The Writing Process

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The Writing Process

• Purpose
• Audience
• Choosing A Topic
• Developing Ideas
• Preparing an Outline
• Developing a Thesis
• Drafting the Essay

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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.

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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?

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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.

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The Writing Process

• Methods for finding a topic include.
• Reading and Observing
• Keeping a Journal
• Freewriting and Focused Freewriting
• Brainstorming
• Clustering
• Asking Journalistic Questions

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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 wont 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.

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The Writing Process

• Potential Topics for a Descriptive Essay
• Cars
• Household Chores
• Dogs
• Vacations
• Food
• Restaurants

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The Writing Process

• Narrowed the subject to Dogs, what kind of dogs?
  Remember to write about what you know, so the
  list becomes Dogs Ive Known.
• Muffin, Taco, Missy, Bandit, Coco

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The Writing Process

• Missy

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The Writing Process

• Preparing an outline
• An outline is a tool for organization which
  makes the writers job easier.
• An outline adds
• Organization, Develops Content, Shows
  Relationships Between Ideas, Helps to Plan
  Length, Reveals Weak Points

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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.

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The Writing Process

• When outlining use a consistent system of
  notation. It doesnt matter what that system is.
• 7 I.
• 9 A.
• 2 a.
• Remember to indent each level.

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The Writing Process

• Begin outlining by dividing the subject into
  major points.
• Missy
• I) Appearance
• II) Personality
• III) History

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The Writing Process

• III) History
• A) Pound Puppy
• B) Met Former Owner

• 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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Writing Process

• Dont 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.

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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.

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The Writing Process

• 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

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The Writing Process

• To revise the essay, utilize the checklist on
  pages 27 and 28 of The Brief Handbook.
• Read the paper backwards, checking for errors.
• Ask someone else to read it.

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The Writing Process

• Following these steps will Make the task of
  writing easier and prevent damage to the
  cranium.
• The End