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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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