2. Writing as a Process
“We don’t plan to fail but
we simply fail to plan”
3. Why do you need a writing
process?
It can help writers to
organize their
thoughts.
It can help writers to
avoid frustration and
procrastination.
It can help writers to
use their time
productively and
efficiently.
7. i) Invention (coming up with
your topic)
a) Free Writing
b) Brainstorming
c) Branching/Clustering
Purdue University Writing Lab
8. a) Free Writing
Free
writing is the
way to generate
ideas on a topic by
writing non-stop for a
specified time period.
9. (1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Write whatever comes to your mind
regardless of whether it is about the
topic.
If you have nothing to say, write,
“I have nothing to say,” until you do
say something.
Do not worry about complete
sentences, grammar, punctuation or
spelling
Give yourself a time limit.
After you are finished, underline or
highlight ideas that might be usable.
10.
11. b) Brainstorming
To do brainstorming:
1) List all ideas about your
topic
2) Write words and phrases
3) Give yourself a time limit
12. (1)Make a list of everything you can think of
about your topic.
(2)Include facts, ideas, examples, questions
or feelings.
(3) Do not stop to decide if your ideas are
good or bad, write down all of them.
(4) Do not worry about grammar or
correctness.
(5)Give yourself time limit.
(6) After you finish brainstorming read
through your list and mark usable ideas.
14. c) Branching/Clustering
Clustering is thinking with the
help of a diagram.
Branching
uses free style
diagrams to generate ideas.
Branching begins with a trunk
i.e. with the general topic.
Related ideas branch out from
the trunk like limbs on tree.
15. One aim of clustering is to
narrow a broad subject into a
manageable topic.
It can help you narrow a broad
subject, such as friendship, to
a manageable topic, such as
your friend Atif.
Clustering goes a step beyond
brainstorming
because
it
groups related ideas.
18. ii) Purpose
To inform
To entertain
To persuade/convince
We may also want to analyze,
hypothesize, assess, summarize,
investigate, report, recommend
suggest, evaluate, describe, recount or
request.
Example: write a report on the incidence
of cancer in your community. What
your general purpose might be?
20. & Audience
Limited or specific
Universal or general
Reader’s expectations.
The voices in our heads guiding our
decisions during the writing/reporting
process.
The imagined interpreters of our
products whose questions we attempt
to anticipate when designing/writing.
23. i) Organizing: putting
information in an outline
OUTLINE
I. Introduction
A. Grab attention
B. State thesis
II. Body
A. Build points
B. Develop ideas
C. Support main claim
III. Conclusion
A. Reemphasize main
idea
24. ii) Drafting
Give yourself ample
time to work on your
project.
Find a comfortable
place to do your
writing.
Avoid distractions.
Take breaks.
Purdue University Writing Lab
25. Drafting: Tone
Just as the pitch and volume of
one's voice carry a difference in
tone from street to church, the choice
of words and the way we put our
sentences together convey a sense of
tone in our writing.
The tone, in turn, conveys our attitude
toward our audience and our subject
matter.
27. Methods which can help
develop coherence:
1.Repitition of a Key Term or Phrase
This helps to focus your ideas and to keep
your reader on track.
Example: The problem with
contemporary art is that it is not easily
understood by most people.
Contemporary art is deliberately
abstract, and that means it leaves the
viewer wondering what she is looking at.
28. 2.Synonymns:
Synonyms provide some variety in
your word choices, helping the
reader to stay focused on the idea
being discussed.
Example: Myths narrate sacred
histories and explain sacred origins.
These traditional narratives are, in
short, a set of beliefs that are a very
real force in the lives of the people
who tell them.
29. ACTIVITY
Write synonyms for “method” in the
following selection:
There are several methods of fund-raising
that work well with small organizations. One
method is to hold an auction with everyone
either contributing an item for home or
obtaining a donation from a sympathetic local
merchant. A second fund-raising method is a
car-wash. A third time tested method to raise
money is to hold a back sale with each family
contributing home-made cookies, brownies,
layer cakes, or cupcakes.
30. SOLVED
There are several methods of fund-raising
that work well with small organizations.
One procedure is to hold an auction with
everyone either contributing an item for
home or obtaining a donation from a
sympathetic local merchant. A second
fund-raising technique is a car-wash. A
third time tested way to raise money is to
hold a back sale with each family
contributing
home-made
cookies,
brownies, layer cakes, or cupcakes.
