Writing Is a process for several reasons. One is because written communication--like any act of communication--does not happen all at once, but rather in stages that take place over time. Though speaking is also a process, the stages and steps that we go through to communicate in speech are so familiar to us and are performed so rapidly that we are hardly aware of them as steps or stages. Some types of written communication, such as text messages or e-mails, may also happen very quickly, but, if you stop and think about them, even these messages are composed via a process that unfolds over time. Furthermore, communication involves two distinct purposes: the CREATION/REPRESENTATION of ideas and the RECEPTION/INTERPRETATION of those ideas. You must always attend to BOTH purposes in your writing and it is usually best to attend to each separately.
Below, you will find links to several other resources related to understanding the discrete stages and steps of Writing as a Process:
An Introduction to Writing as a Process [Purdue OWL] [Wikipedia]
Drafting (Overview)
Drafting (How To: 15 Steps)
"A Writing Process" by Vinetta Bell
Adapted from What Is Writing?: An Introduction to Writing as an Act and Medium of Communication (2015)
See Also: Professor Rodgers' Open Access English Handbook
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