The Writing Process

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The Writing Process
From Idea
To Paper
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GETTING STARTED

• Your Writing Ritual
• Set aside dedicated time - get to work!
• A place of your own
• Organize supplies
• I am a writer!
• Keep a journal

Start
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The Writing Process
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Unity
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ORGANIZING

• From general to particular
• From particular to general
• Chronologically - time
• Spatially - physical
• From one extreme to another

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PREWRITING

• Thinking - explore your topic
• Reading - surf the net or find an article
• Freewrite - spin off into your own thoughts
• Brainstorm - by list or cluster
• ? - Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
• Discuss your ideas with anyone who listens

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PLANNING

• Example
• Subject The rising cost of tuition
• Purpose To inform
• Audience Taxpayers and college students

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PLANNING

• What is your subject?
• Enjoy your topic!
• What is your purpose?
• Know your reason!
• Who is your audience?
• Think of the reader!

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WRITING THE TOPIC SENTENCE
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The Topic Sentence

• First Draft
• I have many friends.
• Overall, going to movies is a lot of fun.
• Buying a car is not fun.
• A high, wooded ridge overlooks my hometown.

• Revised Draft
• Sean and Karen are two of my very different
  friends.
• I love movies, but some types are definitely
  better.
• Buying a new car takes thought and planning.
• A high, wooded ridge that overlooks my hometown
  is my favorite place.

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Development - Details

• Specific and Concrete
• The riverwith its many ripples, the colorful
  sunset, and the city with lots of tall buildings.
• Huge clouds change from pink to purple to red
  when the sun goes down behind them.

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Developing Details

• Who? I like to be by myself.
• What? rowboats, sailboats, motorboats, freight
  liners. I like sailboats best because I love
  to sail against car lights in the distance.
• When? Sunset pink and purple light at dusk
  headlights streaming through the darkness
• Where? outside the city above the city, people
  in the city dont know I am watching
• Why? the scent of honeysuckle on a summer day
  birds building nests, scolding other birds
• How? peaceful, quietI can think out my
  problems

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Organization - Rhetorical Strategies

• Chronology/Sequence
• Narrative
• Process
• Comparison/Contrast
• Description
• Listing
• Cause and Effect

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Revising

• First Draft
• I have many friends.
• Revised Draft
• Sean and Karen are two of my very different
  friends.

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Organization - Reorganize

• This is convenient because its at the beginning
  of the Riverwalk.
• Hours later, I walk back to my car and think of
  the day I can return.
• I always eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant
  first.
• Whenever I visit San Antonio, my hometown, I
  always go to the Riverwalk.
• I usually end my journey near a road that will
  lead me to the Alamo.
• I always park at the end with the newest hotels
  and mall.
• I then walk down the paths, stopping in all of
  the unique shops.
• I always stop here because it is a wonderful
  historical monument.
• This way I can spend hours just walking along the
  beautiful paths and stopping in my favorite
  places.

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Rewriting for Vitality

• At Ozzfest, a pile of bands sang their way
  through their inner children.
• His smile beamed everywhere in the large room, as
  if his teeth were unbelievably shiny.
• Martina Hingis, a shrinking star who has become
  as vulnerable as a sitting duck.
• He was older than the hills now and likely to
  make his century.

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Rewriting for Vitality

• Svetlana Ivanova, a 57-year old pensioner with a
  mind made up like a drum-tight thing.
• They were foragers and gatherers, can redeemers,
  the people who swayed through subway cars with
  paper cups.
• How much cooler it is to save the world from the
  Nazis than fret over the Nasdaq.
• Sister Grace believed the proof of Gods
  creativity came from the fact that you could
  not surmise the life, even remotely, of his
  humblest shut-ins.

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Authors Word Choices
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Coherence

• Does everything stick together?
• Is the paragraph smooth, not choppy?
• Do you move your reader logically from thought to
  thought?

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Coherence

• Transitions
• Repeated Words
• Synonyms
• Pronouns

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Some Common Transitions

• Addition moreover, further, furthermore,
  besides, and, and then, likewise, also, nor, too,
  again, in addition, next, first, second, third,
  finally, last
• Comparison similarly, likewise, in like manner
• Contrast but, yet, and yet, however, still,
  nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary,
  after all, in contrast, at the same time,
  otherwise
• Emphasis in fact, indeed, to tell the truth, in
  any event, after all, actually, of course

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Some Common Transitions

• Example for example, for instance, in this case
• Place here, there, beyond, nearby, opposite,
  adjacent to, near to this end, for this purpose,
  with this objective
• Purpose to this end, for this purpose, with this
  objective
• Result hence, therefore, accordingly,
  consequently, thus, as a result, then, so

