Investing time in the pre-writing process allows you to create a road-map for yourself when you
begin writing your paper. The time and thought that you put into the pre-writing process is a wise
investment because it will make the writing-process much easier; your ideas will flow more
smoothly and you will have a sense of where you want to begin, go, and end.
Pre-writing usually involves creating an outline, but it can involve several other processes as
well. No matter what process(es) you use, try and formulate a concrete and coherent plan for how
you will support your working thesis. The two most important questions for you to consider (and
answer) during the pre-writing process are: (1) what ideas will you use to support your argument,
and (2) how will you structure your paper?

The most basic structure:

Intro. – the paragraph or section that introduces the topic and presents your thesis to the reader.

Body – the paragraphs/sections that present the necessary supporting details, information, and analysis to
prove your thesis.

Conclusion – a short summation or recapitulation.

Like a story, a paper has a beginning, a middle, and an ending: the beginning should
capture the reader’s attention and introduce the central purpose of the essay; the middle
should move the argument forward and add details and development; the conclusion
should bring the piece to a logical ending.

This model gives you a general sense of how a paper is set up, but it does not provide
much in the way of concrete guidance regarding the sequence of your ideas, the ways in
which to organize your supporting points, etc. Keeping in mind the basic structure of an
academic argument, it is helpful to employ several different techniques and strategies
that will allow you to create a more detailed and coherent outline.

Brainstorming – generating a list of ideas, examples, points,
and details.

Free-writing – writing informally about a subject for a
specified amount of time as a way of documenting your
thoughts and ideas.

Clustering – creating a diagram in which ideas and details
branch off of one another.

Linear Outlines – creating a rigid and formal outline that
arranges your supporting ideas in a specific order.

For ten or fifteen minutes, think about your thesis, and write down every idea, example, or
detail that comes into your head regarding the thesis. Do not worry about structuring the
ideas or arranging them in a specific pattern. The point of brainstorming is to get as many
examples and ideas down on paper as possible. As you are listing these ideas, you will begin
to notice patterns emerging, and you can then use these patterns of thought as a way of
arranging your examples. You will also probably notice certain keywords or details that keep
popping up; again, keep an eye out for these patterns.
◦ Advantage of Brainstorming: You will come up with a significant number of ideas and
supporting points, and you will have invested a significant amount of thought in your
thesis before proceeding to the supporting paragraphs.
◦ Disadvantage of Brainstorming: It can be a messy process, and if you do not limit
yourself to ten or fifteen minutes, you will probably come up with too many ideas to
manage or organize afterwards.

For ten or fifteen minutes, write about your thesis in complete sentences. Do not worry if these sentences
are not well-structured, or if they seem awkward. Like brainstorming, freewriting can be a messy
process, but it allows you to collect your thoughts and to think about how you will use the practice of
writing to support your thesis. As you are writing your sentences, think about how they are building upon
one another: why does one sentence lead you toward a subsequent sentence? You may be able to note
patterns of development or sequences of ideas that you can later use in your paper.
◦ Advantage of Freewriting: Freewriting prompts you to reflect on your topic and your thesis in
detail, and to consider how your thesis will develop in the supporting paragraphs. By writing
complete sentences, you will get a sense for what it “feels like” to write about this particular
topic/thesis, and you will also come up with supporting ideas and details.
◦ Disadvantage of Freewriting: Freewriting, like brainstorming, requires a strict time limit, otherwise
it is possible to lose control of the process. Also, some students allow free-writing to turn into the
actual writing process, which is not the purpose of the exercise: free-writing is meant to help you
gather your thoughts and identify key ideas and points in anticipation of your writing the supporting
paragraphs. It should not be used to produce the supporting paragraphs.

Clustering allows you to group certain ideas together based on patterns; it usually involves creating a web
diagram or cluster map that places key ideas in circles or squares, and then, creates branches and boxes/circles to
indicate supporting ideas or subtopics. Typically, these diagrams are set up in order of increased specificity.
They also show interconnections between various points.
Hamlet’s Isolation
Disconnect
from his
mother
Disconnect
from the court
of Denmark
Contempt over
their love of
Claudius
Disconnect
from Ophelia,
his love
Contempt due
to his distrust
of women
◦ Advantage of Clustering: Clustering is a great way for visual learners to “map out” their ideas. It is also
useful for creating a hierarchy of ideas, as the tree-diagram structure allows for a natural flow from big,
broad ideas, to more specific, focused details/examples. Finally, clustering allows for students to look for
connections between supporting points.
◦ Disadvantage of Freewriting: Clustering is difficult to do on the computer without a specific conceptmapping program, and doing it by hand can be tedious. For non-visual learners, clustering is sometimes less
helpful than other pre-writing methods.

A linear outline creates a much more formal and structured arrangement of ideas. These ideas are typically broken down
into categories and subcategories, and very detailed linear outlines sometimes leave room for supporting details as well.
Linear outlines account for how certain ideas relate to one another and build upon each other.
I = First Main Topic
A. Subordinate idea
1. Supporting idea
a. supporting detail
b. supporting detail
2. Supporting idea
a. supporting detail
b. supporting detail
B. Subordinate idea
1. Supporting idea
a. supporting detail
b. supporting detail
2. Supporting idea
a. supporting detail
b. supporting detail
II = Second Main Topic (etc.)
◦ Advantage of Formal Outlines: Formal outlines provide a very detailed map for the writer to follow when writing
the essay. Sometimes, these outlines are so detailed that the writer is simply “filling in the gaps” between the
different points. In other words, the writer has already determined how all of the different ideas, points, and details
connect, and he or she has established a clear order for the ideas. Now, it is simply a matter of fleshing out these
connections.
◦ Disadvantage of Formal Outline: For a short (2-3) page paper, a very detailed linear outline is probably not
necessary. Also, formal outlines can be “constrictive” in the sense that they leave little room for improvisation as the
writer is writing the paper.

