Chapter 2: The Writing Process at Work (Kolin's Successful Writing at Work)

CHAPTER 2
The Writing
Process at Work
Philip C. Kolin
University of Southern Mississippi

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 2 | 2
What Writing Is and Is Not
 What writing is:
 A fluid process that is dynamic, not static.
 Changeable as your thoughts, information, and view
of the material changes.
 Time-consuming.
 Subject to judgment calls.
 In need of many revisions to grow into a final
version.
 What writing is not:
 A mysterious process, known only to a few.
 A magical formula to follow.
 Completed in the first attempt.

Researching
 Researching is the process of obtaining
factually correct and intellectually significant
information for your audience.
 Before you start to compose any e-mail, memo,
letter, or report, you need to do research. It is
better to find out as much as possible about
your topic in advance of writing than to do a
poor job.
 Research can include conducting interviews,
doing fieldwork, attending conferences,
collaborating with others, conducting surveys,
reading books or periodicals, visiting websites,
and more.

Planning
 Planning is the process of getting something—
anything—down on paper or on a computer
screen.
 Widely-used strategies for planning include
clustering, brainstorming, and outlining:
 Clustering is diagramming thoughts about a topic by
writing them down, circling them, and connecting
related thoughts.
 Brainstorming is listing information on a topic in any
order as quickly as you can.
 Outlining is organizing and grouping information into
categories by using headings, numbers, and letters.

Figure 2.1 Clustering of Ideas to
Prepare a Report on Flextime
Planning 47
child care arrangements
are easier
canarrive at
7 amor leave
at 5 pm
decreased incidence
of lateness,absenteeism
adaptable to
individual lif estyle
avoid
rush-hour
traf fic
easier to
make af ter-work
appointments
happier
employeesEmployer
advantages
schedule
changescanbe
minimized
better
coordination
of human
resources
alwayssomeone
inof fice 7 am–5 pm
less
overtime pay
flat rate
of pay
FLEX-
TIME
Employee
advantages
have some
control over
ownschedules
canvary
schedule f rom
week toweek
easier todo
business
with global
companies
FIGURE 2.1 Clustering of Ideas to Prepare a Report on Flextime
©CengageLearning
Not For Sale
a

Figure 2.2 Marcus Weekley’s Initial,
Unrevised Brainstormed List48 CHAPTER 2 TheWriting Processat Work
List is not
organized but
simply records
writer’s initial
ideas about
possible topics
1, 2, and 11
are repetitious
6, 8, and 13
are not
relevant for
audience or
purpose
4, 9, 12, and
14 are of
special interest
to decision
makers
concerned about
costs
Research will
show cost
estimate is
too high
©CengageLearning
FIGURE 2.2 Marcus Weekley’s Initial, Unrevised Brainstormed List
©201CengageLearning.AllRightsReserved.Thiscontentisnotyetfin
a
landCengageLearning
doesnotguaranteethispagewillcontaincurrentmaterialormatchthepublishedproduct.

Figure 2.3 Marcus Weekley’s
Outline After Revision
Planning 49
Outline form
helps writer
group ideas/
topics and go
to next step in
the process
Headings
correspond to
major sections
of report
Outline reflects
scope and
details of
writer’s research
Last section of
outline also
functions as a
conclusion
©CengageLearning
I. Convenience/capabilitiesof all-in-onelaser printer
A. Would reducenumber of machineshaving to beserviced
B. Can beconf gured easily for our network system
C. Easy to install and to operate
D. 33.6 Kbpsfax machinewould increaseour communication
E. 2,400 3 1,200 dpi copier meansbetter copy quality
F. 4,800 3 4,800 dpi scanner meanshigher quality picturesthan current
scanner provides
II. Time/eff ciency
A. 40 ppm color printer isnearly twiceasfast ascurrent printer
B. 33.6 Kbpsfax allowsquick responsetime
C. Greater graphicscapability—130 scalablefonts
D. Scanner compatiblewith our current PhotoEdit imaging/graphics
software
E. 100,000-pagemonthly duty cyclemeanslessmaintenance
III. Money
A. Costsless overall for multitasking printer than combined four machines
B. Reduced monthly power bill by using onemachinerather than four
C. Wi-f capability meansno need to buy new softwareto network off ce
computers
D. Saveon servicecosts
E. Reduced advertising coststhrough printer’ s50−400% enlargement/
reduction options, which allow for morein-houseadvertising
FIGURE 2.3 Marcus Weekley’s Early Outline After Revising His Brainstormed List
way to sketch in some ideas, a convenient container into which you can put
information. You might simply jot down a few major points and identify a few
subpoints. N ote how Weekley organized his revised brainstormed list into an
outline seen below in Figure 2.3.
Not For Sale
a
landCengageLearning

Drafting
 Drafting is the process of converting the words
and phrases from your clustered groups,
brainstormed lists, or outlines into paragraphs.
 Do not expect to wind up with a polished,
complete version of your document after only
one draft—most letters, e-mails, memos, and
reports go through multiple drafts.

