Writing Essays

Planning

Drafting

Revising

Planning

What activities take place here? Task representation Purpose Audience Invention

• freewriting

• brainstorming

• clustering

Developing a thesis statement

Reflects the essay’s main idea or pointAlmost always stated early in paper and in

one clear and concise sentenceIt is a contract with the readerIt guides you in the production and revision

of your essay

Outlines

When are they best to use? How about after several drafts have been

written?• Check organization this way

Drafting

Is one draft all you needHow many drafts are enough?Get your ideas down in the first draft.Worry about polishing the paper later.

This is especially true of audience consideration

Revision

Means to re-see; to see something againWriting is re-writingGood writers revise many, many times

Five levels of revision

GlobalParagraphSentenceWordMechanical

Global

Task representationAudiencePurposeUnity (every sentence is related to thesis)Coherence (sentences flow logically)Development (sufficient detail)

Paragraph

Unity (around topic sentence and thesis)Coherence (sentences flow logically)Development (sufficient detail)Appealing introductory paragraphEffective concluding paragraph

Sentence

Concise as opposed to wordyGrammar (comma splices, sent. frag., etc.)Syntax (word order)EmphasisVariety

short versus long imperative, declarative, interrogative

Word

Diction (word choice) Avoid pretentious (“show-off”) words

Specific versus general “Chevy Camaro” versus “car”

Concrete versus abstract “The movie was suspenseful” v. “The movie

was good.”

Word

Figures of speech Smile Metaphor Personification

Jargon The language of a profession

Offensive language Sexist, racist, etc.

Mechanical

CapitalizationPunctuationSpelling (check word usage too)

For example, to instead of too

DocumentationSpacingAbbreviations