1. The Writing Process- getting
started
French for “trials” or “attempts”essais.
Never be satisfied with the first
draft. Keep “essaying,” keep
trying.
Some are naturals, but all can
learn.
E. B. White: “Writing. . . is a chore
2. Prewriting
Like warming up before running or
exercising
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ignore the critic in you- don‟t worry about
errors
-
saves time later
you can learn to write
- prewriting makes random associations
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3. Keep a journal (write 3-5 times a week)
Henry David Thoreau: our lives would be
enriched if we “employ[ed] a certain
portion of each day looking back upon
the time which has passed and in
writing down. . . [our] thoughts and
feelings.”
Journaling fosters awareness of our
own lives
Pros and cons of the topic
4. Understand the boundaries of the
assignment
Clarify the type of paper the instructor
has in mind. If you‟re not sure, ask.
What are the parameters?
How long?
5. Determine your purpose,
audience, tone and point of view
Purpose- What do you want the essay to
accomplish? (inform, explain, convince,
persuade, entertain)
Audience- who are your readers?
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Age, gender, education?
Political, religious beliefs?
Interests and motives?
Prior knowledge?
Biases (about the writer or the subject)?
What values do we share?
6. Tone
Tone- emotional state (enthusiasm,
anger, resignation
Integral to meaning
Determine tone early because that
helps determine word choice and
sentence structure
7. Compare the two tones
During the 1960s, many inner-city
minorities considered the police an
occupying force and an oppressive agent
of control. As a result, violence grew
against police in poorer neighborhoods, as
did the number of residents killed by
police.
An occupying force. An agent of control.
An oppressor. That‟s how many inner-city
minorities in the „60s viewed the police.
Violence against police soared. Police
killings of residents mounted.
8. Point of View
Compare:
◦ “Today is my birthday. I‟m eight. Grandpa died
an hour before I was supposed to have my
party.”
◦ “My grandfather died an hour before my eighth
birthday party.”
FIRST PERSON:
Appropriate for personal
experiences/observation
Not appropriate “I believe that…” “In my
opinion…”
Do NOT use in objective presentation
9.
Second person (you)
some advantages, but usually not
appropriate for formal writing
Third person
most common
best choice
objective (outsider) point of view
10. Discover your essay‟s limited
subjects
For example:
Education > computers in education >
computers in elementary math classes
Transportation > getting around in a
city>
the transit system in Philadelphia
Work > planning a career > getting an
internship
11. Question or Brainstorm
Assignment: We live in a world that is
hostile to children.
Who is to blame? Parents, media,
schools…
How have schools contributed? Need
counselors..
Why do children feel frightened? No one
to talk to.
Where do they go to escape? TV;
games…
What dangers could that bring on?
Apathy, poor grades, on-line
12. GENERATE MATERIAL
Free
write on the limited subject
jotting down in rough sentences
everything that comes to mind
Brainstorm your limited subject
list every idea, fact and example
that occurs to you about the
subject
Mapping (diagramming, clustering,
webbing)
15. Conduct research
Primary research (do it yourself)
◦ Interview
◦ Conduct your own studies
◦ Compile your own statistics
• Secondary research
- find articles, books, other research
16. Organize the raw material
Scratch list or outline
Re-read your points
Cross out anything you can‟t use or
don‟t need
Add points that add support
Relate similar items
Develop groupings
Determine paragraphs