31. 3. Pronouns
This, that, these, those, he, she, it, they,
and we are useful pronouns for referring
back to something previously mentioned.
Be sure, however, that what you are
referring to is clear.
Example: When scientific experiments
do not work out as expected, they are
often considered failures until some other
scientist tries them again. Those that
work out better the second time around
are the ones that promise the most
rewards.
32. 4. Transitional words:
There are many words in
English that cue our readers to
relationships between
sentences, joining sentences
together.
Examples: however, therefore, in
addition, also, but, moreover,
etc.
33. Example: I like autumn, and yet
autumn is a sad time of the year, too.
The leaves turn bright shades of red
and the weather is mild, but I can't help
thinking ahead to the winter and the ice
storms that will surely blow through
here. In addition, that will be the
season of chapped faces, too many
layers of clothes to put on, and days
when I'll have to shovel heaps of snow
from my car's windshield.
34. SOLVED
I like autumn, and yet autumn is a sad time
of the year, too. The leaves turn bright
shades of red and the weather is mild, but I
can't help thinking ahead to the winter and
the ice storms that will surely blow through
here. In addition, that will be the season of
chapped faces, too many layers of clothes
to put on, and days when I'll have to shovel
heaps of snow from my car's windshield.
36. i) Revising: reviewing ideas
Review higher-order
concerns:
Clear
communication of
ideas
Organization of
paper
Paragraph structure
Strong introduction
and conclusion
39. Proofreading tips
Slowly read your
paper aloud.
Read your paper
backwards.
Exchange papers
with a friend.
NOTE: Spell check
will not catch
everything, and
grammar checks
are often wrong!
40. The Writing Process:
Find Your Focus
1. Pre-writing
i) Invention & Collection
ii) Purpose & Audience
2. While-writing
i) Organization
ii) Drafting: tone &
cohesion/coherence
3. Post-writing
i) Revising
ii) Proofreading
Purdue University Writing Lab
Rationale: Though students engage in a writing process, they may not be conscious of the steps it entails. Some students who have trouble organizing their thoughts struggle because they do not follow a consistent writing process or they skip steps within the process. This slide presents some important reasons to identify the steps in the writing process. By thinking about the writing process, students may be able to make the process more effective and efficient for themselves.
Activity: The facilitator may choose to invite participation by asking students why they need a writing process.
Each reason is activated with a mouse click.
Rationale: This slide previews the six steps of the writing process. Each element forms a part of a successful writing experience.
Key Concept: The facilitator may explain that the writing process is not necessarily sequential--a linear path from invention to proofreading. Writers may generate a topic, collect some information, organize their notes, go back and collect more information, invent subtopics for their work, go back to organization, etc. The writing process is recursive--it often requires going back and forth between steps to create the strongest work possible. Knowing these steps and strategies, however, can be a great help to writers who struggle with their work.
Key Concept: The first step in the writing process is invention--developing a topic. Students often make the mistake of latching onto the first idea that comes their way. However, by doing some invention exercises, students can give themselves some options for their writing assignments and allow themselves to consider the ideas that are the most manageable, appropriate to the assignment, and, above all, interesting to the writer. If the writer is bored with the topic, it will show through in the final product.
Key Concept: Once students decide on a topic, their next step is to collect information.
Activity: The facilitator may ask students where they might go to collect research. Answers will likely include such things as books, magazines, and the Internet.
Examples: The facilitator might suggest other forms of research, including indexes for periodicals, newspapers, and academic journals (these can be located through the index link on ThorPlus). In particular, the INSPIRE database and the Academic FullText Search Elite database will provide students with a number of printable periodical sources. Interviews can also be useful, whether by phone, through e-mail, or in person. Often, web authors can be contacted through e-mail links on their web pages and may agree to be interviewed through e-mail.
Activity: If students are engaged in a particular research assignment, the facilitator may choose to offer guidance on the best places to locate research for the project.
For more information on collection strategies, see the presentation titled “Research and the Internet,” located on this CD-ROM.
