Planning stage

• Consider the purpose of the paper – to reflect, report, persuade, explain, etc.
• Identify the audience – a particular set of readers with specific needs, expectations, educational levels
• Set the tone – the attitude you adopt as you write — sympathetic, superior, lighthearted, respectful, detached, objective, etc.
• Choose a topic
• Finding something to say – brainstorming, reading and observing, clustering ideas, free writing, asking questions (who, what, when, where, why, how)

Shaping your material

• Identify three or four general categories of information that best represents your material
• Develop a thesis – one that communicates the main idea, is carefully worded, and delineates your direction, emphasis and scope.

Writing a Rough Draft

• Write with revision in mind — write every other line or type triple-space

Revising

• Is you tone consistent?
• Is the thesis clearly and specifically worded?
• Have you discussed everything promised in your thesis?
• Did you present your ideas in a logical sequence?
• Do clear transitions between paragraphs allow your readers to follow your thoughts?
• Are your paragraphs developed fully enough to support your points?
• Are the relationships of the sentences within paragraphs clear?
• Does your concluding paragraph(s) sum up your main points?
• Have you used correct sentence structure?
• Have you varied your sentence structure?
• Have you avoided confusing shifts in tense, voice, mood, person, or number?
• Have you selected words that accurately reflect your intentions?
• Have you eliminated jargon, clichés, and ineffective figures of speech?

Editing

• Edit for grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling.
• Edit again

Proofreading

• Check for typographical errors
• Make sure your paper conforms to your instructor’s format requirements