by Brett Green, Guest Blogger, IUPUI Undergraduate

As college students, we writers have so much going on — other classes, jobs, social obligations, etc., — that we often forget the most important steps in writing: prewriting, drafting, and revising. I would bet that if I took a poll, a majority of students who write any kind of paper skip at least two out of three steps. Is our work just as good without these steps? It’s highly doubtful.

Without Prewriting, how are we certain that we put everything we wanted into our work? How do we know that we covered all the points asked of by our professors? Without this step, did our paper fall short of its full potential?

Without Drafting and Revising, did we fix all mistakes that were made? Without these steps, does our paper deserve an A? Does our paper make sense? Is it organized logically? Is it easy to read? Are any points missing? Did we look at grammar and spelling to make sure there were no confusing fragments or run-on sentences? Did we leave out any punctuation marks to aid our readers’ comprehension? Without these steps, does our paper relay the information it’s supposed to?

By all means, use this a checklist because this shows all of the steps that you might be missing out on. Save yourself the time; do the steps and write a better paper. It’s that simple!

Be sure to check out the Dickinson College site which collects the input of many other universities on the writing process. And if you ever need feedback or help with your process, Writing Center consultants are here to help!