The Writing Process: Draft, Revise, Edit
July 26, 2026 · Sourov · 1 min read
⏱ 5 Minutes · B1/B2
📖 From Experience
When I started writing formally — appeals, job applications, eventually blog posts — I tried to write perfectly on the first attempt. I couldn’t. No one can. The best writers I know treat the first draft as thinking on paper. The real work is in the revision. That is not a comfort; it is a strategy.
📚 Three Stages of Writing
| Stage | What you do | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Get ideas down. Don’t edit as you write. Focus on content. | Stopping to fix spelling mid-flow — kills momentum |
| Revise | Look at structure, ideas, logic. Does it make sense? Is it in order? | Only fixing words, not structure — missing the bigger picture |
| Edit | Fix language: grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling | Editing too early (before revision) — you’ll edit writing you later delete |
📚 Revision Checklist
- Does the opening make the reader want to continue?
- Is each paragraph about ONE main idea?
- Does each paragraph follow logically from the last?
- Is the conclusion a conclusion — not just a repeat of the introduction?
- Have you cut everything that is not needed?
✏️ Your Turn
Apply the process:
- Write 3 sentences on any topic — don’t edit yet (Draft).
- Read your 3 sentences: is the order logical? Does one idea lead to the next? (Revise)
- Now fix any grammar or vocabulary issues (Edit).
💡 Check Answers
- Tip: give yourself a 5-minute gap between drafting and revising — you will see problems you were blind to immediately after writing.
- Tip: read your writing ALOUD. Your ear catches errors your eye misses.
- Tip: cut any sentence you can’t defend. If you don’t know why it is there, the reader won’t either.
Independent project — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.
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