Draft No. 4: The Writing Process

John McPhee’s writing process rebuilt as an eight-day practical course: find subjects through durable interests, gather and select material, discover structure, work with editors, report with precision, verify every claim, revise through four drafts, and strengthen prose through omission.

1. 01Progression: Finding Your SubjectAfter John McPhee’s “Progression” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 20269 sections
2. 02Structure from MaterialAfter John McPhee’s “Structure” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 20269 sections
3. 03Editors and PublishersAfter John McPhee’s “Editors & Publisher” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 20269 sections
4. 04Elicitation: Reporting in MotionAfter John McPhee’s “Elicitation” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 20269 sections
5. 05Frame of ReferenceAfter John McPhee’s “Frame of Reference” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 20269 sections
6. 06Checkpoints: Fact-Checking Every ClaimAfter John McPhee’s “Checkpoints” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 20269 sections
7. 07Draft No. 4: Revision as the Writing ProcessAfter John McPhee’s “Draft No. 4” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 202610 sections
8. 08Omission and GreeningAfter John McPhee’s “Omission” and *Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process*Published 24 Jul 202610 sections