Planning and Shaping Your Writing

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Planning and Shaping Your Writing
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BRAINSTORMING

• Can be started as soon as the paper is assigned
• Helps organize your thoughts

• Start by thinking of possible topics that
  interest you.
• Then think of a thesis statement surrounding that
  topic (be as specific as possible)

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BRAINSTORMING

• Can come in the form of a cluster web or even
  writing simple notes for yourself

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OUTLINING

• Allows you to gather information and ideas and
  organize it all
• Can prevent frustration and procrastination

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PREWRITING

• Involves answering the basic questions who,
  what, when, where, why and how ??
• Also, any other questions the reader might ask
  including counter arguments.

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Prewriting

• What is prewriting?
• Prewriting is the first stage in writing your
  paper. This is when you figure out what you will
  write about, outline your ideas, and begin to
  write.

Strategies for prewriting -writing down any
ideas that come to your head and then going over
them and finding possible similarities -clustering
coming up with a single, main idea and then
branching out from that idea into smaller ideas
that will help support your main idea -questions
ask yourself the main questions to help get more
detailed with your ideas-who, what, where, when,
why, how?
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Brainstorming
What is brainstorming? Brainstorming can either
be done alone or with a group and is a technique
used to try and come up with an idea or topic by
going over multiple random ideas.
Why brainstorm? Brainstorming is a great way of
getting all your ideas out there and then
figuring out which one you want to write about.
In a group setting you are generally able to come
up with more than you would alone, and there will
be more of a variety in topics.
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Outlining
What is outlining? Outlining is used as a way of
setting up or formatting your paper. It helps to
give you a visual of what each paragraph of your
paper will include.
Example of how to make an outline I.
Introduction A. Thesis B. Statement of main
points II. Body A. First point made 1.
Information given to support first point B.
Second point made 1. Information given to support
second point C. Third point made 1. Information
given to support third point III. Conclusion A.
Restate main idea B. Summary of points made
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Structure introTell what you're going to tell
them

• Introduction and Thesis
• Hook
• Introduces your reader to your topic, but never
  say in this essay I will. Dont announce it.
• Clearly state your position in your thesis!
• An example of a good thesis
• Illegal drug use is detrimental because it
  encourages gang violence.
• An example of a poor thesis
• Drug use is detrimental to society.

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Structure body paragraphs

• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence to
  keep focus in each paragraph do not use a quote
  as a topic sentence just your claim
• Provide supporting evidence for credibility
• Depending on the goal of your essay choose to
  limit opinion
• Have a paragraph addressing the opposing point
  of view and refuting, if a position paper

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Structure conclusionTell them what you told them

• Dont introduce a new topic
• Dont say in conclusion or in sum
• Summarize the main points
• Revisit your thesis without restating it

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The Editing and Revising Process

• Editing, revising and proofreading are critical
  steps to producing a polished product
• After completing a draft, a writer must revisit
  his or her writing to make sure it conveys the
  message he or she intends to convey

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The Revising and Proofreading Process

• Revision vs. Proofreading What is the
  difference?
• Revision occurs right after completing a draft.
  When you first edit, you reread your draft,
  checking for things like content and clarity. You
  then revise your writing.
• Proofreading comes after editing for content and
  clarity. In this process, you check for
  mechanical errors in spelling, grammar and
  punctuation
• Source The Writing Center, University of North
  Carolina at Chapel Hill. Editing and
  Proofreading. University of North Carolina at
  Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.

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The Editing and Revising Process

• Proofreading
• Spellcheck and other computer programs cannot
  replace human editing. The writers job is to
  keep the audience in mind. Computer programs
  cannot anticipate the responses of human
  readers.
• Suggestions
• Take a step back from your draft so you can edit
  it with a fresh eye
• Read your writing aloud. Your ear may pick up on
  new things
• Make sure each word is necessary for clarity or
  flow
• Avoid flourishes that obscure your meaning
• Ask another person to read your draft out loud
  and give you feedback
• Check with the assignment guidelines to make sure
  you have completed the work to meet expectations
• Sources Cooper, Kim. Editing the Essay, Part
  One. Writing Resources. Harvard College Writing
  Program, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
  lthttp//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/documents/edi
  t1.htmlgt
• Cooper, Kim. Editing the Essay, Part Two.
  Writing Resources. Harvard College Writing
  Program, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
  lthttp//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/documents/edi
  t2.htmlgt

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The Editing and Revising Process

• Proofreading
• This should be the final step of the editing
  process. Again, spellcheck will not replace human
  editing. Spellcheck often will not catch errors
  such as youre versus your
• Suggestions
• Read your paper backwards, word-by-word. That way
  you will not be distracted by content and can
  focus on the mechanics
• Pay careful attention to less obvious things like
  parallel construction and the use of
  who/whom/that
• Source The Writing Center, University of North
  Carolina at Chapel Hill. Editing and
  Proofreading. University of North Carolina at
  Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
• Cooper, Kim. Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and
  Style. Writing Resources. Harvard College
  Writing Program, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
  lthttp//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/documents/GP.
  htmlgt

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MLA basics

• 12pt size font
• Double spaced throughout
• One inch margins
• First line of paragraphs indented
• Create a header with your last name and page
  numbers on each page on the upper right hand

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MLA first page

• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page,
  list your name, your instructor's name, the
  course, and the date.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not
  underline, italicize, or put your title in
  quotation marks write the first letter of each
  the first letter of each important (not and, or,
  of) word as upper case.
• Double space between the title and the first line
  of the text.

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MLA citing sources

• Embed quotes smoothly in your paper
• Put in parenthesis at the end of the sentence the
  source and page number
• Ex the small girl ate many apples daily (New
  York Times 1).

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Works Cited

• Abrams, Elizabeth. "Essay Structure." The Writing
  Center at Harvard University. 2000. Web. 15 Mar.
  2012. http//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/document
  s/Structure.html.
• Cooper, Kim. Editing the Essay, Part One.
  Writing Resources. Harvard College Writing
  Program, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
  lthttp//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/documents/edi
  t1.htmlgt
• Cooper, Kim. Editing the Essay, Part Two.
  Writing Resources. Harvard College Writing
  Program, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
  lthttp//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/documents/edi
  t2.htmlgt
• Cooper, Kim. Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and
  Style. Writing Resources. Harvard College
  Writing Program, n.d. Web. 18 March 2012.
  lthttp//www.fas.harvard.edu/wricntr/documents/GP.
  htmlgt
• The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web.
  14 March 2012. lthttp//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
  resource/747/01/gt.
• The Writing Center, University of North Carolina
  at Chapel Hill. Editing and Proofreading.
  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d.
  Web. 18 March 2012.http//writingcenter.unc.edu/re
  sources/handouts-demos/citation/editing-and-proofr
  eading