simple mistakes. Put some effort in this last stage. It is one of the easiest stages but a very important one. ↑▲▲▲▲▲▲▲↑