Writing well is not something that can be achieved overnight. Anyone who has stared at a blank sheet of paper and wondered where to start knows this. Writers know that the writing is a process.
Writing begins before the pen hits paper—or fingers hit the keys as it may be. Writing begins with thought. Thought becomes ideas and then the ideas come to life on the page. The form on the page is only the final step.
It is the careful training of how to transform thought into ideas and then transfer them to ink that takes time…and what makes writing a challenge. This is the process that we often refer to as prewriting or outlining. It is also the process that most students avoid because it takes time and doesn’t really seem like “writing”. It lacks the prestige and glory. And…it seems to take away from the final goal: a completed product. This rebellion against prewriting is a major reason why writing is difficult to teach. It is a daunting task to teach our children how to think and form ideas. But if we take the time to teach the process and insist that it be followed, our children will indeed become great writers!