There is no one way to create an outline, and you have to find
a technique that will work best for you.

The best way to approach outlining is to combine several of
the techniques listed on the previous slides.

When writing, it is helpful to begin with general ideas and
then transition to more specific ideas; when outlining, it is
helpful to begin with the more general strategies
(brainstorming, freewriting) and then transition to the more
specific strategies (clustering, linear outlining).
 Thesis:
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens
condemns the pursuit of wealth for the sake
of being wealthy, but he also suggests that
money can produce beneficial results
within society, especially when it is spent
on other people.
 Start
listing ideas related to your thesis.
Don’t worry about where/how they fit;
just get as many as possible on paper.
*Scrooge’s profession is unstated.
*Scrooge spreads money around on Christmas day.
*Scrooge accumulates and hoards wealth.
*Prize turkey for the Cratchits.
*Charity collectors specify that they need cash for
their charitable endeavors.
*Cratchits may be happy despite being poor, but their
poverty will take its toll (Tim’s potentialdeath).
*Money spent by the Cratchits and everyday
Londoners on Christmas produces happiness.
*Money = Status: this empowers Scrooge to make a
significant change in society.
*Scrooge is more interested in stockpiling cash than
investing in people or products.
*Scrooge’s money is left to his company following his
death in Yet to Come (does not benefit anyone).
*Fezziwig is a successful businessman who puts
money to good use.
*Generous tip for the errand boy.
*Money can be used to save Tiny Tim.
*Marley and the ghosts are bound to cashboxes
(implies punishment for hoarding money).
*Donations to the charity collectors.
*Possible counterargument: Christmas Past points out
that money does not buy happiness.
 If
you prefer free-writing to
brainstorming, you can begin with this
step instead…
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens condemns the pursuit of wealth for the sake of being wealthy, but he also
suggests that money can produce beneficial results within society, especially when it is spent on other people.
Scrooge’s central problem in A Christmas Carol is that he focuses entirely on his own wealth, and that he
hoards his money instead of spending it in ways that will benefit other people. Scrooge barely spends any
money on himself either, which means he is not investing in the economy or in goods and services provided
by others. This means that Scrooge is not contributing anything to society. Marley’s ghost demonstrates why
this is destructive because it means that you inevitably become chained down by your wealth and your
money. Marley and the ghosts also demonstrate the necessity of showing charity. They are tormented in the
afterlife because they could have used their money to do good but now it is too late. Money can produce
many beneficial results in society when it is spent properly. The charity collectors are in need of money for
their charity. The Cratchits can benefit from money because it can be used to provide care for Tiny Time.
Money can also be used to fight back against “Ignorance” and “Want.” At the end of the story, Scrooge’s
redemption is achieved mainly through his spending money on others, whether he is buying things for the
Cratchits or giving money to the charity collectors. Money does not necessarily buy happiness but it allows
one to make positive contributions to society and to thus create happiness for other people and for oneself.
Though money initially keeps Scrooge isolated from other people, it is ultimately used to connect him to
other people.

Group ideas together and organize them based on logical
relationships.
Other Characters
Scrooge’s Initial
View of Money
*Marley and ghosts =
bound to their hordes
and unable to use
them for good.
*Hoards his wealth.
*Places himself above
others (disconnect).
*Makes no contribution
to society.
*His job involves
turning money into
more money.
*Fezziwig = spread
joy
*Cratchits =
necessary to survive
Scrooge’s Revised
View of Money
*Empowers him to make a change.
*Saves the Cratchits/urban poor.
*Bob’s salary
*Allows him to connect w/others.
*donations
*tips for boy
Thesis: In A Christmas Carol, Dickens condemns the pursuit of wealth for the sake of being wealthy, but
he also suggests that money can produce beneficial results within society, especially when it is spent on
other people.
I = Dickens’s Negative View of Money Is For Those Who Hoard It
A. Scrooge’s Misuse of Money
1. Scrooge’s money makes no contribution to society.
a. Scrooge’s profession is never specified; he generates
money for the sake of making more money.
b. Fred’s speech during Christmas party.
c. In death, his money is left to his company, not to his family.
2. Scrooge’s money separates him from others.
a. Money = power over those who are beneath him.
b. Scrooge keeps the poor and destitute at a distance.
B. Marley and the Human Ghosts’ Misuse of Money
1. Marley and the other cursed humans were misers.
a. Chained to symbols of their hording (cashboxes, safes, etc.)
b. Did not do good with money in life; unable to do so after death.

In most high schools, you learn to write a 5 ¶ essay:
¶ 1 = intro/thesis
¶ 2 = supporting idea A
¶ 3 = supporting idea B
¶ 4 = supporting idea C
¶ 5 = conclusion/recapitulation

The central problem with the five-paragraph model is that it is prescriptive: it tells you exactly how many supporting
ideas you should have (in fact, it tells you exactly how many paragraphs you should have). However, An argument
should be based on relationships between sequences of ideas, and not on pre-prescribed numbers or formulas.

Moreover, the five paragraph model treats the three supporting paragraphs as though they are interchangeable. A
paragraph is not simply a “box” that you fill up with information. A paragraph must have a clear focal point in relation
to the overarching argument, and it must be placed deliberately within the middle part of the paper where it can build
effectively on its predecessors and set up its successors. The five paragraph model does not account for the order of the
paragraphs, or for transitions between the paragraphs; it implies that the paragraphs exist independently of one another.

While the five paragraph model could be a useful starting point for your outline, it is not nearly as effective as the
strategies that were established in the previous slides. The five paragraph essay does not require you to invest much time
or thought into planning out your paper, but the previous models do, and the more time/thought you invest, the better.