WRITING PROCESS: ENGLISH 108A
·
Exploration/reminder
of the stages a writer goes through in order to come up with a topic, a thesis
statement, and an outline
·
Tools
you can use to get started
**Disclaimers:
·
This
will be review for many, but consider it a refresher to get you prepped to
start thinking about writing again
·
It
is understood that much of what we discuss can and will take place in your
head, but today we will work with this process in a more tangible, less
abstract manner
Six Important Steps:
“You are
handed a paper prompt…now what?”
A. Freewriting:
Writing out whatever comes to mind, often for a set amount of time
1. Don’t stop writing; pen
stays moving the entire time
a.
Do not reread or go back; always be pressing on to the next thought. Your ideas spring from each other, so going
back is usually self–defeating.
2. You will wander; allow
this to happen as good things will show up in your side trips
3. Do
not censor or edit. Your freewriting does not need to be correct or socially
appropriate as you
are simply attempting to get ideas.
4.
Relax: Your ideas come better
when you are calm and your mind is open rather than constricted. You don’t have to write as fast as you can;
you simply don’t want to stop.
*Best
for out of class writing
B. Listing:
For those who are more linear thinkers
Writing
down whatever comes to mind; listing is like freewriting,
but rather than
stream–of–consciousness phrases and sentences, your
ideas are represented with one word.
C. Mapping:
Put a word in the middle. Related
words branch out. Each word is a
springboard for a new branch or branches –“free association”
*This
option can seem more confining than the others because in order to put a word
in the middle, you may feel as though it must be a potential topic; to
circumvent this, try creating several clusters and simply seeing which take you
where.
Step 2: Narrowing
A. (For Freewriting)
Looping: Read over your freewrite and find things that interest you, things you may
have more to say about. Circle all of
the words you could expand upon. Then,
put each word at the top of a separate page and freewrite
on each individually. This goes on ad
infinitum until you feel you have reached something you would like to address
in your paper.
B. (For Listing)
Categorization: Group words that go
together. Label each topic block.
C. (For Mapping) Process of
Elimination: Circle areas of cluster you
are interested in; cross out ideas and words you have no interest in.
D. (For All) Branching Diagram: Start with a word; branch; select; branch
again…
**This
process is very open-ended and free; there is no set order or sequence. Different methods and different combinations
of methods work for different people.
Any of these methods, in any order, alone or combined, should be helpful.
A.
Select Topic: Look for the narrowed topic most
interesting to you
B. Select Main Idea/Claim: Decide what you want to say about it
C. Create Tentative Thesis
THESIS=TOPIC+CLAIM
(SUPPORTABLE)
Two
key things to keep in mind:
1. Audience:
*Who is my reader? (Should need to hear what you have to say)
2. Purpose:
*“What do I want the reader to know/think/do?”
·
BROAD: CANNOT BE DEALT WITH IN AN ESSAY/P (Terrorism
is evil.)
·
VAGUE: NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH (Superbad
is an interesting movie.)
·
NARROW: TOO FACTUAL TO INVITE DEVELOPMENT; COULD
ANSWER WITH A YES OR NO (6 miners were trapped in a coal mine Aug. 6.)
·
*State
as fact! Never say “I’m going to
prove…” or “After reading this essay/paragraph you will see that…”.
Step
4: Organizing/Outlining
A.
Generate Supporting Points: Main points that support your
thesis
1. These may lie in earlier
activities
2. These may need to be generated
(return to step one)
B. Decide Order:
Whatever will impact reader most/best illustrate your main idea
C. Rewrite:
Put thesis at top and then outline the body
D. Expand:
Can you think of examples for your main points?
Step
6: Polish: When
the piece is complete, go back and proofread for spelling, grammar,
punctuation, flow and the like.