Unit 01: Getting Started – The Writing Process

“Good writing is rewriting.”

That’s a familiar idea to writers around the world. Very few people can sit down at a computer and write the perfect essay in one draft. Writing is a process with many parts: vocabulary, grammar, composition, and formatting, for example. There are also research, editing, and proofreading skills. And all of this relies on critical thinking strategies to make your writing more clear, concise, compelling, and complete. While the content of your writing is still the most important thing, your message must be clear to be meaningful. This unit helps you understand the big picture before looking at more specific details.

Key academic vocabulary in this unit

• integrity /ɪnˈteɡrəti/ noun – the quality of always behaving according to the moral principles that you believe in, so that people respect and trust you; honesty, trustworthiness
• logic /ˈlɑdʒɪk/ noun – the way that someone connects ideas when they are explaining something or giving a reason; the way in which something makes sense
• method /ˈmeθəd/ noun – how you do something, such as the steps you take or the way you act
• perspective /pərˈspektɪv/ noun – a way of thinking about something, a point of view
• policy /ˈpɑləsi/ noun  – a set of plans or actions agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group; also, a principle or set of ideas you think are wise and should be followed
• process /ˈprɑses/ noun – a series of steps to achieve a goal or outcome
• sequence /ˈsikwəns/ noun – the order in which actions occur (first, second, third, etc.)
• source /sɔrs/ noun – a person, place, or thing that provides something that you need or want; the origin of something 
• technique /tekˈnik/ noun – a method for doing something using a special skill 
• transition /trænˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ noun – the process of changing from one situation, form, or state to another