Write before Writing

mand, ejaculating correct little essays without thought, for writers have to write before writing. The writers were the students who dawdled, stared out windows, and, more often than we like to admit, didn't do well in English-or in school. One reason may be that few teachers have ever allowed adequate time for prewriting, that essential stage in the writing process which precedes a completed first draft. And even the curricula plans and textbooks which attempt to deal with prewriting usually pass over it rather quickly, referring only to the techniques of outlining, note-taking, or journal-making, not revealing the complicated process writers work through to get to the first draft. Writing teachers, however, should give careful attention to what happens between the moment the writer receives