Figure 2.4 Intermediate Draft of
Marcus Weekley’s Report

Figure 2.5 Final Version of Marcus
Weekley’s Report

Guidelines for Drafting
 Write the easiest part first.
 Write straight through (do not worry about
grammar and mechanics).
 Allow time between drafts to clear your mind.
 Get outside opinions.
 Consider whether or not visuals will enhance
your document.

Revising (slide 1 of 2)
 Revising is the process of re-seeing, re-
thinking, and reconsidering your document
after you have produced a draft that
successfully conveys the appropriate message
to your audience.
 Like planning and drafting, revising evolves
over a period of time and should not be done in
one sitting.

Revising (slide 2 of 2)
 Revising involves re-working the document for
content (accuracy and relevance of information,
presentation of evidence), organization (clarity
of main points, order of information,
appropriateness of time spent on each point,
grouping of related items), and tone (how you
sound, how you perceive your audience).

Figure 2.6 Unorganized Opening
Paragraphs of Fonseca’s Draft

Figure 2.7 Mary Fonseca’s “After”
Draft

Editing
 Editing is the process of fine-tuning a document
after it has been satisfactorily revised for
content, organization, and tone.
 Editing involves checking the document for
ideal sentence construction, word choice,
punctuation, spelling, grammar and usage, and
tone.
 When editing, you should strive to compose
lean and clear sentences, remove unnecessary
words, and eliminate sexist and other
stereotypical language.

Editing Guidelines for Writing Lean
and Clear Sentences
 Avoid needlessly complex, lengthy sentences.
 Combine short, choppy sentences.
 Tell who does what to whom or what.
 Use strong, active verbs rather than verb
phrases.
 Avoid piling modifiers in front of nouns.
 Replace wordy phrases or clauses with one- or
two-word synonyms.
 Combine sentences beginning with the same
subject or ending with an object that becomes
the subject of the next sentence.

Editing Guidelines for Cutting Out
Unnecessary Words
 Replace wordy phrases with precise ones (e.g.,
use agree instead of be in agreement with,
slowly instead of at a slow rate).
 Use concise phrases, not redundant ones (e.g.,
use essential instead of absolutely essential,
opinion instead of personal opinion).
 Watch for repetitious words, phrases, or
clauses within a sentence.
 Avoid unnecessary prepositional phrases (e.g.,
audible to the ear, short in duration).

Table 2.1 Wordy Phrases and Their
Concise Equivalents Editing
isapart, acid iscorrosive, and agift isfree. In thefollowing examples, thesuggested
changeson theright arepreferableto theredundant phraseson theleft.
TABLE 2.1 Wordy Phrases and Their Concise Equivalents
Wordy Concise Wordy Concise
at aslow rate slowly in connection with about
at an early date soon in theevent that if
at thispoint in time now in themonth of May in May
based on thefact because in theneighborhood of approximately, about
bein agreement with agree it isoften thecasethat often
bring to aconclusion conclude, end look something like resemble
cometo termswith agree, accept of theopinion that think
dueto thefact that because on thegroundsthat because
during thecourseof during until such timeas until
expressan opinion that affirm with referenceto regarding, about
for theperiod of for with theresult that so
©2015CengageLearning
Not For Sale
a