Key Concepts: After writers collect information pertaining to their topics, a useful next step is to organize it--decide where to place information in the argument, as well as which information to omit. One easy way to do this is outlining. Argumentative and narrative papers generally have three main sections. The introduction is used to grab the readers’ attention and introduce the main idea or claim, often in the form of a thesis statement. The body consists of several supporting paragraphs that help to elaborate upon the main claim. Finally, the conclusion serves to wrap up the argument and reemphasize the writer’s main ideas. After gathering information in the collection stage, the writer should think about where each piece of information belongs in the course of an argument. By taking time to organize and plan the paper, writers save time and frustration in the drafting stage; they find that they can follow the pattern they have established for themselves in their outlines.
Rationale: Many students struggle with drafting because they make it the second component of their writing process--right after coming up with a topic-- instead of the fourth, after collecting and organizing. Students also struggle because they do not give themselves enough time to complete the drafting process.
Key Concepts: With a little bit of pre-planning and organization, the drafting stage can be both a rewarding and efficient experience. First of all, students can avoid the dreaded procrastination by beginning their projects early. A comfortable place to write--whether with a keyboard or a pencil--also aids concentration. Avoiding distractions, such as television, noisy friends, or computer solitaire, will keep writers focused on their projects. Finally, writers should take breaks, preferably leaving off at a place where they know what comes next. This will make it easier to pick up again after the break. Sometimes completing a draft and coming back to it the next day helps students to look at their work with a fresh pair of eyes and a rejuvenated attitude.
Writers should not feel compelled to write chronologically. Sometimes the conclusion can be an easier place to begin than with the thesis statement. With each writing assignment, students will be able to find a personal system that works best for them.
Activity: The facilitator may ask students to share tips that they have learned about their own successful drafting habits.
Rationale: Students tend to view revising as a process of altering word choices and correcting spelling errors. Rather, this presentation separates revising--the revaluation of higher-order concerns--from proofreading--the correction of later-order concerns.
Key Concepts: Revising is a process of reviewing the paper on the idea-level. It is a process of re-vision--literally re-seeing the argument of the paper. The revising process may involve changes such as the clarification of the thesis, the reorganization of paragraphs, the omission of unneeded information, the addition of supplemental information to back a claim, or the strengthening the introduction or conclusion. The key to revising is the clear communication of ideas from the writer to the intended audience.
This is an important step to take following the drafting stage. Following the completion of an entire draft, students may have a stronger conception of their purpose, intended audience, and thesis statement. Feedback from other readers may also contribute toward the need to re-vision (or re-see) the project. Rather than feeling chained to every printed word, students should be encouraged to look at their writing as an evolving piece of work, subject to change. Sometimes a first draft is just that--a first draft. Again, students must be sure to allow themselves enough time to complete the revising process.
Key Concepts: After improving the quality of the content in the revising stage, writers then need to take care of mechanics, including corrections of spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and documentation style.
For more information on sentence structure and punctuation, see “Sentence Clarity and Combining” and “Conquering the Comma,” included on this CD-ROM. For presentations on documentation styles, see “Cross-referencing: Using MLA Format” and “Documenting Sources: Using MLA Format,” also on this CD-ROM.
Examples: Here are a few tips students can use to proofread their papers:
The best tip is to read your paper out loud. Reading aloud forces the writer to engage each word verbally. Often typos, spelling errors, and sentence structure problems can be caught this way.
If spelling is a big problem, checking through the paper backwards can also help writers to correct errors. Again, checking backwards will help writers to engage every word.
Exchanging papers with a friend can also be a good way to check for errors. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes helps. However, writers need to remember that the paper belongs to them and they are responsible for their work. If a friend corrects something that you don’t think is correct, double check with a grammar book, the OWL web site, or the Writing Lab Grammar Hotline.
Sometimes students can develop an overreliance upon technology to correct spelling and grammar errors. However, if you meant to type “Good spelling is important in college” and instead type “Good smelling is important in college,” spell check will not catch the error because “smelling” is a correctly spelled word.
Also, many grammar checks function on computer-programmed patterns of words. Often, they cannot process long or complicated sentences. Just because sentences are long or complicated does not mean they are wrong. Having an understanding of grammar yourself is the best way to check over your work.
Rationale: This slide reviews the six components to the writing process.
Activity: The facilitator may choose at this time to answer questions or get feedback from students about their own writing processes. Students may share strategies about their own successful writing process tips.
