Pre-AP: 8-Step Writing Process

Be sure to have the graphic organizer copied and ready to turn in on Thursday, November 4th.

In case we didn't get to finish in your class, here are explanations for the final three steps.

Rough Draft: Don't worry about getting it right the first time, just get everything you can think of down on paper as quickly as possible. "Once upon a time..." is a perfectly fine way to start out your Rough Draft.

Revise/Edit: Things to look for when revising/editing:

• That "Once upon a time" intro? Replace it. Start with dialogue, a flash-forward to an exciting moment two-thirds of the way through your story's rising action, or something interesting that happens early on in your story.


• If your story opens with you waking up, showering, getting dressed, and eating breakfast, scrap it. Start your story with something interesting happening.


• Look for places to add similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, etc.


• Make sure everyone has a name. Only Mom and Dad should be generalized as "mom" and "dad" -- your siblings, friends, teachers, etc., should be named.


• Double-check your organized bubblemap to see if everything essential has been included.


• Other than a brief flashback or flash-forward, does everything flow in sequence? It should.


• Make sure you've mentioned or implied the prompt's keyword(s) toward the end of your introduction/exposition and during your "lesson learned"/conclusion.


• Plus, fix grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.

Final Draft: Make sure you re-copy your revised draft carefully. It's easy to make a mistake and think you're copying accurately because you know what you "mean" to write. Wait a half hour after you've written your Final Draft before you submit it so you can look at it with as fresh of eyes as possible one last time before you call it "done." (During the TAKS test you'll have the Revising and Editing section to do after your "essay," so look at your Final Draft again when you're done with that last section.)