Home > Subjects > English > English level 1 > 1.4 Creative writing > Subject content > Writing process
- Subject: English
- AS: 90052
- Level: 1
- Credits: 3
- External
1.4 Produce creative writing
Writing process
The writing process is a series of steps you need to take in order to complete the task over a period of time:
- Understand the task
- Brainstorm ideas
- Organise ideas
- Write a draft
- Edit and proofread
- Write a good copy
These notes will help you with the writing process:
- Understand the task and purpose of your writing. If it is not clear, ask your teacher. These sites may help you understand different writing styles:
- Brainstorm ideas. This is how you record all of your initial thoughts and ideas to help you select a topic. It is important to spend time thinking about all the possibilities and to think your ideas through before you begin the writing process. A good topic idea will be one that you have a lot to say about and can add carefully chosen detail. See Thinking and planning.
- Organise ideas into a logical order. Your initial brainstorming must be reorganised into a logical and interesting order, see the Scamper brainstorming technique. This will give your creative writing an overall structure and show how your thoughts and ideas will develop and change throughout.
Some possible structures you may consider using are:
- chronological order (the order in which the events actually occurred)
- flashback/flash forward (the order of events jumps)
- narrative structure (with a clear beginning, middle, and end)
- crisis and resolution (problem or issue has to be overcome and is sorted out in the end).
The structure you choose will depend on the topic you are writing on and the effect and purpose you want to create.
Use an effective beginning to encourage your audience to read your work, help to set the scene, and to introduce the main ideas and/or characters.
Use an effective ending to tie any lose ends together and leave a clear impression with the reader. A strong ending can be a memorable experience for the reader and will add value to the entire piece of writing, see the BBC site Openings and endings.
- Write a draft.
- Edit and proof read. Edit for ideas and structure. Check to see if your meaning is clear and your ideas are in the best order for your intended effect. For example if you are creating a suspenseful piece of writing have you given the right clues in the right place so the reader can piece the puzzle together at the end?
Edit for punctuation, spelling, grammar, and word choice/word selection.
- Write a good copy.
