1. Mrs. Hackworth Comp 1 Day 5 Notes
Stage 1:Prewriting
Mrs. Hackworth
Comp 1
Day 5 Notes

2. The expository essay
An expository essay explains, or acquaints the reader with knowledge about the topic.
Expository essays use facts and statistical information, cause and effect relationships, or examples.

3. Prewriting
Prewriting: consider your assignment, purpose, audience, determine your topic, brainstorming, arranging of details; overall: it is a time for making decisions about the assignment
Topic selection
Brainstorming
Research
Freewriting
Outlining
Mind-mapping

4. Know your audience
A writer must know her audience and write to her audience.
This does not mean that you write to (addressing) your audience by using the language “in this paper I will be writing about”.
It is obvious that you are writing a paper and the topic should be apparent and clearly presented through formal language.

5. Determine purpose
Consider my purpose: what you are trying to accomplish, usually described as the (type of writing):
To inform or explain (expository); in school = 95%
To persuade (persuasive) (to a certain extent, you are always trying to persuade your teacher…)
To describe (descriptive) physical appearance or function
To narrate (narrative): to tell a story
You can have more than one purpose at a time. In fact, you could all four in the same assignment. Imagine that!

6. Tone Tone: Determine the tone of your paper: Whimsical Sarcastic Funny
Tone: an attitude of a writer toward or subject or an audience. Generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.
Your topic, audience and purpose each factor in when developing your tone of your paper.
Determine the tone of your paper:
Whimsical
Sarcastic
Funny
Serious

7. Topic/Subject
Consider my subject: Broad area of knowledge in which there are numerous topics.
How do I decide if my idea is a subject or a topic?
It depends on a few factors:
How many words can I use for my assignment? (length- see appendix 2 for examples)

8. Narrow a subject
Example: Explain the change characterization within a story-
3-5 pages= topic
1-2 pages= subject, must narrow the main idea by choosing one characteristic
If my idea is too broad (subject), then I have to divide it by using one or more of 7 methods:
1. Time Periods
2. Examples
3. Features
4. Places
5. Uses
6. Causes
7. Other method…

9. Determine a topic
What is the specific and focused idea that I am going to write about. Try to choose something that you want to write about so you are more engaged in the topic.