What is your writing style?
How do you draft an essay?
What are the stages of the writing
process?
The writing process:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Understanding the assignment
Zeroing in on a topic
Gathering information
Organizing the information
Developing a thesis statement
Writing the first draft
The writing process
• Understanding the assignment –following directions is crucial
• Zeroing in on a topic• If you pick your own topic, pick one narrow enough so that you can
develop it properly. (testing athletes for drug use) Avoid sprawling,
slippery issues
• Avoid overworked topics (legal drinking age)
• Draw upon your unique experiences
• Keep a journal
• Sort out a subject
• Ask questions
• Freewrite
• Narrowing a familiar subject may yield not only a topic but also
the main divisions for a paper on it.
The writing process
• Gathering information
• Once you have a topic, you will need things to say
about it- facts, ideas, observations, sensory
impressions, memories etc.
• Brainstorming – yields a set of words, fragments,
and sentences that will furnish ideas for the paper
• Branching – a convenient extension of
brainstorming – add details to any item in your list
The writing process
• Organizing the information
• Your topic determines the approach you take –
in narrating a personal experience, such as a
mishap-riddled vacation, you’d probably trace the
events in the order they occurred.
• Developing a Thesis Statement
• What are the requirements of a good thesis
statement?
Thesis
• Presents the main idea of a piece of writing
• Points you in a specific direction, helping you to
stay on track
• It may develop as you narrow a subject to a
topic
• Converting the topic to a question may help you
write a thesis
• “Computerized data storage systems offer business
enormous storage capacity, cheap, instant data
transmission, and increased profits.”
Thesis
• Focuses on just one central point or issue
• “Centerville College should re-examine its
policies on open admissions, vocational
programs, and aid to students.”
Thesis
• Make your choice and draft a narrower
statement
• ‘Because of the rising demand among high
school graduates for job-related training,
Centerville College should expand its
vocational offerings.”
Thesis
• Tailors the scope of the issue to the length
of the paper
• “Many first-year college students face
crucial adjustment problems.”
Thesis
• “Free time is a responsibility that challenges
many first-year college students.”
Thesis
• Provides an accurate forecast of what’s to come
• “Overeating stems from deep-seated psychological
factors and the easy availability of convenience
foods.”
• “Overeating leads to obesity, which can cause or
complicate several serious health problems.”
• Which paper focuses on the causes/effects of
overeating?
Thesis:
• Is precise, often previewing the
organization of the paper
• “New York is a fascinating city”
• “My paper is about no-fault divorce.”
Thesis
• “New York’s art museums offer visitors an
opportunity to view a wide variety of great
paintings.”
• “Compared to traditional divorce, no-fault
divorce is less expensive, promotes fairer
settlements, and reflects a more realistic
view of the causes of marital breakdown.”