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Technical Writing: Skills Development & Training16 chapters | 125 lessons
The Technical Writing Process: Prewriting, Writing & Rewriting
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Lesson Transcript
Instructor:
Suzanne Sweat
Suzanne has taught 12 years in the NC Public School System and three years at Campbell University. She has a master's degree in English Education.
Having a plan for your writing will help ensure that you effectively communicate your message. This video provides definitions and strategies for the three steps of the writing process: prewriting, writing, and rewriting.
Importance of Planning
When I was in college, my boyfriend and I decided to hop in the car one day and just start driving. We had no idea where we were going, but the adventure of traveling without a plan seemed so exciting! Well, five hours, one flat tire, and a tow truck later, we were lost in a place we'd never been with still no idea where we were going. The trip was a disaster. We hadn't planned on having to pay for any unexpected 'emergencies,' so the cost of the tow and the tire left us without money for food or a place to stay. After getting the car back in working order, we headed back to our apartments, discouraged and disgruntled. What promised to be a spur-of-the-moment adventure turned out to be an expensive lesson on the need to plan ahead.
As an English teacher, my students often ask me, 'Do people really follow the writing process in the real world?' And I guess if I'm honest, the answer is no, not always. But they should. Because not prewriting, writing, and rewriting can lead to a lot of extra time and frustration. If you don't know where you're going, how will you get there? Writing, like road trips, requires pre-planning. You need to have a direction in mind, and a plan for what you want to do along the way.
Prewriting
Prewriting is the process of gathering information on a subject and planning out what our communication will say and look like. Prewriting is the roadmap for our documents. We must establish our purpose, identify our audience, and plan out our message.
Laying out a plan will help ensure that we effectively communicate our message and that our target audience is able to easily understand and apply the information. During the prewriting phase, consider following these steps to help map out a plan for your communication:
1. Establish your purpose. Ask yourself, why are you creating this document? Are you trying to inform an audience of something? Do you want to instruct the audience in how to do something? Do you need to persuade them to believe something? Establishing your purpose will help determine the type of communication you create.
For example, informing an audience about a new scientific breakthrough may mean you write a magazine article or a research paper on your topic. However, instructing your audience on how to use a new sewing machine will require a totally different type of document. You may need to create a how-to manual with lots of graphics and step-by-step instructions. Knowing what your purpose is will help you choose the best format for your communication.
2. Identify your audience. For whom are you creating this document? Who your audience is determines how you will communicate your information.
For example, if you intend your document to be read by computer geeks creating a new processing system, the language you are going to use will be high-tech and full of jargon. But if you're explaining to the general public how to use the new processing system, your language must be simple and easy to understand. You must determine who your target audience is before you begin writing so that you know how to say what you want to say.
3. Gather your information. Now that you know what you want to say and who you want to say it to, you need to collect the details. Make sure you consider everything the audience needs to know. Do you have the correct dates, times, expenses, locations, and required actions? Communication cannot be effective if it is not complete and accurate.
Imagine going on a road trip with part of the map missing. You need to gather all of the information you need to write your document so that you don't accidentally leave out any important detail in your communication.
4. Plan your message. Once you have all of your information together, you can begin to lay out exactly what you want to say. Consider using one of these prewriting techniques as you plan out what to say and when to say it in your communication:
- Bubble-mapping - Bubble maps allow you to brainstorm ideas by putting your main topic in the center circle, then linking all of the ideas you need to express about that topic in circles that link to the center.
- Outlining - If you like your information organized in a more orderly manner, you could make an outline of your information. The concept is the same as bubble mapping in that you determine your main points and the details that explain those points, but the layout allows for a neat, orderly examination of how the details fit together. Outlining may be the most beneficial for those who have a lot of little details you want to make sure you include in your document.
- Storyboarding - If you are a visual learner, storyboarding is an excellent way for you to visualize what you need to say. You simply draw out all of the important details of your communication in order of importance or action.
There are many different prewriting techniques, so choose the one that best suits your needs. Using one will ensure that you present your information in a logical, orderly manner and that you don't accidentally leave out an important detail.
Writing
Once you have determined your audience and purpose, gathered all of your information, and planned out what you want to say, it's time to start writing. Writing is simply the process of putting your information into appropriate words, sentences, and paragraphs. The most important points to consider when writing your draft are the organization and format of your document.
Organization is the method by which you arrange the information in your document. You have many options for how you organize your information. The following are some of the more popular organizational structures:
- Problem-solution allows you to explain a problem and then provide potential solutions. This type of organization would be great in a document presenting ideas of how to improve an area of a company.
- Chronological organization allows you to write down steps to be taken based on what should occur first, second, third, and so on. If you are developing a user manual for a cell phone, chronological order may be your best organizational option.
