The Writing Process

Chapter 1

Exploring“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”

The Paragraph and the Essay

• Series of sentences that are about one central idea.

• May stand alone, or part of a larger work.

• Series of paragraphs that are about one central idea.

The Paragraph and the Essay (2)

The Paragraph• The topic sentence

introduces the subject of the paragraph and the writer’s attitude toward the subject.

• The body of the paragraph contains details that support the topic sentence.

• The paragraph ends with a concluding sentence.

The Essay• The introduction engages

the reader’s interest and contains the thesis statement.

• The body paragraphs each support the main idea of the essay.

• The conclusion reemphasizes the thesis and restates the main points of the essay. It brings the essay to a satisfactory close.

Example:The Paragraph vs. The Essay

PARAGRAPH• Topic Sentence• 3-4 Supporting

Sentences• Concluding Sentence

ESSAY• Introduction (with

thesis)• Body (multiple

paragraphs with topic sentences)

• Conclusion

What is Exploring• Scenario: You’re given a blank page and a subject

and told to write. You think, “I don’t know what to write.”

• Exploring helps you think about your subject before writing a paragraph or essay.

Understand Your Assignment• How many words should I write?• What is the due date/time for the assignment?• Are there any special qualities that my writing

should include?

Four Steps of the Exploration Process• Step 1• Think about your topic. Decide what to write about.

• Step 2• Think about your audience. Consider your intended

readers and what interests them.

• Step 3• Think about your purpose. Ask yourself what you want to

write.

• Step 4• Try exploring strategies. Experiment with different ways

to generate ideas.

Topics/Subjects• What you are writing about• Narrow the topic to find an area that interests you• Example: • Travel > Dangers of Travel

• Ask yourself…• What special knowledge do I have about the topic?• What subtopics are most relevant to me?• What aspect of the topic arouses my emotions?

Audience• Intended reader• Different classes have different audiences

• Instructor as Audience

Exploring Strategies

Freewriting• Writing for a limited period of time without

stopping• Purpose: Record first thoughts that come to mind• “I don’t know what to write.”• Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, etc.

• Sandra’s Freewriting – p. 9• Sandra’s Focused Writing – p. 9

Brainstorming• Create a list of ideas• Don’t be concerned with spelling, grammar

• Jin’s Brainstorming – p. 9• Jin’s Focused Brainstorming – p. 10

Questioning• Ask yourself a series of questions and write

resposnes to them• Help you define and narrow your topic• Ask: who, what, when, where, why, how?

• Clayton’s Questioning – p. 10

Clustering• Drawing a word map• Ideas are arranged in a visual image• Write the topic in the middle. Draw lines to

connect ideas to the main topic.

• Mahan’s Clustering – p. 11• Mahan’s Focused Clustering – p. 11

Reflect On It• Before you write, you should think about your

topic, audience and purpose. What are each of these things?

• Briefly define each of the following exploring strategies:• Freewriting• Brainstorming• Questioning• Clustering

Chapter 2

Developing“You can only learn to be a better writer by actually writing.”

5 Key Steps• Step 1• Narrow your topic. Focus on an aspect that interests you.

• Step 2• Express your main idea. Write a topic sentence that

expresses this idea.

• Step 3• Develop your supporting ideas.

• Step 4• Make a plan. Organize your thoughts into an outline.

• Step 5• Write your first draft.

Paragraph Structure• Topic Sentence• Introduces the idea of the paragraph

• Body Sentences• Supports the topic sentence

• Concluding Sentence• Ends the paragraph

Narrowing the Topic• Narrow these topics:• Cosmetic Surgery• Music• College Life

Topic Sentences• Introduces the topic of the paragraph• States the paragraph’s controlling idea• Most general sentence in the paragraph• Followed by other sentences that provide support

(facts, examples)

• A controlling idea makes the point about a topic and expresses the writer’s opinion, attitude, feeling.

Let’s Practice!• Music education is essential in public schools.• There are three types of terrible bosses.• My furnished room has everything a student could

need.

Writing Effective Topic Sentences• Incomplete• Announcement• Vague• Invalid Point• Too Broad• Too Narrow

Let’s Practice!• I will write about negative political campaigns.

• History teaches us lessons.

• Deciding to go to college.

The Supporting Ideas• Facts and examples that provide the reader with

interesting information about the subject matter• Generate by using some of the brainstorming

activities.

Organization• Transitional Expressions help guide your reader

from one idea to the next.• Time Order• The way in which things occurred• First, Second, Last

• Emphatic Order• Arrange in logical sequence• Most Important, Important, Least Important

• Space Order• Where things are positioned• Top, Middle, Bottom

The Concluding Sentence• Brings the paragraph to a satisfactory close• May…• Restate the topic sentence in a new, refreshing way• Make an interesting, final observation• End with a prediction, suggestion, quotation

• In an essay, it will transition to the next paragraph’s idea

Reflect On It• What is a topic sentence?• True or False? A paragraph has more than one

main idea.• True or False? A paragraph’s details support its

topic sentence.