Chapter 03 – Planning and Drafting your Paper

3.1 The Writing Process

The writing process consists of the following stages

• Understanding the assignment
• Zeroing on a topic
• Gathering information
• Organizing the information
• Developing a thesis statement
• Writing the first draft

3.2 Understanding the assignment

Following directions is crucial. Ask yourself what the assignment allows you to accomplish. By doing so, you can find your purpose.

3.3 Zeroing on a topic

A subject is a broad discussion area; a topic is one small segment of a subject. If you choose your own topic, pick one narrow enough so that you can develop it properly within any length limitation. Avoid sprawling, slippery issues that lead to a string of trite generalities.

Choose familiar topics or one you can learn enough in the time available. Avoid overworked topics, which generally repeat the same old points. Instead, select a topic that lets you draw your unique experiences and insights and offer a fresh perspective to your reader.

3.4 Strategies for finding a topic

3.4.1 Tapping your personal resources

Personal experience furnishes a rich storehouse of writing material. All these experiences can provide suitable topics. Anything you’ve read, seen, or heard can trigger a topic.

3.4.2 Sorting out a subject

First, we break our broad subject into categories and subcategories, and then allow our minds to roam over the different items and see what topics we can turn up. As you’ll discover for yourself, some subjects yield more topics than others; some, no topics at all. Therefore, one must choose carefully before choosing what subject to write about.

3.4.3 Asking questions

Often, working your way through these basic questions will lead you to a manageable topic:

• Can I define my subject?
• Does it break into categories?
• If so, what comparison can I make among these categories?
• If my subject is divided into parts, how do they work together?
• Does my subject have uses? What are they?
• What are some examples of my subject?
• What are the causes or origins of my subject?
• What impact has my subject had?

Each of these questions offers a starting point for a suitable focused essay if answered objectively.

3.4.4 Freewriting
The freewriting strategy snares thoughts as they race through your mind, yielding a set of sentences that you then look over for writing ideas.

• Turn your pen loose and write for five minutes on your general subject
• Put down everything that comes to your head, without worrying about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. What you produce is for your eyes alone.
• When your writing time is up, go through your sentences and extract potential topic material.

3.4.5 Brainstorming

Brainstorming is closely related to freewriting with the difference that it captures fleeting ideas in words, fragments, and sometimes sentences, rather that in a series of sentences. It garners ideas faster than the other strategies do. But unless you move immediately to the next stage of writing, you may lose track of what some of your fragmentary jottings mean.

3.5 Identifying your audience and purpose

You can identify your purpose and audience at several stages in the writing process. Sometimes both are set by the assignment and guide your selection of a topic. Usually, though, the selection of audience and purpose goes hand in hand with determining a topic.

3.6 Gathering information

Once you have a topic, you’ll need things to say about it. This supporting material can include facts, ideas, examples, observations, sensory impressions, memories, and the like.

Without the proper backup, papers lack force, vividness, and interest and may confuse or mislead readers. The more support you can gather, the easier it will be for you to write a draft.

3.6.1 Brainstorming

Brainstorming a topic, like brainstorming a subject, yields a set of words, fragments, and occasionally sentences that will furnish ideas for the paper.

You may notice that some thoughts lead to others. Branching is a helpful and convenient extension of brainstorming that allows you to add details to any item in your list.

As you organize and write your paper, you’ll probably combine, modify, and omit some of the notes, as well as add others.

3.6.2 Reading

When you have to grapple with an unfamiliar topic, look for material to develop it in different places such as the library. Once you have a list of references, start searching for the books or articles. Look through each one you find and jot down information that looks useful, either as direct quotations or in our own words. Whenever you use a direct quotation or rephrased material in your paper, you must give proper credit to the source. If you don’t, you are guilty of plagiarism.

3.7 Organizing the information

A garbled listing of ideas serves no one; and orderly presentation highlights your ideas and helps communication succeed.

• Your topic determines the approach you take.
• In narrating a personal experience, you’d probably trace the events in the order they occurred.
• In describing a process, you’d take the reader step by step through the procedure.
• Other topics dictate other patterns, such as comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and illustration.

You can best organize long pieces of writing by following a formal outline. For shorter papers, however, a simple, informal system of flexible notes will do nicely.

The Flexible Notes System

To create a set of flexible notes:

• Write each of your key points at the top of a separate sheet of paper. If you have a thesis statement, refer to it for your key points.
• Next, list under each heading the supporting details that go with that heading. Drop details that don’t fit and expand points that need more support.
• When your sheets are finished, arrange them in the order you expect to follow in your essay.

Now you’re ready to draft a plan showing how many paragraphs you’ll nave in each part of the essay and what each paragraph will cover.

3.8 Developing a Thesis Statement

• A thesis statement presents the main idea of a piece of writing (usu. in 1 sentence).
• The thesis statement points you in a specific direction, helping you to stay on track and out of tempting byways.
• In addition, it tells your reader what to expect.

Thesis statements can emerge at several points in the writing process. Usually, though, it emerges after you’ve gathered and examined your supporting information.

As you examine your information, search for the central point and the key points that back it up; then use these to develop your thesis statement.

Converting the topic to a question may help you to uncover backup ideas and write a thesis statement.

Requirements of a good thesis statement

A good thesis statement:

• Focuses on just one central point or issue.
• Tailors the scope of the issue to the length of the paper.
• Further provides an accurate forecast of what’s to come.
• Is precise, often previewing the organization of the paper.

The omission of the thesis statement occurs when the writer implies the thesis rather that states it openly. Nonetheless, a core idea underlines and controls all effective writing.

3.9 Writing the First Draft

Now on to the first draft of your essay. The writing should go rather quickly. After all, you have a topic you’re qualified to write about, a thesis statement that indicates your purpose, enough information to develop it, and a written plan to follow.

Here are some general suggestions for writing a first draft:

Now for some specific suggestions that will help you with the actual writing:

• Rewrite your thesis statement at the top of your first page to break the ice and build momentum.
• Write your first paragraph, introducing your essay and stating your thesis. If you get stuck here, leave some room and move on to the rest of the paper.
• Follow your plan as you write. Begin with your first main point and work on each section in turn.
• Look over the supporting details listed under the first heading in your flexible notes. Write a topic sentence stating the central idea of the paragraph.
• Turn the details into sentences; use one or more sentences to explain each one. Add other related details, facts, or examples if they occur to you.
• When you move from one paragraph to the next, try to provide a transitional word or sentence that connects each paragraph.
• Write your last paragraph, ending your essay in an appropriate fashion. If you get stuck, set your conclusion aside and return to it after you’ve quickly reread both your notes and your essay.