Writing in the Sciences - Writing Process

This post covers the topics mentioned in Writing in the Sciences offered on Coursera.

Writing Process

The writing process includes three steps:

• Prewriting
  • Collect and organize information
  • Brainstorm take-home messages
  • Work out ideas away from the computer
  • Develop a road map
• Writing the first draft
  • Putting ideas together in organized prose
• Revision
  • Read out loud
  • Cut the clutter
  • Verb check
  • Get feedback

A lot of people often convolute step 2 and 3. They try to write and revise at the same time, which is anything but efficient. It’s hard to resist the impulse to be perfect. Paying too much attention to details obfuscates the whole picture. Unsurprisingly, the class poll shows most people focus on the writing step:

A better time allocation would look like:

1. Prewriting (70%)
2. Writing the first draft (10%)
3. Revision (20%)

The Prewriting

The key to prewriting is to get organized first. What it means is you shouldn’t try to write and gather information simultaneously. Instead, you should gather and organize information before writing the first draft. That means you need to have an organization system to help you keep...