- Compare and contrast lets you explain how two items are similar and then how they are different. This organizational structure is perfect for explaining how an updated product has changed from the original.
- Top-down: Finally, a common type of organization structure for technical documents is the top-down approach. In this structure, you provide an overview of what you will say at the beginning of your document, then give detailed information in paragraphs and bullet points. The top-down approach would be great for providing research on a new type of medicine.
The type of organization you choose for your communication will vary based on your purpose and audience, but it is important to choose an organizational pattern and stick to it so that readers can easily follow the information you are presenting.
The other area you must consider as you are writing is how you will format your document. Formatting is the way in which you lay out and display your information. Once you have written all of your information down, examine how the text appears on the document. Is it easy to read? Are the important points easy to find? Does the document provide a visual aid to help explain more difficult information? Formatting your document allows your user to more easily access and understand your information. Consider using these formatting techniques during the writing process:
- Put key points in bold or larger fonts
- Use bullet points for important details
- Include a visual aid or graphic
- Insert tables or charts to group information
Reading large chunks of words can be brain numbing and your audience may lose focus on your message. Adding in formatting techniques will keep your document user-friendly and allow the reader to find information quickly.
Rewriting
I'm sure once you've finally written down all that you needed to say, your brain has become numb, but don't make the mistake of publishing your document before you've looked back over your work. Take a fifteen-minute break, go get a cup of coffee, and once your brain has had a chance to rest, come back to your document for a second look. Rewriting is the process of revising and editing what you've written to fix any grammatical errors and to ensure the information is correct, concise, and complete. When you are rewriting, follow these steps to ensure that you produce the most accurate and user-friendly document possible:
- Add details to any areas that may seem vague
- Delete unnecessary words or phrases
- Correct any grammar errors
- Check to make sure all information is accurate
- Examine the format to make sure important information is highlighted
Once you've read through your draft a few times, consider having a colleague review the document as well. Two sets of eyes are better than one, and an objective outsider will be able to tell you if you have been successful in communicating your information.
Lesson Summary
Technical writing involves more than just throwing information into a document. It requires careful planning to create a document that effectively communicates a purpose and meets the needs of the intended audience. Create a roadmap to help guide you in your writing process. Use prewriting to gather information on your subject and plan out what you want to say.
Once you've determined your purpose, audience, and plan, you can begin writing by putting your information into appropriate words, sentences and paragraphs with careful consideration of the organization and formatting of your text. Finally, after you've had a short mental break, revisit your document by rewriting in order to revise and edit what you've written to fix any grammatical errors and ensure the information is correct, concise, and complete. Following the writing process as you complete your technical document will ensure that you effectively communicate your message and that your audience can quickly understand and apply the information you've presented.
Learning Outcomes
After watching this lesson, you should be able to:
- Identify and explain the steps that go into prewriting, writing, and rewriting
- Examine organizational structures you can use for writing your document
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Technical Writing: Skills Development & Training
Summary:
Review or learn new facts about various technical writing concepts and practices using our helpful video lessons. Boost your career by further developing skills in the writing, revising, editing and formatting of manuals, proposals, correspondence and other technical documents.
Visit the Technical Writing: Skills Development & Training page to learn more.
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Lesson
9 in chapter 1 of the course:
- Technical Communication: Definition & Purpose 4:45
- Characteristics of Technical Communication 8:58
- Audience-Centered Communication: Description & Effectiveness 5:17
- Rhetorical Awareness in Technical Communication 6:12
- Legal and Ethical Communication: Description & Importance 5:41
- Implicit and Explicit Rules of Communication: Definitions & Examples 3:55
- Types of Technical Documents 6:45
- Establishing Goals in Technical Writing 8:04
- The Technical Writing Process: Prewriting, Writing & Rewriting 10:09
- Go to Basics of Technical Writing
- 5:37
Next Lesson
Determining the Purpose of Your Message: Inform, Persuade & Good Will
- Analyzing Your Audience and Adapting Your Message: Purpose, Process & Strategy5:15
- Choosing Your Channel of Communication: Oral, Written, Visual & Electronic7:12
- Supporting Your Message With Primary and Secondary Research7:32
- Tips for Locating Research Materials5:55
- Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Sources6:07
- Finding & Evaluating Sources for Research11:00
- Conducting Surveys and Interviews: Explanation & Purpose5:29
- Research Methods: Observation, Focus Groups & More9:02
- Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing Your Research6:02
- Analyzing, Applying, and Drawing Conclusions From Research to Make Recommendations6:38
- How to Avoid Plagiarism: When to Cite Sources5:35
- Go to Prewriting for Technical Documents
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