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Some Common Transitions

• Summary to conclude, to sum up, to summarize, in
  brief, on the whole, in sum, in short, as I have
  said, in other words, that is (use sparingly if
  at all)
• Time meanwhile, at length, immediately, soon,
  after a few days, now, in the meantime,
  afterward, later, then, sometimes, (at) other
  times, still

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Effective Repetition

• Can help bind the sentences together
• Helps guide readers through your idea
• Too much repetition is boring
• Repeated sounds can be interesting
• Why I Write - Joan Didion as borrowed from
  George Orwell

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Synonyms

• Synonyms are words that have identical or similar
  meaning
• Can link your sentences
• Can help you avoid needless repetition
• Can add variety and interest
• A thesaurus and dictionary are key tools
• Develop your vocabulary

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Pronouns

• Pronouns stand in for person, place, thing,
  state, or quality
• First, second, third person
• Singular or plural
• Agreement is essential
• Link ideas and set a faster pace

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Editing Checklist

• Sentences
• Does each have a main subject and verb?
• Do all subjects and verbs agree?
• Do all pronouns agree with their nouns?
• Are modifiers as close as possible to the words
  they modify?

• Punctuation and Mechanics
• Are sentences punctuated correctly?
• Are words capitalized properly?
• Word Choice and Spelling
• Are words used and spelled correctly?

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Potential Errors to Address
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DRAFTING

• A high, wooded ridge overlooks my hometown. I can
  sit up there and see the river, the sunset, and
  the city. The sun shines like fire, and then the
  sun is gone behind the ridge. I love the river
  best, I can always see the river. I see rowboats,
  sailboats, motorboats, and freight liners. I have
  always liked to sail. My next favorite view is
  the sunset. Some nights the sunset is really
  beautiful. There are huge clouds when the sun
  goes down behind them. When it gets dark, I can
  see the headlights of the cars moving through the
  city streets. I bet people dont realize theyre
  being watched. The headlights follow the street
  lights. When I am up high above the city, I get
  lost in my dreams. All my troubles melt away. I
  just look around this place, think about this
  places beauty, and feel good --automatically.

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Revised Draft
A high, wooded ridge that overlooks my hometown
is my favorite place. I can sit up there and see
the river with its many ripples, the colorful
sunset, and the city with lots of tall buildings.
The sun shines like fire, and then the sun is
gone behind the ridge. I love the river best, I
can always see the river. I watch different kinds
of boats on the river. I see rowboats, sailboats,
motorboats, and freight liners. The boats look
like toys because I am up so high. I have always
liked to sail. My next favorite view is the
sunset. Some nights the sunset is really
beautiful. There are huge clouds that change from
pink to purple to red when the sun goes down
behind them. Sometimes I think of a kaleidoscope,
and other times I think of a color wheel that
spins in slow motion.When it gets dark, I can see
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Revised Draft
I can see the headlights of the cars moving
through the city streets. I bet people dont
realize theyre being watched. The bright
headlights follow the street lights as if the
street lights are showing the cars where to go.
When I am up high above the city, I get lost in
my dreams, and time doesnt exist. All my
troubles homework and family problems melt away.
I just look around this place, think about this
places beauty, and feel good --automatically. Wh
at other editing could improve this paragraph?
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Rewrite a Revised Paragraph
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Draft a New Paragraph L-218

• Describe the Computer Lab
• Explain its purpose
• Personalize its cause and effect 1st Person
• Incorporate a metaphor as to its value

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No Boundaries

• Within these white walls, thirty computers
  carve their way into writers psyches. I watch my
  peers, as helpless as baby hummingbirds awaiting
  Mommys masticated food, and Im struck by
  inspiration. My mind and my computers magnitude
  lift me beyond these confines. I digest the
  alphabet as nutrition and write on and on and on.
  

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RESEARCH REPORT

• Multi-Media Research
• A character assessment of someone who is
  accessible within a wide range of mediums, whose
  controversies you will analyze for synthesis

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Sources

• Primary -- autobiography, memoir, on-line chat
  dialogue, interviews, authored articles and
  personal web site
• Secondary -- biography, magazine articles, MTV,
  VH1, A E Biography, TV, video, news clips,
  documentary, web sources
• Photographs -- official, candid, paparazzi

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Internet Sites to begin your search

• 1. teacher.scholastic.com (for guidelines)
• 2. Biography Magazine
• 3. biography.com
• 4. amillionlives.com (Lives, the Biography
  Source)
• 5. salon.com
• 6. Encarta Reference Library
• 7. A E Biography
• 8. Amazon.com

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• Research Reports Purpose

• Evaluate at least seven different mediums to
  determine three to five controversies and
  discrepancies about this person. Using critical
  thinking skills, argue for your synthesis of
  his/her character.

