The Writing Process By Alfred Taylor 1www.booksbyalfredtaylor.com

The Writing Process Purpose Audience Choosing A Topic Developing Ideas Preparing an Outline Developing a Thesis Drafting the Essay

The Writing Process Purpose Writing has several purposes, to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to express emotion, and to document history. Each type of writing has a different form or style.

The Writing Process Know the Audience  Does the audience share your beliefs about the subject?  Is the audience a group of experts, or are they novices?  Are you writing for your boss or for fellow employees? Why does it make a difference?

The Writing Process If the audience shares your beliefs, you don’t have to work as hard to persuade them. If the audience is hostile to your beliefs, it will take a lot of solid writing and hard work to get a reader to finish the essay.

The Writing Process If the audience for an essay are experts, then the writer doesn’t have to explain too much; however, if the audience are novices, then the writer must explain everything clearly without insulting the reader’s intelligence.

The Writing Process If the audience is your boss, you don’t want to seem too pushy or demanding. The writing must have a respectful tone. If the audience is coworkers, then the writing must have a neutral tone. If you are the boss, then the tone must be firm.

The Writing Process Choosing a Topic-  Select a topic that can be dealt with intelligently in the required number of words.  Select a topic that you know something about.

The Writing Process Methods for finding a topic include. Reading and Observing Free writing and Focused Free writing Brainstorming Clustering Asking Journalistic Questions

The Writing Process Once the topic has been discovered, it must be narrowed so it can be written about intelligently. A topic that covers too much information won’t be able to go into enough depth to be useful or interesting. A topic that is too narrow will lack enough information to achieve its purpose. The best essays come from simple everyday things.

The Writing Process Potential Topics for a Descriptive Essay: Cars Household Chores Dogs Vacations Food Restaurants

The Writing Process Narrowed the subject to Dogs, what kind of dogs? Remember to write about what you know, so the list becomes “Dogs I’ve Known.” Muffin, Taco, Missy, Bandit, Coco

The Writing Process Missy

The Writing Process Utilize one of the discovery techniques such as clustering, brainstorming, or a topic tree to find topics for an outline. The list should be short phrases that describe the topic and quantify it, if possible. playful pound puppy wimpy smart tan fursmall in size barks terrier/cocker brown eyes

The Writing Process The next step is to turn the list into an outline. An outline is a tool for organization which makes the writer’s job easier. An outline adds: Organization, Develops Content, Shows Relationships Between Ideas, Helps to Plan Length, Reveals Weak Points

The Writing Process Preparing an outline will give an essay unity, coherence, and emphasis. It will make the essay easier for the writer to write and for the reader to read.

The Writing Process When outlining use a consistent system of notation. It doesn’t matter what that system is.  I.  A.  a. Remember to indent each level.

The Writing Process Begin outlining by dividing the subject into major points drawn from the list created earlier. Give each major topic a paragraph. I) Appearance II) Personality III) History

The Writing Process Next Fill in the topic sentences. This will sub-divide the topics. I) Appearance A) Terrier-Cocker Mix B) Small Dog II) Personality A) Playful B) Barks when wants something III) History A) Pound Puppy B) Met Former Owner

The Writing Process Next Fill in the Supporting Details. This will sub-divide the topics again. I) Appearance A) Terrier-Cocker Mix a) brown fur b) fluffy ears B) Small Dog a) weighs 18lbs b) high pitched bark II) Personality A) playful a) likes to be chased b) wants to play all the time B) Barks when wants something a) barks to go out b) barks to play c) barks to get “chicken” III) History A) Pound Puppy a) followed mom b) good personality B) Met former owner a) too many cats b) good dog

The Writing Process Once the outline is completed, it is time to develop a thesis. The best way to do this is to utilize the main points of the outline to develop the format for the thesis. Missy is a small bundle of brown playfulness who began her life with us as a pound puppy, but became a member of the family.

The Writing Process  A Thesis Statement narrows the subject to a single central idea.  A Thesis Statement names the topic and asserts something specific and significant about it.  A Thesis Statement often provides a preview of how the ideas in the essay will be arranged.  A Thesis Statement is what the essay intends to prove.

The Writing Process  There are twenty brown bears in Yosemite National Forest.  Some dogs bite people while others only bite fleas.  Correctly changing a diaper requires a well stocked diaper bag, a flat clean surface, and nimble fingers.

The Writing Process  Correctly changing a diaper requires a well stocked diaper bag, a flat clean surface, and nimble fingers. This is an example of a good thesis statement because it contains an assertion, a preview, and is one sentence in length.

The Writing Process Now that the thesis is completed, begin writing the essay. Remember that the thesis and the outline are not carved in stone, but etched in Jello™. Changing the outline or thesis while writing a draft is a normal part of the writing process.

The Writing Process Don’t feel that you must start with writing the introduction. It is often easier to write the body paragraphs first, then go back and write the introduction. Remember the introduction must include your thesis statement.

The Writing Process Once the body paragraphs and the introduction have been written, it is time to write the conclusion. This is another time when having a good outline pays off. To write a good conclusion, simply condense the main points of your outline into one paragraph.

The Writing Process The End