1. THE WRITING PROCESS

2. 1. Understanding the Task
The Writing Process
1. Understanding the Task
2. Gathering Data
3.Invention
4. Drafting
5. Revision
6. Editing

3. 1. Understanding the Task
The Writing Process
1. Understanding the Task
2. Gathering Data
3.Invention
4. Drafting
5. Revision
6. Editing

4. Devise a game plan: schedule the writing process
1. Understand the task
Ask questions to explore your rhetorical situation:
Purpose?
Audience?
Genre?
Style?
Research?
This slide deals with What is..? part of the explanation and presents two necessary initial steps of writing: scheduling a particular writing process and assessing the assignment in terms of a rhetorical situation.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
Do not rush to start composing right after you’ve received a writing assignment. Pause for a moment and think of it as of a business project. Devise a game plan, schedule your project: it will help you time-manage it, especially if you are a lover of procrastination. Are you the one? Then do not ignore this step: generating a game plan will guarantee that you will not “wake up” the night before a deadline.
Since invention is about generating ideas for the paper, which is a struggling process for many writers, thinking of the assignment in terms of a rhetorical situation can be a way out of the ‘labyrinth’. Do NOT think about the assignment globally: it can be overwhelming; think locally: just start answering simple questions. Who is my audience? What is the purpose of this paper? What is the genre of this assignment? What do I know about this genre? What about the style? Do I want to sound informal or formal? What kind of research do I have to conduct to gather information for the paper?

5. 1. Understanding the Task
The Writing Process
1. Understanding the Task
2. Gathering Data
3.Invention
4. Drafting
5. Revision
6. Editing

6. 2: Gathering Data
Locate and review information-from qualitative and quantitative sources and from your own experience-and formulate an approach.

7. 1. Understanding the Task
The Writing Process
1. Understanding the Task
2. Gathering Data
3.Invention
4. Drafting
5. Revision
6. Editing

8. Importance of ‘Invention’ step
Key function of this step is to remind you of where you're going and why you're taking each step.

9. Invention Strategies Explore classic topics Ask basic ‘W’ questions
Ask more critical questions
Freewrite / brainstorm/ list
Record ideas without revising or proofreading
Invent and organize ideas visually to explore relationships, processes
Map /cluster
This slide presents four strategies to generate ideas for the paper: 1) questions, 2) free writing and brainstorming, 3) mapping and clustering, and 4) keeping a writer’s journal. Each strategy is complimented by a short and vivid explanation/example that pops up on the left-hand side of the slide.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
There are several techniques you can use to come up with the ideas for your writing assignment. It is helpful to be familiar with and try all of them because you never know which one will work today. For example, you are experiencing a writer’s block: your mind got blank and not a single idea comes to it. Try freewriting, and then use it as a starting point for clustering the ideas. Or, you are having a whole bunch of ideas, but you do not see how they are related. In this case, listing and clustering will help you out. So, let’s built up the bank of strategies writers use to invent ideas.
Ask critical questions: The technique that works for every writer! Ask yourself simple questions nosy journalists love to ask: What? When? Where? How? E.g., what would I like to learn about it if I were a reader? When did it happen? Look how easy to work with reporter’s questions. Let’s say you wrote a sentence: Mike walked into the room. Boring? Then, be curious: How did Mike walk? What was the room like? Who was there? Why did Mike walk there? (This is a great opportunity for a facilitator to engage the audience, invite the students to come up with answers, and generate a sentence full of details and vivid words).
Brainstorm the topic: jot down any idea that pops up in your mind. Do not assess whether it is relevant or not, you’ll figure it out later. Your task now is to build up a collection of ideas you associate with the topic.
Freewriting is a useful technique when you experience a writer’s block. How many of you felt at least once that you were not able to squeeze anything out of your mind? In such cases, writing without stopping for five to ten minutes is the best remedy. Turn off you inner critic: forget about spelling or punctuation rules. You are not going to show your writing to anyone, you just give a voice to your mind! Besides being an urgent care for a writer’s block, freewriting is a great source of ideas. You will be surprised how many fresh ideas you can find among a junk yard of spelling errors and awkwardly-phrased sentences.
Mapping & Clustering: Have you ever created a web of ideas? Do you like to draw bubbles and put words into it? Even if you don’t, clustering is a great way to sort out the thoughts you have generated so far. (Or, the ones you have found in your freewritten passage). Clustering helps to see which idea is not developed enough or not supported with sufficient details.
Keep a journal: If you like to keep a record of the events happening in your life, or, if you just like to express your feelings on paper, then your journal can be an excellent collection of ideas for your writing assignments. Reread the entries: you might find something related to the theme of your writing project. Journals are not for everyone, but they might be the treasure cave for those who keep them.
Suggested activity: After presenting these strategies, the facilitator can engage the audience into a discussion of strategies students find more efficient as well as encourage the students to try new ones. As an optional follow-up activity the facilitator can divide the audience into six groups and ask each group to generate ideas for the assigned topic by using one strategy. All groups will work with the same topic, however the means of coming up with the ideas will be different. Class discussion wraps up the activity.
Write personal explorations and reflections on ideas
Keep a journal

