Writing is a Step-by-Step Process?
Many people have been taught these or similar steps to writing:
choosing and limiting the subject, assembling materials, outlining,
writing the first draft, revising, revising, and writing the final
draft. Although this is all necessary to good writing, it can
confuse a person into thinking writing has to follow those steps.
True writing, on the contrary, is not like a scientific tunnel
process to meaning, it is a recursive, flowing in and out of these
steps.
The mistake some people make(don't feel bad if you have) is to
feel like they must follow a certain pattern of steps. Feel
relieved, you don't. Yes, all of these steps are important; and
yes, some of these are done more at the beginning (generating
ideas), the middle (writing of actual text), and the end (revising
and editing); but do not be deceived to think that is all that goes
on at those stages: all of the steps are going on all of the time.
Do not feel bad if you shuttle between the steps--it is natural.
Follow your instincts and do what you feel you need to.
So consider this your pat on the back. This is your license to
let the creative and natural juices flow. Take what works for you
in all the advice given, and the rest you can ignore. The point is
to write well, not to force someone else's methods upon you. If you
don't shuttle and write beautifully, fine; if you shuttle like a
mad hound, fine: just do what works.