the writing process

There are several stages to the Writing Process. Each stage is essential.› Prewriting› Writing (Drafting)› Revising› Editing

Choose/narrow your topic Determine your

Audience Purpose Tone Point-of-view Tense

Explore your topic Make a plan

Your topic should pass the 3-question test:

1. Does it interest me?

2. Do I have something to say about it?

3. Is it specific?

Your Audience is composed of those who will read your writing.

Ask yourself:› Who are my readers?› What do my readers know

about my topic?› What do my readers need to

know about my topic?› How do my readers feel about

my topic?

› What do my readers expect? Standard Written English Correct grammar and spelling Accurate information Logical presentation of ideas Followed directions of the

assignment!!! What are my length requirements? What is my time limit? What does the assignment consist of? Is research required? What format should be used?

Purpose is the reason you are writing.

Whenever you write, you always have a purpose. Most writing fits into one of 3 categories:› Expressive Writing› Informative Writing› Persuasive Writing

More than one of these may be used, but one will be primary.

Tone is the mood or attitude you adopt as you write.

› Serious or frivolous/humorous?

› Intimate or detached?

Point-of-view is the perspective from which you write an essay.

There are 3 points-of-view:› First person—”I, we” › Second person—”you”› Third person—”he, she, they”

One of the most common errors in writing occurs when the writer shifts point-of-view unnecessarily!

Tense is the voice you use to designate the time of the action or state of being.› Present tense› Past tense› Future tense

Pre-writing Techniques:› Brainstorming/Listing› Freewriting› Clustering/Mapping› Questioning› Discussing› Outlining

Before you begin drafting your essay, you should make a plan (a roadmap).› Review, evaluate, and organize

ideas written in your pre-writing; then make a plan for your essay’s Thesis statement Support Order Structure

The thesis statement expresses the MAIN IDEA of your essay, the central point that your essay develops/supports.

Your thesis SHOULD:› Accurately predict your essay’s

direction, emphasis, and scope› Make no promises that the

essay will not fulfill› Be direct and straightforward› NOT be an announcement,

statement of opinion, or statement of fact.

Be sure to evaluate the information in your prewriting carefully in order to choose the best support for your topic.› Primary Support—major ideas

or examples that back up your main points

› Secondary Support—details which further explain your primary support

Basics of good support› Relates to main point› Considers readers, i.e. provides

enough information› Is detailed and specific

The Order is the sequence in which you present your ideas.

There are 3 types of order:› Time (chronological) order› Space order› Emphatic order (order of importance: least-

to-most, most-to-least)

Consider how your essay will be organized; then create an Outline.

Sample Outline of standard 5-paragraph essay:

A. IntroductionB. Body Paragraph 1C. Body Paragraph 2D. Body Paragraph 3E. Conclusion

During the Writing Stage, you should› Create your essay’s Title› Compose a draft

A Draft is the first whole version of all your ideas put together; it’s a “dress rehearsal.”

You should plan to revise your Draft several times throughout the writing process.

Your essay’s title should:› Be original› Be a reasonable length› Reflect your topic› Be lively and attention-getting

Your title should NOT:› Be generic/repeat the assignment› Be in ALL CAPS› Be in boldface, “quotation

marks,” underlined, or italicized› Be followed by a period

Capitalization Rules for Titles:› Always capitalize the first letter of the first

word and the last word.› Capitalize the first letter of each

“important” word in between the first and last words. Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the) Do not capitalize coordinating conjunctions

(and, but, or, etc.) Do not capitalize prepositions (on, at, in, off,

etc.)

Topic: Cheating in College Effective Titles:

› Cheaters Never Win› Cheating in Higher Education› Why Do Students Cheat?

Ineffective Titles:› Don’t Do It!› Cheating› Students Cheat for Many Different Reasons.

Basics of a good draft:› Has a fully developed

introduction and conclusion› Has fully developed body

paragraphs, each containing a topic sentence, at least two examples, and detailed support

› Follows standard structure and uses complete sentences

Your introductory paragraph should do the following:› Be a minimum of 4-6 sentences› Tell the audience what to expect

from your discussion (thesis)› Move from general to specific,

with the thesis as the last sentence in the intro

› Get the reader’s attention› Set the tone for the rest of the

essay

Strategies for developing an Introduction include› Providing background information› Telling a personal anecdote› Beginning with a quotation› Using an opposite› Asking a question

Each body paragraph should develop one of the specific points mentioned in the thesis.

Each BP should contain:› Topic Sentence—main idea of BP› Primary Support—examples › Secondary Support—details

A Topic Sentence expresses the main idea of the body paragraph.

Begin each body paragraph with a Topic Sentence that› Narrows the focus of the paragraph› Accurately predicts the direction of the

paragraph› Refers back to the Thesis statement

Body paragraphs must have› Unity—everything refers back to main

point› Support—examples and details› Coherence—all points connect to form a

whole; one point leads to another

Unity is achieved when everything refers back to the main point› ALL SENTENCES SHOULD RELATE BACK TO

TOPIC SENTENCE & THESIS.› Do not include any ideas that are irrelevant

or off-topic.

Support is achieved through adequate examples and details.

Each body paragraph should include at least two examples to support the main idea of the paragraph.

Each example should include at least one specific detail that further illustrates the point.

Coherence is achieved when all points connect to form a whole; one point leads to another.

Coherence is mainly achieved through the use of transitions.› Transitions—words & phrases which

connect your sentences so that your writing flows smoothly.

