Chapter 8: Draft and Draft Again ENG 113: Composition I

Drafting Drafting is an important part of the writing process Why not just write the perfect paper in one sitting? Impossible! If you’re going to write an essay you will need to engage in the drafting process

Are you ready to write? You understand the assignment and know exactly what you are supposed to be doing You have brainstormed a suitable and interesting topic You’ve done all of the thinking and information gathering necessary for the assignment You’ve explored your thoughts through a discovery process such as freewriting You’ve compared the work you’ve done to the original assignment and are on task You’ve sorted through your prewriting materials in order to make some preliminary judgments about your “yes” “no” and “maybe” ideas You have a central idea in mind—a working thesis—that you an focus on

How to begin a draft: Ingredients for the draft Before you begin drafting you should have: The text of the original assignment for reference Your initial brainstorming notes for reference All of your freewrites Your working thesis A computer or pen and paper A reasonably quiet space in which to work

Five Steps Toward a Successful First Draft Step 1: Reacquaint yourself with your ideas Step 2: Find the significance Step 3: Identify examples Step 4: Look at the big picture Step 5: Revisit your working thesis

Overcoming Writer’s Block Anti-Writer’s Block Strategies Get ready = do more prewriting Know what a draft is—and what isn’t Start anywhere! Write without fear

Creating a First Draft Goal = write a complete draft (with a beginning, middle, and end—and a thesis!) that makes sense to you Techniques Ensuring that you’ve completed your prewriting Gathering and reviewing your notes Identifying the various truths that bubble up as you read your notes while thinking of your main idea Choosing at least one specific detail to illustrate each of your identified truths Asking yourself “so what?” (revising your working thesis Answering your own question without fear, without censoring yourself, and without worrying too much about whether everything’s in the right order

Is it really a draft? It’s organized in several developed paragraphs It has a fairly well-developed beginning, middle, and end In incorporates most or all of the relevant ideas and information that you’ve gathered It has a thesis statement to control its focus