10. Organizing Strategies
Create an outline
I. Introduction
A. Set the context
B. Explain why the topic is
important
C. State the thesis
II. Body
A. Build points
B. Develop ideas
C. Support the main claim
III. Conclusion
A. Reemphasize the main
idea
B. Restate the thesis
This slide provides a sample of an outline and reminds students of the basis structure of an essay and the functions of each part.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
Organizing the paper in the form of an outline helps visualize its flow and coherence of ideas. The outline you see on the left-hand side of the slide shows the basic structure of an essay. It contains an introduction, body, and conclusion.
The introduction grabs the reader’s attention and introduces the main idea or claim, often in the form of a thesis statement. The body consists of several supporting paragraphs that help elaborate upon the main claim. It is the body of the paper where you build points, develop ideas, and support the main claim, which you made in the introduction. The conclusion serves to wrap up the argument and reemphasize the writer’s main ideas.
Whether you created an elaborated outline, like the one you would submit to your teacher, or simply sketched the main points of your paper, you immediately have a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization of the paper. An outline shows your argument in a simple and comprehensive manner, so you can save time and effort and re-arrange ideas BEFORE you even start writing the first draft. Outlines are like maps: they show directions and guarantee that you won’t get lost when you write a paper.
This slide can be supplemented by the handout Developing an Outline from

11. 1. Understanding the Task
The Writing Process
1. Understanding the Task
2. Gathering Data
3.Invention
4. Drafting
5. Revision
6. Editing

12. Don’t get it right; get it written
DRAFTING
Don’t get it right; get it written
(Ted Lowi, 1931)

14. To decide how to proceed ask yourself
On what main point do I intend to focus my paper?
What subpoints do I need to address in order to develop my main point?
In what order should my points be arranged?

15. A good research paper draft includes:
all your thoughts
as many details as possible
complete thoughts and ideas
enough information to turn into a final version
information on each of the points mentioned in your outline

16. First draft should have:
Thesis
Structure
Introduction
Conclusion

17. Essay Structure the main points; final comment
I Introduction General Statements Thesis statement II Body A. Topic Sentence 1. Support 2. Support 3. Support (Concluding sentence) B. Topic Sentence 1. Support 2. Support 3. Support (Concluding sentence) C. Topic Sentence 1.Support 2. Support 3. Support (Concluding sentence) III Conclusion Restatement or summary of
the main points; final comment
Essay Structure

18. Cross-cultural communication issues in business organizations
I. Introduction Introduce the topic of cross-cultural
communication and its influence upon
business environments. Then briefly
introduce the main issues surrounding
cross-cultural communication to be
discussed in the essay II. Body A. Issue 1
1. Identify and explain nature of
problem or difficulty
2. Outline causal factors
3. Describe two possible solutions
and briefly evaluate pros and cons
of each solution. 
B. Issue 2
3. Describe two possible solutions and
briefly evaluate pros and cons
of each solution.
III. Conclusion
Cross-cultural communication issues in business organizations

19. Writing Thesis Statements
Presents the controlling idea of the paper.
An arguable statement, making clear the position the author takes on a topic.
An essential tool for both writers and readers.

20. Components of a thesis
Balance between the subject and assertion will decide the length of the paper.
“Effective energy conservation requires a shrewd application of political, financial, and scientific efforts.”

21. Types of Thesis Statement
Explanatory thesis
“Producing energy through nuclear power has proved quite effective.”
Mildly argumentative thesis
“ Pakistan should use nuclear power to produce energy.”
Strongly argumentative thesis
“ The only solution Pakistan has, to solve the electricity shortage ,is to use nuclear power to generate electricity along with using Hydro energy.”

22. Common errors in writing a Thesis
Announcements rather than thesis
“I want to talk about the crime wave in our country.”
Statements that are too broad
“Crime is a major concern of everyone in our country.”

23. Common errors in writing a Thesis
Statements that are too narrow
“In the last year there has been over twenty robberies in our neighborhood.”
Statements that contain more than one idea
“The problem of overcrowded prisons must be solved, and judges must start handing out tougher sentences.”

24. Writing Introductions
Purpose of an introduction is to prepare the reader to enter the world of the paper.
Introduction should have
Thesis statement
Various aspects under discussion

25. Different openings for introductions
Quotation
Historical Review
Review of a controversy
From the general to the specific
From the specific to the general
Question
Statement of thesis

26. Writing conclusions Conclusion is the introduction in reverse.
It is more than just a summary of the paper
You have to leave the reader thinking
You have to stress the significance of the research paper or its implications for further research.

