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Sabrina Harrell
May 11, 2016
English 20
Anya Connelly
My Writing Process

Everyone has their own unique writing process that helps them prepare and write out any
type of essay given. I may take similar steps in my writing process that others may also
incorporate in their style. My writing process consists of re-reading the prompt and then trying to
follow all the steps given. Looking back on an old assignment, I have found some things in
various places in my writing that I have done well in my writing process and also areas of
improvement with each draft. For example, in my previous essay called To Be Neither Seen Nor
Heard, I was given the task of reading and analyzing a biography on a Ugandan woman in East
Africa.
My writing process started off with rereading the prompt and brainstorming ideas that
had to be discussed in the paper. The type of prompt that given determines how I plan out my
drafts. I tried to make a list of information that involved what the teacher was asking and what
sources I would have needed to support my argument. While I was analyzing and critiquing
author Professor Dr. Jessie Gaston, my sources and knowledge to prepare for this essay came
from a biographic book she spent many years in East Africa developing. I had to thoroughly read
the book first to get to know the author and the message she was trying to get across throughout
the book. After that, my planning process revolved around questions pertaining to the knowledge
of the book and ultimately informed my rough draft. In my rough draft I did not focus much on
grammar and spelling but rather on the contexts of my understanding of the author's main
message. My purpose for writing the essay was to explain the author's knowledge of writing

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about an African Ugandan woman growing up in her society. In my initial draft of the essay, I

stated this book inspired many Africans not just those in Uganda but all African girls to triumph
over their fears and disadvantages of living circumstances and different situations of rules that
have been past down through generations (Harrell,1). I believed this to be the message the
author was trying to get across. In that essay I tried to explain the relationship of being an
African American women to similar living conditions as the other Ugandan women. After writing
the initial paper I feel a sense of completion but dread the final step, which is revising.

The hardest part of the writing process for me is revising my own piece of writing. After
starting and almost meeting the required pages length for the rough draft, I started to focus on the
revision process. My process at this point is comparing the information from the book with the
prompt and making sure it is stated chronologically. I first go back to the beginning of my essay
to read it aloud to try to catch any run-ons, fragmented sentences, incomplete thesis, or incorrect
use of verbs tense throughout the paper. Of course in every paper I start to format there are many
mistakes throughout the draft. For example, as I read through my previous draft I was able to
catch some verb tense errors that needed to be corrected. For example, seen needed be changed
to saw and another was is should have been was(Harrell,1-6). During the revising process
I like to have my paper proof read by my peers. I think peer advising is a great tool to use outside
of critiquing your own writing. I always go into writing centers asking for revision assistance.
Whether it is to reread my paper for mistakes or get clarification on the prompt to get started. I
feel other people's comments and concerns help develop my paper into the essay the teacher is
looking for. I feel peer advising is one of my biggest strengths, so I am not afraid to seek a peers
help in something I am not clear of.
Another strength that is good to have is making sure my paper is always organized with
supporting details along with trying to annotate and assess my draft. One of my weaknesses is

that I do not catch grammar mistakes in my proofreading and revising process. Another

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weakness I just found out that I have has to do with the different levels of revision that I didnt
know about, so I was only doing the revision I knew how to do. In a book call Building Bridges
Through Writing, I found out that there are several different processes to revising a rough draft.
My strength is that I would try to revise everything at once. I have learned that this is not
effective because the revision process should be broken up into different parts for the paragraph,
sentence structure, and word level. My proofreading needs to be completing by someone else in
the final stages because it becomes harder for me to hear the mistakes in my draft after I have
read it over and over.
In the article called Understanding Writing Assignments: Tips and Techniques by Dan
Melzer, he discusses different ways to analyze assignments. I like several of the tips he suggested
and I try to incorporate them into my writing process. The tip, which says, Look for Key Verbs
in the Assignment discusses the ways in which instructors will put key verbs such as argue,
define, summarize, and evaluate, that can help you understand what kind of thinking and writing
skills is needed in putting together the paper (Melzer 153). When I can understand these terms I
will then understand which direction my paper will need to go in. The second tip I also like is
Figure Out What Genre-What Type of Essay Youve Been Assigned. According to Melzer,
genres are essay types that have certain forms and purposes, for example, lab reports, business
letters, editorials, and scientific reports(Melzer 155). When I receive an assignment, I
immediately think about why the teacher would assign this, who am I writing to, and how should
I sound in this paper. These are all things that will shape my essay. In my previous essay, the type
of essay I was assigned had to do with me describing important parts of a biography. For
example, my thesis in the essay stated Faith explained her strong will, determination and
strength that led to the overcoming of many obstacles and defying the odds of her living a life

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being dictated by others(Harrell 2) . Faith's story is import to tell other Africans because it will
give them hope to fight a system that was put in place not to support the women.
There are many other writing processes that can be incorporated into my writing
including different ways I can convey the material and incorporate it in my writing. A book
called Building Bridges through Writing by Trixie G. Smith & Allison D. Smith is about
academic writing in college. The authors write about how I should always trust my opinion and
have a strong thesis. This text also tells me to make sure I have primary and secondary support
throughout my essay. With that support I should have narrative examples, quotations from
authors, factual data, grammar mechanics and usage styles. In another chapter, I learned that
Faith there are three ways I can appeal to my audience which are necessary for a successful
persuasive or argumentative essay. The three ways are ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos,
demonstrates the authority and credibility of the speaker or writer. Logos, is focused on logic
or proof/evidence, researched argumentative writing that is focused on credible evidence to
support a thesis. Pathos is an appeal made to an audiences emotions (23-24). In my essay, I
needed to be credible therefore incorporating sources and writing in manner that relates to my

audience. In the essay, To Be Neither Seen Nor Heard, I was able to relate to the author and the
woman it was written about due to me being an African American women growing up
disenfranchised. I became a credible and relatable source due to the historical context of the
book.
In any essay I write, I try to wrap up my conclusion with the purpose of writing the essay
to the audience. I make sure my format is ok, my sources are given credit in the right context,
and at the end of my paper in a work cited or reference page. I also try to relate some part of the
prompt back to a personal story that can relate to the audience and how I view the topic. My

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writing process will always grow with the more knowledge I continue to receive about academic
writing processes.

Work Cited Page

Melzer, Dan.Understanding Writing Assignments: Tips and Techniques. Ed Wendy

Bishop. 3rd ed. Cook- Heinemann, 2003.

Smith G. Trixie & Smith D. Allison.Building Bridges through Writing.

USA:Fountainhead Press,2014.

Harrell, Sabrina. To Be Neither Seen Nor Heard, 2015.