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Research Organizing Process

• Use 3 x 5 index cards, one idea per card
• Create a Works Cited card, filling in an MLA
  style entry. Number the card and circle it.
• Write one idea per card, titling and numbering
  each card next to the circled number.
• At the lower right, cite the page number, if
  appropriate.

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Research Writing Process

• Sort your index cards titles into stacks.
• Place stacks in logical rhetorical order(s), such
  as chronology, cause and effect, process,
  comparison/contrast, listing, and/or description.
• Look for holes in research to find more info.
• Design an informal outline, if necessary.
• Write your rough draft. Revise. Edit. Smile!

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Final Research Report

• Staple, no folder
• Title Page
• Seven pages of research, double spaced, 12 point
  font, readable black type
• Three to five parenthetical notes per page
• Works Cited page, minimum of seven sources, at
  least two print sources

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Features of Academic Argument

• The writer trustworthy, credible, knowledgeable,
  balanced, truthful, fair
• The audience educated, convinced by reason and
  support, not empty rhetoric
• The issue and the content concerned with
  situations that generate controversy which
  require reevaluation addressed in writing
  sufficient information for reader to understand
  but not be overwhelmed

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Features of Academic Argument

• The purpose characterized by a main point,
  thesis or theme to foster rational understanding
  which should move reader to consider the thesis,
  think about the reasons, and acknowledge that the
  thesis has merit so that readers point of view
  may be modified

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Features of Academic Argument

• Support and Evidence compelling reasons,
  appropriate examples, valid analogies, statements
  from credible authorities, accurate statistics,
  and information from reputable works
• Approach to the topic with complex human nature,
  a qualified approach is wise, using qualifiers
  such as seems or indicates

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Schedule of Activities

• Exploration questions, due__________
• Reading, Summary, and Response, due_________
• Annotated Works Cited, due__________
• One paragraph overview, summarizing your position
  that you plan to support, due_________
• First polished draft, due____________
• Final draft, due___________

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Writing Assignment Changing the Law
Purposes

• To provide development and support for your ideas
• To demonstrate your understanding of essay
  structures

• To formulate a thesis concerning a law that you
  think should be changed.
• To support that thesis with convincing reasons

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Changing the Law

• Readings Find at least three short readings that
  you locate online. Make hard copies and save them
  to your floppy.
• Writing Task Once you have learned as much as
  you can about this law, respond to the following
  question is a well-argued essay
• To what extent should this law be changed?

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Background - Changing a Law

• Choose a federal or local enforced law.
• Consider your interest and personal experience.
• Determine why this law needs to be changed.
• Ask a myriad of questions.
• When and why was this law passed?
• Who was for and against its passage?
• Who is most affected by it? Who benefits from it?
• What purpose did it serve that is now outdated?
• What is wrong with it as it stands now?
• How would society benefit if it were changed?

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Essay - Changing a Law

• Academic argument well-reasoned, logic-based
  evidence, balanced
• Inclusion of a counter-argument
• Preparation brainstorming, a fact-idea list, and
  a points-to-make list
• Oriented toward a general academic audience
• Evaluated according to the courses grading
  rubric
• Idea suggested by Dr. Irene Clark, CSNU

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Criteria for a Good Thesis

• It is arguable -- the kind of statement someone
  can agree or disagree with.
• It attempts to change someones belief or
  actions.

• It provides the answer to a specific question or
  the solution to a specific problem
• It is on a topic that makes a difference to your
  reader.

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Conducting Research for Argument Papers

• Facts and Statistics -- books, journals, surveys
• Relevant Examples -- magazines, interviews
• Expert Opinions -- books, articles, online
  sources, interviews
• Analogies - sources you read, experts you
  interview, your imagination
• Consult MLA or APA Documentation Style for more
  information

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Types of Argument

• Fact Exactly what is happening or has happened
  objectively?
• Value Is something good or bad subjectively?
• Interpretation What does something mean using
  cultural assumptions?
• Policy What should be done accordingly?

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Building Consensus Rather Than
Barriers

• Consider the values and goals you share with the
  reader.
• The more you oppose, the more they may resist.
• Opposition leads to opposition compromise leads
  to compromise.

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Logical Fallacies

• False Cause -- Suggesting B was caused by A when
  they may be totally unconnected.
• False Analogy -- Treating A and B as similar in
  ways they may not be able to be compared.
• Begging the Question -- Assuming that part of
  what has to be proved is true when that is not
  the case.
• Either-Or -- Reducing a complex issue to two
  simple alternatives.

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Logical Fallacies

• Red Herring -- Introducing an element into the
  argument that has nothing to do with the issue.
• Oversimplification -- oversimplifying the
  relationship between a cause and effect.
• Ad Hominem -- Attacking the persons character to
  arouse emotions or prejudice.
• Hasty Generalization -- Leaping from too little
  evidence to too big an assertion.

