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Writing process is a pedagogical term that appears in the research of Janet Emig who published The Composing Process of Twelfth Graders in 1971. The term marks a shift from examining the products of writing to the composing process of writers. This focus on process encourages composition students to see writing as an ongoing, recursive process from conception of the idea through publication. It asserts that all writing serves a purpose, and that writing passes through some or all of several clear steps. It was part of the general whole language approach, championed most prominently in Australia, New Zealand and the United States K-12 educational system.Template:Fact

Generally the writing process is seen as consisting of five steps:Template:Fact

• Pre-writing: planning, research, outlining, diagramming, storyboarding or clustering (for a technique similar to clustering, see mindmapping)
• Draft: initial composition in prose form
• Revision: review, modification and organization (by the writer)
• Editing: proofreading for clarity, conventions, style (preferably by another writer)
• Submittal: sharing the writing: possibly through performance, printing or distribution of written material

These steps are not necessarily performed in any given order. For example, the skills used in the prewriting process can be applied any time the writer is stuck for ideas throughout the process. It is not necessary to go through each step for every writing project attempted.

The instructional theory behind the model is similar to new product development and life cycle theory, adapted to written worksTemplate:Fact. By breaking the writing cycle into discrete stages and focusing on strategies at each stage, it is hoped that writers will develop an appreciation for the process of seeing an idea through to successful completion in a logical way. Rather than presenting written works as divine acts of genius which emerge fully formed, they are shown as the fruit of several distinct and learnable skills.