12 has to go to some stages in producing a good piece of writing. Harmer 2004:4-6
suggests four main stages of the writing processes. They are planning, drafting, revising, and final drafting.
The first stage of the processes is planning. In this stage students plan what they are going to write and decide what they are going to say. There are
three main issues that have to be paid attention in planning a writing. The first one is they have to consider the purpose of the writing. The second is the audience
they are writing for and the third one is the content structure of the piece. In the planning stage, students have to consider those three elements because those three
elements can influence the shape of the writing, the choice of language, and the sequence of ideas.
The second stage is drafting. At this stage, students begin to write down their ideas. The drafts that they made can be amended later. They also can make
outlines of things that they are going to write. The next stage is editing. After making the drafts, students can check
their drafts to know where it works and where it does not. To reflect and revise their drafts, they can ask other readers to comment and make suggestions.
The last stage is final version. After editing the drafts and change things that are necessary to be changed, students can make their final version. It is the
final product that is ready to be sent to the readers. In short, all of the five stages are important to be applied to students in
practice writing. It is done to make the students not only focus on the product but
13 also pay attention to each stage of writing process in order to produce a good final
product.
c. Microskills and Macroskills of Writing
Brown 2004: 221 mentions a list of the microskills and macroskills of writing. The microskills and macroskills are presented below.
Microskills
1 Produce graphemes and orthographic patterns of English.
2 Produce writing at an efficient rate of speed to suit the purpose.
3 Produce an acceptable core of words and use appropriate word order patterns.
4 Use acceptable grammatical systems e.g. tense, agreement, pluralization,
patterns, and rules. 5
Express a particular meaning in different grammatical forms. 6
Use cohesive devices in written discourse.
Macroskills
7 Use the rhetorical forms and conventions of written discourse.
8 Appropriately accomplish the communicative functions of written texts
according to form and purpose. 9
Convey links and connections between events and communicate such relations as main idea, supporting idea, new information, given information,
generalization, and exemplification. 10
Distinguish between literal and implies meanings when writing. 11
Correctly convey culturally specific references in the context of the written text.
12 Develop and use a battery of writing strategies, such as accurately assessing
the audience’s interpretation, using prewriting devices, writing with fluency in the first drafts, using paraphrases and synonyms, soliciting peer and
instructor feedback, and using feedback for revising and editing.
The macroskills and microskills of writing have to be considered in order
to make a good writing. Microskills and macroskills of writing are also important as the base in conducting writing activities.
14
2. Teaching Writing
a. Differences between L1 and L2 Writing
Writing is a complicated skill which has many aspects to consider in making a good one. There are some obstacles that are faced by second language
learners in learning writing. English is a foreign language in Indonesia so many students find it difficult in learning writing. Therefore, teachers have to find ways
in order to teach them effectively. Related to second language writing, Silva 1993: 688 in Weigle
2002:36 states the differences between first and second language writing. He finds that writing in a second language tends to be more constrained, more
difficult, and less effective than first language. Silva 1993: 657 in Brown 2001: 339 also states that second language writers do less planning, and less fluent in
writing use fewer words, less accurate made errors, and less effective in stating goals and organizing material.
Weigle 2002:36 states that second language writers may find difficulties in the cognitive process of writing because of the limited language
proficiency. They often find problems in grammar rules that is different from their first language and limited vocabulary mastery that become the obstacles in
expressing their ideas. These will also affect the content of their writing that cannot be fully expressed.
Second language learners also have limited linguistic resources. Because of this reason, they may be disadvantaged by the social and cultural factors where
