PDF Power Point on why we write & types of writing.

1. On Writing

2. Why Write?
• Nearly everyone must write in this
information-based society
• Writing gives you a public voice
• Make a Power Point Presentation for work
• Write a poem to read at a coffee house
• Communicate via email or snail mail
• Chat online with friends or colleagues
• Academic writing
(Ruszkiewicz 2)

3. Dispelling Myths
• MYTH: Good writers are born,
not made
• FACT: People become good writers
by working at it. If you want to
write well, you can if you invest
your time. Practice makes perfect.
(Ruszkiewicz 3)

4. Dispelling Myths
• MYTH: Good writers know what
they want to say before they
start writing.
• FACT: Many good writers begin
with only a general notion of what
they want to say. They know that
the process of writing can help
them generate new ideas and
rethink what they already know.
(Ruszkiewicz 3)

5. Dispelling Myths
• MYTH: Good writers get it right
the first time.
• FACT: It’s rare for even
experienced writers to produce
polished work on the first try. Like
you, they usually work through
several drafts.
(Ruszkiewicz 3)

6. Dispelling Myths
• MYTH: Good writers work alone.
• FACT: Writers rely on colleagues
for ideas and help. Even if they do
much of the actual composing
alone, experienced writers ask
editors and friends for help and
suggestions.
(Ruszkiewicz 3)

7. What is writing?
• Writing is a social activity, a
way of interacting with others.
Every time your write, you enter
into a writing situation in which
• You
• Say something
• To somebody
• For some purpose
(Ruszkiewicz 6)

8. Define Your Purpose
• Inform
• Persuade
• Entertain
• In this class, you will be
primarily writing to persuade.
(Ruszkiewicz 6)

9. Stages of Writing
• Prepare
• Research
• Plan
• Draft
• Incubate
• Revise
• Edit
• Proofread
(Ruszkiewicz 5)

10. Develop Your Topic
• Freewrite about the topic
• Important step in process
• Write non-stop for 10 – 15 minutes
about what you know and what
you want to know.
• The point is to generate ideas
(Ruszkiewicz 20)

11. Develop Your Topic
• Use the Journalist’s Questions
• Why?
• Who?
• When?
• What?
• Where?
• How?
(Ruszkiewicz 21)

12. Develop Your Topic
• Look at your topic from different
perspectives.
• Very important in helping you
develop into a good writer
(Ruszkiewicz 21)

13. Develop Your Topic
• Write a ZERO draft
• Read
• Talk to others about your topic/
thoughts
• Visit the campus writing center
(Ruszkiewicz 23)

14. Show Me Your Work
• I expect to see your proofread
first draft as well as your
outline for each formal paper.
• You learn how to write by
writing and writing and writing,
and then by writing some more.
• Then comes revising….

15. Writing About Literature
• Why?
• Heighten your appreciation for literary
works
• Demonstrate your ability to support a
thesis
• Explore how readers respond to text
• Enhance your skill at interpretation
• Expand your knowledge of a particular
era or literary movement
• Heighten your sensitivity to other
cultures and eras
(Ruszkiewicz 164)

16. Works Cited
Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook. 8th ed.
New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006.
1-140. Print.
Ruszkiewicz, John, Christy Friend, and
Maxine Hairston. The Scott Foresman
Handbook for Writers. 8th ed. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, 2007. 2-23, 164. Print.