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Defined as the "getting ready to write" stage. Writers should choose a topic, consider purpose, audience and organize their ideas (Tompkins, 2012, 6). Although this is the first step of the writing process, new ideas are generated throughout the entire writing, and the author may alter the goals set in this stage as they write (Higgins, Miller, Wegmann, 2007, 113).

From my personal experience, I started off as a very organized writer. In elementary and middle school, I always made a bubble chart to write down my beginning thoughts that helped me draft my paper. However, in high school and on, I became more concerned with jumping into the writing rather than planning.

I have observed my Kindergarten class begin their prewriting skills. They use a graphic organizer to write details about their main topic. I notice they have a hard time with only writing details and not full sentences.

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Defined as the writer's focus to get their ideas down on paper. This is the stage where writers start pouring out their ideas on paper, not focusing on the technical errors such as spelling, grammar or punctuation (Tompkins, 2012, 8).

I absolutely loved this stage of the writing process during my early education. I was able to freely think about my topic without worrying about common errors. I remember being so proud of myself after seeing how much I could write in this stage because I felt unstoppable.

My Kindergarteners also love this stage. Because they are just now learning how to write, they feel like everything they write makes sense, even if only they can read it. I think it is important for these students to feel as unstoppable as I did during this stage because it builds confidence in their writing at a young age.

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Defined as meeting the needs of readers by adding, substituting, deleting and rearranging material. The writer rereads and shares the rough draft with a peers in order to receive constructive feedback (Tompkins, 2012, 9). Ideas are also elaborated to make the writing more interesting (Higgins, Miller, Wegmann, 2007, 113). Revising in small groups can help with showing revising possibilities through multiple perspectives (Tompkins, 2012, 10).

This stage was hard for me to grasp as an early writer. I was usually timid to show my work to my classmates in fear of them judging my draft. I was willingly to peer revise if I was sharing with a friend or someone I knew that was on the same writing level as me.

Although my Kindergarteners have not started sharing their drafts with their peers, they have had many revision experiences with their teacher. After they complete a writing assignment, they immediately get it checked by the teacher or teacher assistant. They give feedback instantly and help guide the students in the right direction.

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Defined as putting the piece of writing into its final form. The writer corrects spelling and other technical errors found throughout the paper. It is helpful for students to take a step back before beginning this stage in order to have a fresh perspective (Tompkins, 2012, 12). Teacher conferences help with stage as well (Higgins, Miller, Wegmann, 2007, 113).

As a writer today, I always take a day or two to begin editing. After looking at a paper for certain amount of time, I find it refreshing to take a break and come back with a new perspective. I started this method early on and it has helped my writing grow immensely.

My Kindergartens are currently learning five important things to look at when editing their writing: capitalization, spelling, spacing, correct meaning, and punctuation. Capitalization, spacing and punctuation are their main focus at this point in their writing, while the spelling and correct meaning will come as they become better writers.

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Defined as sharing a writing piece with an appropriate audience in order to motivate the writer to do his or her best work. This stage encourages the writer to revise and edit their paper (Tompkins, 2012, 15). A student writer might publish their paper into a book form or type it on a computer (Higgins, Miller, Wegmann, 2007, 113).

I was nervous to publish my writing as a student; however, it did motivate me to revise and edit my paper thoroughly. I wanted to make sure my audience was not only impressed with my topic, but also impressed with my technical writing skills. Still to this day, I have a binder full of my published middle school writing projects.

Because my Kindergarteners are still in their early writing stages, everything they write is published for their parents. My teacher also collects their most creative work and hangs it up outside the classroom for the school to see. Each time they write, they know the teacher and their parents will see it.

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Higgens, B. , Miller, M. and Wegmann, S. (2006), Teaching to the Test…Not! Balancing Best Practice and Testing Requirements in Writing. The Reading Teacher, 60: 310-319

Tompkins, G. E., & Jones, P. D. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product. NY, NY: Pearson.