Figure 2.8 A Wordy, Unedited
Email
64 CHAPTER 2 TheWriting Processat Work
hard to thetouch rectangular in shape twenty in number
honest in character second in sequence visible to theeye
Figure 2.8 shows an email that Trudy Wallace wants to send to her boss, Lee
Chadwick, about issuing tablets to the sales force. H er unedited work is bloated
with unnecessary words, expendablephrases, and repetitiousideas.
Arial 10
Dear Lee,
Due to the inescapable reliance on technology, specifically on email and Internet
communications, within our company, I believe it would be beneficial to look into
the possibility of issuing tablets to our employees. Issuing these devices would
have a variety of positive implications for the efficiency of our company. Unlike
smartphones, tablets have many more capabilities that will help our employees
in their daily work since these tablets expand the technological features of a
smartphone and a laptop’s ability to transfer documents. On the road their
portability would assist the sales staff to participate in online meetings both locally
and at distant sites. It should be pointed out, too, that the tablet’s screens are two
and one-half to three times bigger than a smartphone’s, so our employees could
actually make better presentations to clients on these devices. With a tablet,
employees would also benefit by having access to more extensive business
documents such as manuals, contracts, and invoices, even when they are out on
the road traveling or at our local office. By means of tablets, I feel quite certain
that our company’s correspondence would be dealt with much more speedily,
since not only will these devices allowour employees to access their email and full
documents at all times, it will enable themto actually create documents in a more
efficient manner because of the size of the virtual keyboard. I think it would be
absolutely essential for the satisfaction of our customers and to the ongoing
operation of our company’s business today to respond fully and completely to the
possibility such a proposal affords us. It would, therefore, appear safe to conclude
that with reference to issuing tablets every means at our disposal would be
brought to bear on aiding our sales staff.
Thanks,
Trudy
<twallace@transtech.org>
<lchadwick@transtech.org>
Tablets and Today’s TechnologyWordy and
unfocused
subject
One long,
unbroken
paragraph is
hard to follow
Repeats same
idea in two or
three sentences
Uses awkward
and wordy
sentences
Does not specify
what writer
will do about
problem
FIGURE 2.8 A Wordy, Unedited Email
©CengageLearning
Not For Sale
a
landCengageLearning
Dear Lee,
Due to the inescapable reliance on technology, specifically on email and Internet
communications, within our company, I believe it would be beneficial to look into
the possibility of issuing tablets to our employees. Issuing these devices would
have a variety of positive implications for the efficiency of our company. Unlike
smartphones, tablets have many more capabilities that will help our employees
in their daily work since these tablets expand the technological features of a
smartphone and a laptop’s ability to transfer documents. On the road their
portability would assist the sales staff to participate in online meetings both locally
and at distant sites. It should be pointed out, too, that the tablet’s screens are two
and one-half to three times bigger than a smartphone’s, so our employees could
actually make better presentations to clients on these devices. With a tablet,
employees would also benefit by having access to more extensive business
documents such as manuals, contracts, and invoices, even when they are out on
the road traveling or at our local office. By means of tablets, I feel quite certain
that our company’s correspondence would be dealt with much more speedily,
since not only will these devices allowour employees to access their email and full
documents at all times, it will enable themto actually create documents in a more
efficient manner because of the size of the virtual keyboard. I think it would be
absolutely essential for the satisfaction of our customers and to the ongoing
operation of our company’s business today to respond fully and completely to the
possibility such a proposal affords us. It would, therefore, appear safe to conclude
that with reference to issuing tablets every means at our disposal would be
brought to bear on aiding our sales staff.
Thanks,
Trudy
Tablets and Today’s Technologyy and
used
t
ong,
ken
raph is
o follow
ts same
n two or
sentences
wkward
ordy
nces
not specify
writer
o about
em
©CengageLearning
Not For Sale
a

Figure 2.9 A Concise Version of the
Wordy Email in Figure 2.8
Editing Guidelines to Eliminate Sexist Language
Editing involves far more than just making sure that your sentences are readable.
It also reflects your professional style—how you see and characterize the world of
work, your co-workers and customers, not to mention how you want your read-
ers to see you. Your words should reflect a high degree of ethics and honesty, free
from bias, offense, and stereotype. They need to be sensitive to the needs of your
©CengageLearning
Arial 10
Dear Lee,
Because our sales force spends so much time in the field, I recommend that we
issue themtablets to increase their productivity, expand sales, and improve
customer satisfaction. On the road, a tablet is much more practical than a laptop
and more useful and powerful than a smartphone for these reasons:
Enables our sales force to attend online meetings more easily
Offers wider screens for better client presentations
Contains more powerful apps to store and retrieve documents
Allows staff to create and edit documents with the tablet’s large
virtual keyboard.
I think buying tablets for the sales teamis a necessary and cost-effective
investment. With your approval, I will obtain more information fromvendors to
prepare a proposal so we can request bids.
Thanks,
Trudy
Issuing Tablets to Staff Focused
subject
Gets to point
quickly
Provides
convincing
reasons
Closes with plan
and request
FIGURE 2.9 A Concise Version of the Wordy Email in Figure 2.8
a
landCengageLearning

Editing Guidelines to Eliminate
Sexist Language (slide 1 of 2)
 Replace sexist words with neutral ones (e.g.,
use homemaker instead of housewife, chair or
chairperson instead of chairman).
 Watch masculine pronouns (make the subject
of the sentence plural instead of using a
masculine pronoun, replace his with the or a or
drop it altogether, use his or her instead of his,
use the passive voice to avoid using a
masculine pronoun).

Editing Guidelines to Eliminate
Sexist Language (slide 2 of 2)
 Avoid sexist words that end in –ess or –ette
(e.g., use flight attendant instead of
stewardess, use drummer instead of drum
majorette).
 Eliminate sexist salutations (e.g., Dear Sir,
Dear Madam, Gentlemen).

Avoiding Other Types of
Stereotypical Language
 Do not single out an individual because of race
or national origin or stereotype him or her
because of it.
 Identify members of an international community
accurately.
 Avoid words or phrases that discriminate
against an individual because of age.
 Respect individuals who may have a disability.
 Do not stereotype based on sexual orientation.

The Writing Process: Some Final
Thoughts
 Focus on your audience’s needs.
 Verify that all the information you have used is
current, accurate, ethical, and relevant.
 Ensure you completed the drafting, revising,
and editing stages of your writing.
 Confer with co-workers, members of your
writing team, your supervisor, etc., to make
sure everyone agrees with the final version
 Proofread the final version
 Send final, revised, edited, proofread version
 Send the document in the correct format

Chapter 2: The Writing Process at Work (Kolin's Successful Writing at Work)

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