This is my approach:
1.
Free flow thought - just get the ideas out of your head, don't think about spelling or grammar at this stage
2.
Draft development around the key points - I think of this as 'fattening' the piece
3.
Edit - Re-jig the word order and sentence structure to enhance the style / impact. Fix the punctuation
4.
Leave for 24 hours - If you can. You always notice new things and see the piece from a new light
5.
Polish6.
Proofread7.
SubmitWriting is a craft. It's just like painting a picture - you know instinctively when it's finished and when you walk away from it and return you usually spot something you missed.
Try to introduce rhetoric where you can - there are many devices you can adopt:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_speech