The Writing Process

One of a series of workplace education modules, this module includes activities and exercises for improving writing skills in the workplace. First, discussions of writing in the workplace are presented, highlighting tips for effective instruction, and of issues related to grading papers, including a sample evaluation form. Next, the assessment process in writing is described, including the use of pre/post writing samples, multiple drafts, portfolios, and grammar corrections; quotations from authors on the writing process are presented for use in stimulating thought and discussion; and the difficulty levels of module activities are defined (i.e., beginning, intermediate, and advanced). The bulk of the report then provides 44 activities in the following 7 topic areas: (1) overcoming anxieties; (2) understanding the purpose of writing; (3) understanding audience; (4) the POWER approach to writing: planning, organizing, writing, evaluating, and revising; (5) grammar; (6) writing for special purposes, including the use of comparison/contrast paragraphs and peer and self-evaluations; and (7) writing with computers. Each activity includes a description of intended learning goals, the difficulty level, the recommended group size, the time needed, and necessary materials. (HAA)

Suggests tips on how business enterprise managers can ease their writing jitters.

The article focuses on the writer's block, which is the inability to begin or continue writing for reasons other than lack of basic skill experienced by authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Stephen King. According to the Purdue Online Writing, a variety of things can cause a writer to experience anxiety that leads to writer's block because they have various ways of writing. It adds that reflecting on the essence of the completed piece is one way to overcome the writer's block.