27. Different endings for conclusions
Statement of the subject’s significance
Call for further research
Solution/Recommendations
Anecdote
Quotation
Question

28. 1. Understanding the Task
The Writing Process
1. Understanding the Task
2. Gathering Data
3.Invention
4. Drafting
5. Revision
6. Editing

29. Revising Review Proofread
The presentation shows revision as a hierarchy of reviewing for higher-order concerns and proofreading for later-order concerns. Revising a paper can be an overwhelming business and students tend to focus on correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors; thus, loosing sight of the issues of organization, clear communication of ideas, and coherence. Therefore, it is helpful to divide revision into two stages: reviewing and proofreading. The facilitator might want to stress a prior order of reviewing over proofreading.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
Every writer at least once felt overwhelmed while revising the paper. Revision is messy: you start with checking how clearly your ideas are communicated, stumble at a comma in the wrong place, and slide into correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It helps if the writer does revision into two steps: first, review the organization, coherence, and clear communication of ideas, and then, proofread the for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Hence, revisions is not messy any more, and you focus on one thing at a time. It’s a bad, though tempting idea, to proofread before review since it’s easier to do. Reviewing might require major changes in your paper and adding new paragraphs, so you will inevitably have to proofread again.

30. Revising Review Proofread Clear thesis? Clear communication of ideas?
Organization of the paper:
from general to specific information to support the thesis?
Paragraph structure?
Conclusion restates the thesis and overviews the main ideas?
Review
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
Reviewing is revising the paper on the idea-level. Literally, it is re-seeing the argument of the paper. Sometimes a first draft is just that--a first draft. After completing it, the writer has a better sense of the audience, purpose, and thesis statement. Don’t feel chained to every word you wrote, look at your writing as at an evolving piece of work and subject to change. Ask for a feedback from your peers. Compare the message they received from your paper with the one you intended to get across. Do they coincide? If not, you might want to reconsider the organization of your paper focusing on the clear communication of ideas. Go over each paragraph: Does it have a topic sentence? Does the body of the paragraph relate, clarify, and illustrate the point a topic sentence makes? Are paragraphs coherently connected? Does the paper flows? A simple trick will help you to check the organization of the paper. Highlight the thesis statement and topic sentences of every paragraph. Now you can see crystal clear ONLY the skeleton of the paper, the argument you are making. Is it logically and coherently organized? If not, you need to employ review strategies.
This slide can be supplemented by the handout Higher Order Concerns and Later Order Concerns (HOCs and LOCs) from
Proofread

31. Paragraph structure
Look for
Unity
Coherence
Development

32. Reviewing Strategies Refocus Reorder Add Cut
In the process of re-thinking the argument, writers exploit the following strategies: refocusing, reordering, adding, and cutting ideas, sentences, and, sometimes, paragraphs. The strategies are self-explanatory; however, the facilitator might use the example of a sample outline to show how the clarification of the thesis can lead to changing of the arrangement of the support.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
There are several strategies to re-think the argument in the writer’s arsenal: The writer might refocus the argument, reorder supporting ideas, add new details or cut the ones that irrelevant or redundant. For example, after reading the first draft you feel that the topic is still too broad to cover it in one paper, and one aspect of it obviously dominates: it’s interesting to the reader and you have sufficient research to illustrate it. Concentrate on this aspect then and re-arrange the supporting ideas to show every facet of it. If the thesis is strong, but the ideas in paragraphs drift away from the main claim, the paper needs reordering the supporting claims. Or, if you discovered a black hole in your argument, brainstorm for new ideas, conduct necessary research, and add. From time to time the writer has to cut some sentences or even paragraphs. It’s a painful, but necessary activity. Remember, your main concern in review is the argument you are developing in the paper. Check for clear communication, coherence, and relevance.
Cut

33. Revising Review Proofread The paper appears professional?
Spelling and punctuation?
Sentences clear and easy to read?
Documentation style?
Review
After working on the quality of the content and organization at the reviewing stage, writers then need to take care of mechanics, including corrections of spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and documentation style.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
Now, when global issues of the paper are taken care of, it is time to proofread for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and documentation style. These issues might seem not important, but they might impede the communication. After all, who likes to struggle through grammar and spelling errors while reading?
This slide can be complimented with the handouts
Proofreading Strategies
Proofreading Your Paper
Steps in Editing Your Papers
Proofreading for Commas
Proofread

34. Proofreading Strategies
Run spell & grammar check
Read the paper aloud & backwards
Speak with your instructor
Remember: you are smarter than a computer!
This slide presents several efficient proofreading strategies.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click. Transitions inside slides are animated: clicking will lead to skipping the content.
Notes:
Start with running grammar and spell check. They will point to basic errors. If treated with caution, checkers are a great help to writers. It is important though, to caution students against an overreliance upon computer checkers. The technology can not think, it will not recognize “Good smelling (instead of spelling) is important in college” as an error! 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.
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 incorrect, double check with a grammar book, the OWL web site, or the Writing Lab Grammar Hotline.
Visit your writing lab