Generate ideas

Brainstorming

“See” your ideas on paper

Listing

Clustering/Mind mapping

Discussing with a partner

“Hear” your ideas and others’ responses to them

Select ideas

Choose ideas that you want to focus on; eliminate irrelevant ideas; add new ones.

Organize ideas

Outline. Arrange main ideas and supporting ideas such as details, examples, evidence, illustrations.

Compose the essay

Make several drafts, each one more focused and clear than previous one.”Rethinking” usually produces better results than merely copying the rough draft, but it is more challenging.

Revise, revise, revise !

Overall essay

Paragraph by paragraph

Sentences

Words