PROCESS SIX. Creating the first draft.
The first draft is exactly that, a draft. Often referred to as a "rough" draft, this is the first stage of your essay writing process. The steps prior to this were to prepare you for this specific step. This is where you take what you know, what you want to communicate, and what you have researched and put it all together on paper (or, more accurately, in a computer word processing file). Your first draft does not have to be perfect, you should not be thinking about grammar, punctuation, spelling, or anything else except getting your ideas down in a "beginning, middle, end" format. Most people start with an introduction, however, if you find, like many people, that you get stuck at the introduction and have a hard time moving forward from there, skip the introduction and get right to the first paragraph. You can go back later and add your introduction if need be. Make sure to create a backup copy on a removable drive, or email yourself a copy so that if anything happens to your original, you will have a spare.
Always save your work frequently and make a spare copy at the end of the day.
It is helpful if you have your research materials, books, and other notes, on paper, and nearby as you write. This will make it easier to refer to them along the way. Just start writing.
PROCESS SEVEN. Revise.
The revision process is where you will put your rough draft into a clear, concise format and fix any errors or omissions. Prior to making revisions in your writing, you should use your spell check feature to correct any glaring spelling errors. Some useful steps for revision are as follows:
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Print out a hard copy.
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Read over and mark any sentences or paragraphs you want to change by deleting or adding to what you have written.
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Jot notes in margins or on a separate piece of paper wherever helpful.
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Rewrite (often)
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Check for spelling and grammatical errors again and correct.
The revision process can take two run-throughs, but this is rare. You may have to revise 3 to 20 times before you reach your final draft phase. Revise as many times as you need to get your essay ready for presentation. It helps to have a second set of eyes (someone else) to look over your work at this point or when you think you're ready for the final draft. Sometimes looking at the same writing over and over keeps us from catching errors that another person will spot easily. Have a friend or colleague look over your pre-final draft and ask them to mark off any problems or mistakes they encounter. Don't forget to also replace your backup copy with any new changes that you've made.
PROCESS EIGHT. Create a Final draft.
The final draft is exactly that. It is the final printout of all your hard work and dedication. Don't be alarmed if you spot a few problems that need to be fixed in your final draft or a few things you may want to change. Just revise and reprint if need be. At some point, however, typos, spelling, and grammatical errors aside, you will need to reach an end point. Some writers are never satisfied with their work, and could go on editing and revising forever, but this is not possible. Your essay will need to be presented to its intended audience at some time. So, print out as many copies as you need and call it a day. Hopefully, you did the work you needed to do in the previous steps and your essay is exactly (or nearly) what you aimed for. Congratulate yourself for a job well done!
CONCLUSION
Essay writing is a learned process, just like riding a bike or learning to read. Practice will help you become a better writer over time. Create a clear thesis, brainstorm to develop your ideas, create a clear outline, find and use reliable research to support your thesis, write a rough draft, revise, revise, and revise again and then revel in the fruits of your labor in the form of your final draft!
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