Step 5: Publishing

Publishing is the final and most exciting step!  It's the most exciting because you are holding a piece that you are proud of and what you feel is the best, most polished writing you can do.  It has been checked for errors and checked for clarity and you are confident that it is a well-written, quality piece.  This published writing is ready for public sharing, whether it be a hard copy or electronic copy, for a teacher, classmates, friends, a public blog post, etc. 

Step 4: Editing

Editing is where writers proofread their work and correct any spelling or grammar mistakes.  If sentences sound funny, they can also address those by rewording them or reorganizing their structures.  In editing, writers hope to improve clarity so their messages can easily be understood by readers.  The unique thing about the editing stage is that writers can share their work with others to proofread in order to get other opinions and points of view.  Peer editing is extremely important because its not the reviewers' work so they won't be biased and it is a great way to see if the writer's message is being conveyed clearly.

Step 3: Revising

Revision is when the writer goes back and reviews his/her work.  In this step, the key components are:

*Adding
*Rearranging
*Removing
*Replacing

Details and facts can be added as well as descriptions of scenery, setting, and more information on characters and/or their development.
Sentences within the writing or the plot of a story can be rearranged so that it makes the most sense.
Certain details or words that don't add to the writing's message can be omitted, or removed.
The thesaurus can be used to replace common words with ones that sound more formal if that is what the writer is going for.

Step 2: Writing

This step is where the writer takes all of his ideas from his pre-writing and brainstorming and begins writing! The writer does not have to worry too much about spelling, grammar, or format in this step of the writing process, for he will later review and revise what he wrote in this step.  Here the writer just composes a rough draft, also known as a "sloppy copy" in elementary school.  It can be thought of as a free-write except there is a little bit more direction and it is a little bit more narrow in topic.  If an essay is being written, it would be good to use the thesis statement as a start to support or refute an arguement and then provide evidence.  If a fictional story is being written, in this step the general plot can be created and added to in more detail in the next step three, which is revision.

Step 1: Pre-Writing

Pre-Writing is basically all about getting your thoughts onto the page. This step may start off with the writer not being completely sure about what he or she is going to write about. The writer can just free-write about what is on his mind or what he thinks he may want to write about. This week, a guest speaker came into my English class. She is an author and poet from Philadelphia. Her advice to us was to free-write for twenty-two minutes each day, not paying any attention to spelling or punctuation, just letting the ideas escape from our minds. This reminded me of the first step in the writing process because in pre-writing, the writer just brainstorms about a few different topics to see which topic evokes a lot of thoughts or emotions. That topic can then be further explored and developed into something more. That best topic can then be researched, outlined, and a thesis statement can be started.

The Wonderful Writing Process

Writing is like baking!  You start off with a handful of ingredients such as eggs, butter, flour, coffee, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder and eventually end up with a mouth-watering, beautifully put together Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake.  But, in order to go from a bunch of random ingredients to a savory masterpiece, a process must be followed: Nana’s famous recipe of course!  Writing is just like baking.  You can have a bunch of random skills and thoughts to start with but a process must be followed, much like a recipe, in order to turn your random “ingredients” into a beautifully crafted literary work of art.

When baking a cake, the process includes making a list of all the ingredients; going to the grocery store to buy those ingredients; blending all the ingredients together, following the recipe; tasting the batter to see what needs to be tweaked; and the best part, sharing your delicious creation with friends and family.  Similarly, the writing process is a 5-Step process that includes gathering thoughts (Pre-Writing), blending them all together (Writing), tweaking and adding finishing touches (Revising &Editing), and finally ending up with a noteworthy final product that is ready to be shared (Publishing)!

Original Poetry

"Poetry is language

at its most distilled and most powerful." -Rita Dove

~~~~~~~~~

Catching the Taxi on a City Street in the Middle of a Rainy September Night

I remember staring out the office window, a prisoner to my desk.
I forget why I had been feeling so stressed.
I remember calling it quits, tomorrow I’ll finish the rest.

I forget exactly what time it was when I left.
I remember running outside, taking in a deep breath.
I forget which way I went,
I remember not caring; I was free from my cell.

I forget getting wet,
I remember the rain.
I forget that onlookers must have deemed me insane.
I remember splashing in puddles like it was a game.
I forget the street’s name.
I remember looking up, the sky’s tears to my tongue.
I forget why that was refreshing,
I remember feeling relieved; free of all chains.
I forget if anyone saw, but I really didn’t care.

I remember the darkness that night
and the flash of headlights and cabs speeding by.
I forget if others’ eyes met mine, all
I remember is complete peace of mind.
I forget who stopped when I waved my hand high,
I remember his voice, “Where can I take you tonight?”
I forget my reply.
I remember feeling confined.
I forget why I even wanted a ride.
I remember regretting being inside and dry.
I forget what was so special about wide open skies,
I remember pushing the door, rushing right back outside.
I forget his reaction when I told him, “Goodbye”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beautifall

Caramel apples,

tangy cider,
sweet harvest appeal.
 
Seasonal donuts,
soothing, steamy lattes,
craving and carving pumpkin.
 
Savory spices,
fresh cinnamon,
delightful aromas in kitchen.

Homemade arts and crafts for sale,

children laugh on spinney rides,
numerous festivals and fairs.

Metamorphosis of trees,

leaves spiral with grace,
varied palette paints the streets.
 
Crisp air whips,
leaves rattle and swirl,
faces tingle.

Fringy fashion boots,
fuzzy cotton scarves,
bundling of lightened skin.

Maple sap,
burgundy mums,
mahogany leaves.

Scarecrows stand guard,

tractors crawl by,
wild hay lay out, golden trim.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sad Song

I shut the door and turn the key.
The seat beside me, once yours, now empty.
I don’t hear your seatbelt click,
don’t smell your cologne.
Fix my eyes on the road ahead,
turn the radio on.
But still I think of you and me,
beautiful voices blend in synchronicity.
High notes are hit and then they fall
but still a pleasing melody.

I wish you could have understood

the meaning of “duet”:
made for two, no one else,
the perfect harmony.
But you needed the whole choir;
that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

You played me like a sour note,
disrupted our song.
The light turns green, reminding me
that like a dignified soloist,
I need to carry on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory is a Beautiful Thing

 

A lone boat
treks along a vast sea
and drifts into the sunset
trusting the wind’s power
to energize its sails
and send it home.
 
Surmounting the choppy waves
as valiant as it fought the war,
it accepts triumph
and glides along into the sunset.

Like pure, white smoke
that spreads into the night,
the clouds rise from the horizon.
As the sun falls to the ocean
the sky turns a hue of navy and emerald
as if the sea is a mirror
reflecting blended pigments
into the atmosphere.
A single star will light the path
until the morning sunrise
leads it home.