The concluding paragraph should› Contain a minimum of 4

sentences› Refer back to the main point,

but not simply repeat the thesis› Make an observation on what is

written› NOT introduce any new ideas› Create a sense of closure

Revising is finding & correcting problems with content; changing the ideas in your writing to make them clearer, stronger, and more convincing.

Revising looks at the “Big Picture”—the Idea level.

Look for› Unity

Does everything refer back to main point? Does each topic sentence refer to the thesis? Does each sentence in each BP refer back to the topic

sentence?› Detail and support

Does each BP contain at least two examples? Is each example followed by at least one supporting detail?

› Coherence Are all points connect to form a whole? Are transitions used to move from one idea to the next?

Take a break from your draft before attempting to revise.

Read your draft out loud and listen to your words.

Imagine yourself as your reader.

Look for consistent problem areas.

Get feedback from peers. Get help from a tutor!

Clichés: words or phrases that have been used so often they have lost their freshness and meaning. Relying on clichés is a sure way to make your writing predictable and boring.

bewildering array bitter end burning (desire, issue, question) facts and figures meet head-on children of all ages cutting edge engage in conversation checkered (career, path) heart of the matter infinite capacity goes without saying

before I knew itwithout a doubtin a jiffywithout a hitchstopped in my trackslittle did I knowgoose bumps all overthe time of my lifeneedless to saywell worth the waiteven to this dayfrightened to deathscared out of my witswaste of timerushed for timewith only seconds to sparewithout a care in the worldit couldn't happen to a nicer guya matter of timelost track of timeseemed to take foreverlasted an eternitylike greased lightningthought to myselfmade a big impression onthought he/she was hot stuff

in the nick of timecouldn't catch my breathfor the life of mewithout moving a musclewithout a doubtto tell the truthcouldn't keep my eyes openat the drop of a hatcut to the chasedid not have a pleasant bone in his/her bodybut to no availit was bad enoughlike the pot calling the kettle blackgot the best of meput two and two togetherto this daybubble was burstknows full wellhonesty is the best policytimes heals all woundsnext thing I knewdumb as a rockbored out of my mindquiet as a mousestopped in my tracks

Jargon: shoptalk words that have no general clear meaning, used by writers to suggest they are in the know (or to cover what they don't know).

NEWSPAPER JARGON Some examples of newspaper jargon words are "beat", "breakline", "budget","byline", "chaser", "circulation", "cut", "dateline", "ears", "flag", "lead", "stringer", "strip", "teaser", and "zone".

FOOTBALL JARGON Examples of football jargon are "audible", "blitz", "clipping", "down", "end zone", "goal line", "hand-off", "kickoff", "loose ball", "man-in-motion", "offside", "picked off", "recovery", "scrambling", "territory", and "touchdown".

BASEBALL JARGON Examples of common baseball jargon words include: "cheap run", "choke up", "cleanup hitter", "clutch hitter", "curve ball", "cut-off man", "dig it out", "double play", "extra bases", "fastball", "first ball hitter", "go-ahead run", "golfing", "good eye", "grand slam", "Hall of Fame", "hit by pitch", "home run", "insurance run", "loud out","make the pitcher work".

BUSINESS JARGON Examples of business jargon words include: "10,000 foot view", "actionable", "axe", "back burner", "bait and switch", "ballpark", "bang for the buck", ""behind the eight ball", "best practice", "bean counter", "bearish", "brain dump", "bullish", "buzz", "down and dirty", "downsize", "due diligence", "get your ducks in a row", " "micromanage", "mom and pop organization", "not invented here", "org chart", "out of pocket", "out of the loop", "ping", "pushback", "put to bed", "rubber check".

UNDERSTANDING COMPUTER JARGON There is a lot to learn in understanding computer jargon. Here's more examples of jargon: "browser", "bus", "cache", "chip", "cookie", "CPU", "crash", "database", "dot pitch", "download", "driver", "file", "firewall", "folder", fragmentation", "freeware", "gopher", "hardware", "interface", "keyboard shortcuts", "mouse", "network", "operating system", "plug and play", "resolution", "software", "spam", "upload", "URL", and "virus".

Euphemism: language used to elude or overstate the raw reality of an idea. Often euphemisms are polite versions of the truth: he passed on rather than he died. Words that soften or camouflage, euphemisms rob your writing of vividness and honesty.

The reason to avoid euphemisms is that it makes the writer sound either mealy-mouthed or pretentious at best and dishonest at worst. Euphemisms run the gamut from relatively harmless language like 'landfill' for 'dump' to murderous camouflage such as 'ethnic cleansing' for 'genocide.'

Big boned Adult Entertainment Bought the farm Bun in the oven Checked out Collateral Damage Correctional Facility Differently Abled Full figured It fell off the back of a truck Lady of the night Six feet under

Editing is finding and correcting problems with grammar, style, word choice & usage, and punctuation.

Editing focuses on the “Little Picture”—Word level.

Keep an Error Log to help you identify your problem areas and improve your writing.

When editing, review your paper for one type of error at a time; don’t try to read through looking for everything at once.

Work with a clean printed copy, double-spaced to allow room to mark corrections.

Read your essay backwards. Be cautious of spell-check

and grammar-check. Read your essay out loud. Get feedback from peers. Work with a tutor!

You should never move to peer review without first completing a self-review (revising & editing); you want your peer to look for mistakes that you were unable to catch yourself!

After you have reviewed your own work, make the necessary corrections and print a clean, revised copy before moving on to peer review.

It is important to make the peer review process useful.

Basics of useful feedback:› It is given in a positive way› It is specific› It offers suggestions› It is given both verbally and in writing

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