To become a proficient writer, it is important to understand that writing is a process. Whether you are writing a business letter, sending an email to a friend, or writing an essay for history class, there is a process that, when followed, will make your writing easier to understand and more enjoyable to read. The process of writing is listed below in easy to follow steps.
要想成爲一位寫作高手，清楚寫作步驟是非常重要的。不論你在寫一封商務信函，給朋友發電子郵件或是寫一篇歷史課文章…… 寫作都有規律可循，如果遵循這些規律，你寫作起來將會更加得心應手，寫的內容也會輕鬆易讀。下面列出這些寫作步驟：
1. Choose a topic. 選題
2. Gather information. 收集信息
3. Record notes that are relevant to your topic. 將與主題相關的內容作好筆記
4. Construct sentences from your notes. 用筆記的內容來構造句子
5. Disregard irrelevant sentences. 除掉無關的句子
6. Arrange sentences in logical order. 按照邏輯順序排列句子
7. Write sentences in paragraph format. 將句子整理成段落
8. Check for errors and rewrite. 檢查錯誤，重新寫一次
9. Check again for errors and rewrite again. 再次檢查錯誤和寫一次
10. Turn in or send your document 現在可以上交你的作品了
Let's examine each step more closely and see if we can discard any of the steps。
下面讓我們再仔細檢查一下這些步驟，看是否可以再剔除一些。
1. Choosing a topic. This step is needed regardless of what type of writing you intend to do. Even if you are just sending an email to a friend, there is a reason for sending the message. This reason is the topic of your email。
選題。無論你打算寫什麼，這都是一個必備步驟。即使你僅僅是給朋友發一封電子郵件，也必須寫得有條有理。這就是郵件的主題。
2. Gather information. In this step you find and collect all the information that you believe you will need to complete the writing you plan to do. In certain types of writing, such as a letter to a friend, this step may take place unconsciously. In other types of writing, such as an essay for a class, this step requires time spent doing research。
收集信息。在這一步驟中，收集到所有你認爲完成寫作所需要的信息。在一些類型的寫作中，如給朋友的書信中，這一步驟通常是下意識中完成的。在其它類型的寫作中，如課業文章中，這個步驟需要花時間作研究收集材料。
3. Record notes that are relevant. In this step you should not worry about grammatical structure. The notes you write on your paper are just bits and pieces of information that are relevant to the topic you have chosen to write about. Like the previous step of gathering information, this step happens unconsciously in most instances of informal writing。
將與主題相關的內容作好筆記。做這一步時，可以先不用顧及語法結構。寫在紙上的`筆記只是你所選擇的關於主題的隻言片語的信息。就象前面的信息收集過程一樣，這個步驟在非正式的寫作中不知不覺中就能完成。
4. Construct sentences from your notes. This step requires a little concentration and work. Make sure the sentences are grammatically correct. This is critical, even for informal writing such as email。
用筆記的內容來構造句子。這一步要花些精力集中工作了。要確保寫中的句子沒有語法問題。這點即使對於非正式的寫作如電子郵件，也是必須的。
5. Disregard irrelevant sentences. Make sure the sentences you keep are relevant to the topic you have chosen. Check the tutorial on relevancy for a full explanation。
除掉無關的句子。確保選出的句子都與主題有關。
6. Arrange your sentences in logical order. Remember, every language organizes ideas differently. What is logical in one language is usually not logical in another。
按照邏輯順序排列句子。謹記每種語言都有不同的組織思維方式。在一種語言中被視爲邏輯的順序到了另一種語言中通常就沒有邏輯性了。
7. Write the sentences in paragraph format. See the tutorial on paragraphs for an explanation of paragraph formats。
將句子整理成段落。
8. Check for errors and rewrite. This is commonly known as editing and rewriting. This is one of the most crucial steps in the writing process, which is why I have listed it twice。
檢查錯誤，重新寫一次。這其實是大家知道的編輯和重新整理過程。這也是寫作步驟中最關鍵的一步，這也是爲什麼我們將它列舉了兩次。
9. Check again for errors and rewrite. This time you may even want to have someone else read what you have written. Sometimes other people will see mistakes that you have overlooked。
再次檢查錯誤和寫一次。這一次你可能還需要別人來讀一讀你所寫的內容。有時候其他人往往能看出你所忽略的問題。
10. Turn in or send your document. Once you are certain the piece you have written is free from errors and says what you want it to say, give it to the person for whom it was written。
寫作完畢，上交作文。如果你確信所寫的作文已經沒有錯誤並且能夠表達你想表達的思想，那麼就可以上交了。