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Three ways to Convince Readers

• Logos An appeal to the readers reason, based on
  well-structured assertions and solid evidence.
  Facts make sense, so move readers reasonably.
• Ethos An appeal based on the writers character
  or particular qualities. Authority creates a
  reasonable testimonial.
• Pathos An appeal to readers emotion. This kind
  of attempt can be tricky as it is subjective.

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Parenthetical Notes

• If quoted Deborah Grimes confessed to
  using a handheld phone while driving, thus
  causing the accident. She now advocates that
  cellular phone use in cars should be illegal
  (B63).

• If paraphrased One driver reported that
  since she caused a car accident due to holding a
  cellular phone, she now supports banning handheld
  phone use while driving (Marsden J1).

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Works Cited (MLA Style)

• Aronson, Ronald. Phone Use in Cars. OPLE
  Online. 23 Dec. 1999.
  lthttp//www.ople/tv/.com/ople/1999/2146- drivinggt
  . 12 Mar. 2001.
• Grimes, Deborah. Banning Phones From Drivers .
  Washington Post 13 Jan. 2002 B63.
• Marsden, Joan. Cellular Phone Accidents.
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution 10Oct. 2002 J1
• Wendell, John G. Fatal Traffic Collisions.
  Accident Analysis and Prevention 30 (2002)
  417-32.

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Plagiarism

• Knowing what plagiarism really is will help you
  avoid this immoral, but common, problem. Stealing
  anothers property is unethical and can result in
  severe penaltiesloss of reputation, failure, and
  expulsion.
• Plagiarism is the act of writing facts,
  quotations, or opinions that you found through an
  external source, but instead of identifying that
  source, you write the information as if it had
  originated from you. This can involve small parts
  or whole papers.

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Plagiarism

• Always give credit, whether read, retrieved
  electronically, seen on TV, heard or learned --
  EVEN WHEN YOU PARAPHRASE.
• Always use quotation marks around the sources
  exact wording and create a parenthetical note.
• Write your first draft only from your 5X7 note
  cards, with no materials open in front of you.
• YOU are the author. You have your own style and
  your own right to expressing your well-researched
  opinion. Take advantage of training your brain.

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• Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing demands full comprehension of the
  idea or information that you wish to incorporate
  into your research.
• Dangers copying the authors exact wording
  injecting information you dont fully understand
  half-paraphrasing.
• How? Read passage, cover source, and write
  concept in your own clear style.

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• Summary

• A substantial amount of informative material that
  is condensed, whether, paragraph, chapter, or
  book.
• Use when you need to address an important idea
  without excessive detail.
• Use when you need to deal with abstract ideas in
  posing conflicting arguments.

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• Integrating Information

• Take meaningful, well-paraphrased notes. Dont
  just copy huge chunks of information, but isolate
  main ideas and major details.
• Disregard material that becomes irrelevant as
  your argumentative theme becomes clear.
• As you integrate facts, quotations or opinions
  from outside sources, note appropriate Works
  Cited information.

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• Integrating Information

• Dont burden reader with too many facts and
  quotes.
• Integrate several sources into each paragraph
  rather than just draw heavily upon one source
  after the other.
• Integrate information gracefully, preferably
  using the authors name in the sentence at hand.
• Relate each smaller point to the larger point of
  the paragraph , which in turn, relates to your
  theme.

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Writing About Literature

• Could be a summary and your evaluation, but more
  likely. an important idea about the work,
  demonstrating the details which gave you this
  idea.
• Read the essay, poem or novels text for
  understanding and enjoyment.
• Keep a Reading Journal to record your
  impressions, noting the style, interesting
  metaphors, emotions evoked, hazy points, etc.

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Writing About Literature

• Reread the material for evidence to support your
  idea ABOUT the text quotations, images, plot
  points, sentence/paragraph length, word choice,
  qualities of character, authors life, etc.
• Organize your assignment, deciding upon the
  points youve chosen for a theme and the best
  rhetorical strategy to present them.

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Writing About Literature

• Do not think of this as a book report,
  retelling the events, but as your opportunity to
  express your opinion about the material.
• Organize your assignment, deciding upon the
  points youve chosen for a theme and the best
  rhetorical strategy to present them.
• Only include information about the authors life
  as it supports your theme.

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Writing About Literature

• When using details from the reading, explain how
  or why they stimulated your thinking toward this
  theme.
• Minimize the number of quotations and keep them
  to less than five lines.Clarify the speaker,
  whether author or character, and what importance
  this quote adds to the paragraph and your theme.
• Cite page number as a parenthetical note.

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Go Do It!