ENG 102 Writing Process

Analyze the writing assignment. Choose a subject (unless one is assigned) and consider your purpose and audience. Focus on a topic. Generate ideas. Develop a thesis statement. Make an outline.

1. Analyzing the writing assignment Follow the instructions carefully Pay attention to keywords e.g. analyze the impact of globalization in developing countries (or) compare and contrast the economies of industrialized countries versus developing ones.

2. Choosing a subject Ask yourself certain questions such as “Is it suitable for the assignment?” “Is it too general? Too narrow?” “Am I interested in it?” “Who am I writing for?” “How long should it be?” “What kind of research does it require?”

2. Choosing a subject Define your purpose: Are you writing to Report/summarize/explain/define/compare and contrast? Argue/discuss/analyze/interpret?

3. Focusing on a topic General subjectLimited subjectTopic Musicpop music pop star competitions Educationuniversity educationdegrees Sportsfootballfan violence Businesscomputerse-commerce Environmentpollutionlandfill Technology?? Globalization??

4. Generating ideas Good strategies for generating ideas and collecting information include Asking questions: who, what, where, when, why, how-questions Free writing: write without stopping for a certain amount of time and then analyze your results Brainstorming: focus on a subject for a fixed amount of time and write down any ideas related to it

An example of the free writing technique A Vegetarian Diet I am not a vegetarian, but two of my friends are. They always tell me how cruel it is to kill animals and I tell them I need meat to get my protein. They tell me you can get protein from sources other than animal products. Animal products contain fat which can be bad for health, whereas plants are high in fiber and good for health. Even if it were good for me, I just thought that vegetarian food was boring, but they proved me wrong when I went out to eat with them. The vegetarian dishes were very tasty and there were so many different varieties. There are so many cookbooks for vegetarians now I noticed.

brainstormed ideas on computer games for children. addictive fun time-consuming more exciting than television bad for eyes too violent expensive takes time away from homework

5. Developing a thesis statement General subject Sports Limited subject football Topic transfer fees Thesis Many football players are paid much more in transfer fees than their abilities can justify.

5. Developing a thesis statement General subject Marketing Limited subject advertising Topic TV commercials Thesis TV commercials have become a great form of entertainment.

WHAT IS NOT A THESIS? A thesis is not a title. Example: Homes and schools. Correct TS-Parents ought to participate more in the education of their children. A thesis is not an announcement. Example: In this paper, I will discuss the difficulty of solving our environmental problems. Correct TS-Solving our environmental problems is more difficult than many environmentalists believe. A thesis is not the statement of a fact. Example: The capital of France is Paris. Correct TS-Paris is a very romantic city for several different reasons.

WHAT IS A GOOD THESIS? A good thesis is  restricted  Weak- Crime must be stopped.  Better-Our courts should give tougher sentences to repeat offenders.  unified  Weak-The new health program is excellent, but it has several drawbacks, and it should be run on an experimental basis for two or three years.  Better-The new health program should be run on an experimental basis for two or three years.  specific  Weak-Drug addiction is a big problem.  Better-Drug addiction has caused a huge increase in crimes of violence.

Thesis Statement 1. I am going to write about space research. 2. Human selfishness is seen at its worst during rush hour traffic. 3. For most people, University A would be a better choice than University B because of its size, location and reputation. 4. Social security and old age. 5. Depressed people cope with their depression in three characteristic ways.

Thesis Statement 6. Although intelligence tests are widely used in schools, they are not always the best way to measure a student’s ability. 7. Al Capone, the Chicago gangster, was also known as Scarface. 8. Some people like watching sport on television, but other people think it is a waste of time. 9. Chinese is one of the world’s oldest languages and its written form, like that of most languages, developed from the pictograph.

6. Making an outline The outline of an essay is your plan for organizing your material in order to present a logical flow of ideas. shows both the order of the ideas you will explore and their relationship to one another. can be informal or formal.