©2014 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.  All rights reserved

Planning, Planning, Writing,Writing,

and Revisingand Revising

Module FourModule Four

Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Learning Objectives

LO 4-1 Apply processes for writing qualityimprovement.

LO 4-2 Manage time for writing projects.LO 4-3 Plan writing and speaking projects

for increased success.LO 4-4 Apply strategies for revision.

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Learning Objectives (cont.)

LO 4-5 Support writing with grammar andspell-checkers.

LO 4-6 Apply strategies for feedback andrevision with it.

LO 4-7 Apply strategies for form letter use.LO 4-8 Apply strategies for writer’s block

and procrastination solutions.

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Planning, Writing, and Revising

Planning Analyzing the problem, defining your

purposes, and analyzing the audience Gathering the information you need

4-4

Planning, Writing, and Revising

Writing Putting words on paper or on a screen. Writing can be lists, fragmentary notes or a

formal draft.

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Planning, Writing, and Revising

Revising Evaluating your work and measuring it against your

goals Getting feedback from someone else Editing the draft to see that it satisfies the

requirements of standard English Proofreading the final copy to see that it’s free

from typographical errors

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Planning, Writing, and Revising

The activities do not have to come in this order.

You do not have to finish one activity to start another.

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Planning, Writing, and Revising

You may do an activity several times, not just once.

Most writers do not use all activities for all the documents they write.

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Does it matter what process I use?

Realize that the first draft can be revised. Write regularly. Break big jobs into smaller chunks. Have clear goals for purpose and audience.

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Does it matter what process I use?

Have several different strategies to choose from.

Use rules flexibly. Edit after the draft is complete.

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I don’t have much time. How should I use it?

To get the best results from the time you have, spend only a third of your time actually “writing.”

Spend at least one-third of your time analyzing the situation and your audience, gathering information, and organizing what you have to say.

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I don’t have much time. How should I use it?

Spend another third evaluating what you’ve said, revising the draft(s) to meet your purposes and the needs of the audience and the organization, editing a late draft to remove any errors in grammar and mechanics, and proofreading the final typed copy.

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Allocating Time in Writing a Memo

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What planning should I do before I begin writing or speaking?

4-14

Clustering Helps Generate Ideas

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Customized Planning Guides for Specific Documents

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What is revision? How do I do it?

Revising making changes that

will better satisfy your purposes and your audience.

Editing making surface-level

changes that make the document grammatically correct.

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What is revision? How do I do it?

Proofreading checking to be sure

the document is free from typographical errors.

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Thorough Revision Checklist

Figure 4.4

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Light Revision Checklist

Figure 4.5

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Can a grammar checker do my editing for me?

You need to know the rules of grammar and punctuation to edit.

Editing should always follow revision. There’s no point in taking time to fix a

grammatical error in a sentence that may be cut when you clarify your meaning or tighten your style.

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I spell-check. Do I still need to proofread?

Read once quickly for meaning to see that nothing has been left out.

Read a second time, slowly. To proofread a document you know well,

read the lines backward or the pages out of order

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How can I get better feedback?

Cycling process of drafting,

getting feedback, revising, and getting more feedback

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Questions to Ask Readers

Figure 4.6

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Can I use form letters?

Form letter a prewritten fill-in-the-blank letter designed for

routine situations Boilerplate

language—sentences, paragraphs, even pages—from a previous document that a writer includes in a new document.

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Revising After Feedback

When you get feedback that you understand and agree with, make the change

If you get feedback you don’t understand, ask for clarification Paraphrase. Ask for more information. Test your inference.

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Revising After Feedback

When you get feedback that you don’t agree with If it’s an issue of grammatical correctness, check

this book. If it’s a matter of content, recognize that something

about the draft isn’t as good as it could be. If the reader thinks a fact is wrong (and you know

it’s right), show where the fact came from.

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How can I overcome writer’s blockand procrastination?

Participate actively in the organization and the community.

Practice writing regularly and in moderation.

Learn as many strategies as you can. Talk positively to yourself. Talk about writing to other people.

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How can I overcome writer’s blockand procrastination?

Set a regular time to write. Develop a ritual for writing. Try freewriting. Write down the thoughts and fears you have as

you write. Identify the problem that keeps you from writing. Set modest goals and reward yourself for reaching

them.

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