1. Greetings, Students!
In this presentation, we will discuss two important
topics that you will need to familiarize yourselves with.
The first topic is The Writing Process. The second
topic is Essay Structure. Both of these topics will
help you to complete the Writing Assignments that are
required for this course.
By Daniel Lambert
Based on a Short Film by Joseph Longo
(Glendale College and Santa Monica College)

2.  Writing an essay (or anything, for that matter) is a
process with three major steps:
 Prewriting
 Writing
 Rewriting
 American novelist Ernest Hemingway said
REWRITING is the most important step.

3.  Prewriting involves:
 Coming up with a topic
 Developing a workable thesis
 Researching support for your thesis
 Four techniques for coming up with a topic are…
 Brainstorming
 Listing
 Clustering
 Freewriting

4.  Our Topic: A Comparison and Contrast of Dogs Versus
Cats…

5. First Choice: Subject by Subject:
Thesis: “Jed and Jake are both excellent banjo-pickers whose differences
reflect their training.”
1. Introduction
2. Jed
1. Training
2. Choice of material
3. Technical dexterity
4. Playing style
3. Jake
1. Training
2. Choice of material
3. Technical dexterity
4. Playing style
4. Conclusion

6. Second Choice: Point by Point:
Thesis: “Jed and Jake are both excellent banjo-pickers whose differences reflect
their training.”
1. Introduction
2. Training
1. Jed: studied under Scruggs
2. Jake: studied under Segovia
3. Choice of material
1. Jed: traditional
2. Jake: innovative
4. Technical dexterity
1. Jed: highly skilled
2. Jake: highly skilled
5. Playing style
1. Jed: likes to show off
2. Jake: keeps work simple
6. Conclusion

7. Two Women
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “A
Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell are two similar
short stories that are also different. Both stories share
the theme of a woman victimized by her culture. Each
woman murders a man because of the pressures of
male-dominated society. Minnie and Emily kill for
different reasons, however. Emily kills her fiancée,
Homer Barron, because she is afraid of becoming an
“old maid” (an unmarried woman). Minnie kills her
jealous and domineering husband because he
strangled her song bird.

8.  It must not be too broad or too narrow
 It asserts one main idea
 It states the writer’s clearly-defined position on some
subject
 It has something worthwhile to say
 It is clearly stated in specific terms
 It must be written as one or two complete sentences,
with subjects and verbs

9.  Writing involves:
 Developing an outline
 Writing the essay by developing paragraphs
 Developing paragraphs
 Writing the opening paragraph, or the lead, and the
concluding paragraph

10.  The OUTLINE is a map of your essay. The following is
an example of the classic outline structure:
Title
Thesis Statement
I. Main Point One
I. A. Secondary Point One
II. B. Secondary Point Two
II. II. Main Point Two
I. A. Secondary Point One
II. B. Secondary Point Two
III. Main Point Three
I. A. Secondary Point One
II. B. Secondary Point Two

11.  There are several questions you should ask yourself
when you are revising an essay. Here are a few of
them…
 What can I do to this piece of writing to make it most
effective, interesting, compelling, and inviting?
 Does this essay make sense?
 Is it well-supported?
 Is it written in terms the reader can understand?
 Does it move smoothly from beginning to end?

12. The Five-Paragraph Format
Your essay should be laid out as follows:
Introduction
• Hook
• Thesis
Main Body Paragraph I
• Topic Sentence
• Support
Main Body Paragraph II
• Topic Sentence
• Support
Main Body Paragraph III
• Topic Sentence
• Support
Conclusion
• Restatement of the Thesis
• Satisfaction of the Reader

13.  An outline is:
 A logical, general description
 A schematic summary
 An organizational pattern
 A visual and conceptual design of your writing

14.  Purpose
 Thesis
 Audience
 Title:
Microcomputer Programs and the Process of Writing
I. I. Major Steps in the Writing Process
II. A. Organizing
III. B. Writing the First Draft
IV. C. Evaluating
V. D. Revising
VI. II. Writing Programs for the Microcomputer
VII. A. Types of Programs and Their Relationship to the Writing Process
VIII. B. Positive and Negative Aspects of Computer Writing Programs
IX. C. Future Possibilities of Computer Programs for Writing
X. 1. Rapid Change
XI. 2. Improved Programs
XII. 3. Increased Use and Availability
XIII. 4. More Realistic Assessment of Value

15.  The paragraph is a group of sentences on one topic.
 The opening paragraph, or LEAD, must capture or
hook the reader’s attention
 The opening paragraph contains two components
The HOOK
The THESIS
A paragraph does two things:
It makes a point
It proves a point

16.  Unity
 Support
 Coherence
The CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH should do two things:
• Restate your essay’s thesis
• Satisfy the reader that the essay has arrived at its
conclusion