5.

The Writing Process

 The Writing Process
• The Writing Process: An Overview
• Prewriting
• Writing
• Rewriting
 The Writing Process: An Overview
• The writing process is recursive.
• The 3 steps are dynamic and overlap.
• Prewriting, Writing, and Rewriting will help you perfect your
correspondence and enhance your professionalism.
The Writing Process: An Overview (cont.)

The Writing Process

Prewriting Writing Rewriting
 Examine your  Organize the draft  Revise
purposes according to some logical o Add missing details
 Determine your sequence which your o Delete wordiness
goals readers can follow easily o Simplify word usage
 Consider your  Format the content to o Enhance the tone of your
audience allow for ease of access communication
 Gather your data o Reformat your text for
 Determine how ease of access
the content will o Practice the speech or
be provided review the text
 Proofread
o Correct errors
 Prewriting
• Before writing your document, you should
accomplish the following:
 Prewriting (cont.)

• Examine your purposes—are you writing due

to:
– External motivation?
– Has someone asked you to write the memo, letter, report,
or proposal?
– Internal motivation?
– Have you decided to write the correspondence based on
your own needs?
 Prewriting (cont.)

• Determine your goals—are you writing to:

– Persuade an audience to accept your point of
view?
– Instruct an audience by directing actions?
– Inform an audience of facts, concerns, or
questions you might have?
– Build trust and rapport?
Determining Goals (cont.)
 Prewriting (cont.)
• Consider your audience—are you writing to:
– High-tech readers?
– Low-tech readers?
– Multiple readers with varied levels of knowledge?

Will be discussed later in

details.
 Prewriting (cont.)
Prewriting
Prewritingis
islike
likemapping
mappingyour
yourroute
routebefore
beforeleaving
leavingfor
foraa
trip.
trip. Know
Knowwhere
whereyou’re
you’regoing
goingbefore
beforeyou
youget
getthere.
there.

• Gather your data—use any of the following

techniques:
– answering the reporter's questions
– mind mapping
– brainstorming/listing
– flowcharting
– outlining
– storyboarding
– org charts
 Prewriting (cont.)
• Determine how the content will be provided.
• Which of the following communication channels
will you use?

– E-mail – Reports
– Cell phone e-mail – Brochures
– Instant Messages – Blogs
– Letters – Web sites
– Memos – PowerPoint
 Determine how the content will be
provided (cont.)
• The type of
communication channel
determines the size and
shape of the content.
• The communication
channel determines the
technological
requirements of your
writer and reader(s).
 Writing
• Organize the draft according to some logical sequence
which your readers can follow easily.

Will be discussed later in

details.
 Writing (cont.)
• Format the content to allow
for ease of access. Use 90
80
highlighting techniques, 70
such as: 60
50 East
– White space 40 West
North
– Headings 30
20
– Bullets 10
– Graphics 0
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
– Font changes
– Color
Will be discussed later in
details.
 Rewriting
• Revise
– Add missing details
– Delete wordiness
– Simplify word usage
– Enhance the tone of your communication
– Reformat your text for ease of access
– Practice the speech or review the text
• Proofread
– Correct errors
 Process Sample
• Prewriting
• Writing
• Rewriting
Prewriting—Journalist’s Questions
Prewriting (Listing)

• Who? Matt
• What? fixed rate mortgages available
• Where? Mortgage bank
• When? current quarter
• Why? to show availability in the fixed rate market
• How? to compare three fixed rate mortgage investments to
determine profitability
 Writing—Rough Draft with Suggested
Revisions (boldface)
To: Matt Wright
From: Greg McLendon
Re: Fixed Rate Mortgage [what about them?]
Date: May 29, 2008
In an effort To review the mortgage market during this quarter, I have started by looking at fixed rate. I
ran three fixed rate mortgage investments through the PALMS model[,] and Joel downloaded the market
shares into a spreadsheet [what’s “PALMS”?]. The results are in the two attachments to this memo.
Attachment #1 has all three of the mortgage investments funded by what Joel selected. Attachment #2
shows what I picked in mortgage investments (only two bonds- the highest returns) and what I picked to
fund them. [why repeat the two attachments here and below? Combine them in the body points.]

Attachment #1 show [subject-verb agreement error] that the spread is barely over 5 bps [define “bps”]
in the base case. It [vague pronoun reference] also shows the longer duration and more convexity on
liabilities then [spelling = “than”] assets.
[boldface the headings for greater access]
Attachment #2 shows that the spread is about 27 bps in the base with the liability duration still longer
than assets, but the liability convexity about half the assets.[29 words] To add spread, as attachment #1
and #2 show [subject-verb agreement error], some convexity risk would need to be added to the
portfolio.

My intent was to show you [passive voice] what was available in the fixed rate mortgage market. The
three mortgages I reviewed were plain sequentials, but they do represent the fixed rate mortgage
investment market. I can conclude that [wordy] the fixed rate mortgage market is still very tight making
it difficult for the Bank to invest in and make a spread.
 Rewriting—Corrected Memo
To: Matt Wright
From: Greg McLendon
Subject: Fixed Rate Mortgage Investments for June 2008
Date: May 29, 2008

To review the mortgage market, I have started by looking at fixed rate. I ran three fixed rate mortgage
investments through the PALMS financial calculator model. Joel downloaded this spreadsheet for your
information. The results are in the two attachments to this memo.

Attachment #1 has all three of the mortgage investments funded by what Joel selected in COs. The
spread is barely over 5 bps (basis points which equal one one-hundredth of a percentage point in the
base case). The attachment also shows the longer duration and more convexity on liabilities than
assets.

Attachment #2 shows what I picked in mortgage investments (only two bonds- the highest returns)
and what I picked to fund them. The spread is about 27 bps in the base with the liability duration still
longer than assets. The liability convexity equals about half the assets. To add spread, as attachment
#1 and #2 shows, some convexity risk would need to be added to the portfolio.

In this memo, I have shown what was available in the fixed rate mortgage market. The three mortgages
I reviewed were plain sequentials, but they do represent the fixed rate mortgage investment market. I
conclude that the fixed rate mortgage market is still very tight making it difficult for the Bank to invest
in and make a spread.
 Case Study
• To practice prewriting, take one of the following
topics. Then using the suggested technique, gather
data.
– Reporter’s questions. To gather data for your resume, list
answers to the reporter’s questions for two recent jobs you
have held and for your past education
– Mind Mapping. Create a mind map for data for a new
project your company is bidding on.
– Brainstorming or listing. List five reasons why you have
chosen the major in your masters
– Creating organizational charts. What is the hierarchy of
management at your job.
– Flowcharting. Create a flowchart of the steps you followed
for oil excavation.