CLEAR THINKING AND WRITING JOHN LANGAN 2010 Townsend

CLEAR THINKING AND WRITING JOHN LANGAN © 2010 Townsend Press

Chapter Seven: The Writing Process Writing a paper is a process.

THE FIVE STEPS The process of writing a paper can be divided into five steps. STEP 1 Getting started through prewriting STEP 2 Preparing a scratch outline STEP 3 Writing the first draft STEP 4 Revising STEP 5 Editing

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Here are three helpful prewriting techniques to help you get started writing a paper: • Freewriting • Questioning • List making

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Freewriting is just sitting down and writing whatever comes into your mind about a topic. Write without stopping and without worrying about spelling, grammar, and the like.

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Freewriting On page 24 in the textbook is a paragraph on bullies that was written by a student named Carla. Here is part of the freewriting Carla did for that paragraph. Example of Freewriting Bullying is part of school most of the time teachers dont have a clue. I really never thought about it and was just glad I wasn't part of it. At least for the most part. I'd see some phisikal stuff now and then but kind of turned my head not wanting to look at it. The worst thing with girls was words, they meant more than phisikal stuff. I rember once being called a name and it stung me so bad and it bothered me for weeks. . Carla is not worried about spelling, grammar, and punctuation at this prewriting stage. Instead she is concentrating on getting ideas and details down on paper.

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Questioning means that you generate details about your topic by writing down a series of questions and answers about it. Your questions can start with words like what, when, where, why, and how.

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Questioning Here are some of the questions that Carla might have asked while developing her paper. Example of Questioning • Who was bullied? • Who were the bullies? • When did bullying take place? • Where did it happen? • Were there different kinds of bullying? • Why were some kids teased and bullied?

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING List Making List making is also known as brainstorming. You make a list of ideas and details that could go into your paper. Try to think of as many details as possible. Don’t worry about putting them in any special order.

1 GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING List Making After Carla did her freewriting, she made up a list of details. Here is part of her list. Example of List Making some bullies were phisikal boys would push kids around kids would be tripped in hallways some kids would cry names would be used "dummy" or "creep" or "fairy" no one would sit near some kids never chosen for games. . By the time Carla had finished her list, she was ready to plan an outline and to write her first draft.

2 PREPARING A SCRATCH OUTLINE A scratch outline is a brief plan for a paragraph. It shows, at a glance, the point of the paragraph and the support for that point.

2 PREPARING A SCRATCH OUTLINE As Carla was working on her list of details, she discovered what the plan of her paragraph could be. She wrote it down as a scratch outline. Example of a Scratch Outline There are three kinds of bullies. 1. Physical 2. Verbal 3. Social Carla was now ready to write the first draft of her paper.

3 WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT When you do a first draft, be prepared to put in additional thoughts and details that didn’t show up in your prewriting. Don’t worry yet about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Your goal in your first draft is to develop the content of your paper with plenty of specific details.

3 WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT Here a few lines of Carla’s first draft. Example of a First Draft There are different kinds of bullies that can be seen in schools. One kind of bullying that goes on is done by phisikal bullies. You see kids who will get pushed around on the playground. You see kids getting shoved into lockers and that kind of stuff. There was a girl I knew who was a real bully and a bit crazy because of a really bad home life. She would shove gum into another girl's hair and would also pull her hair. Other bullying went on with words and the calling of names. There were awful names that kids would use with each other, words included "creep" and "weirdo" and names that I don't even want to write here. . Carla is not worried about spelling, grammar, and punctuation at this stage. She is concentrating on developing the content with specific details.

4 REVISING Revising means that you rewrite a paper, building upon what has been done, to make it stronger and better. A typical revision means writing at least one or two more drafts, adding and omitting details, organizing more clearly, and beginning to correct spelling and grammar.

4 REVISING Here a few lines of Carla’s second draft. Example of a Second Draft There are three kinds of bullies in schools. First of all, there are the physical bullies. They are the bigger kids who try to hurt smaller kids. They'll push kids off of swings in the playground or shove them into lockers. Other examples are knocking books out of the hands of kids or waiting for them after school and slapping them around or yanking their hair. Another kind of bullying is by verbal bullies. The aim here is to hurt with words rather than with fists. A victim will be called a "creep" or "weirdo" or "fatty" or will be told "You are such a loser. ". . . Carla has added transitions (First of all and Another). She has also removed details that were not relevant. And she has added supporting details in the form of examples for types of bullies.

5 EDITING Editing means checking the paper carefully for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other errors. When you are satisfied that your point is clear, your supporting details are good, and your paper is well organized, you will be ready to edit your paper.

5 EDITING An important part of editing is to read your paper out loud. This will help you pick up grammar and punctuation problems. Chances are that you will find sentence mistakes at every spot where your paper does not read smoothly and clearly.

5 EDITING This is very important: to find mistakes in your paper, read it out loud.

THE FIVE STEPS OF THE WRITING PROCESS Prewriting Freewriting Questioning List Making Scratch Outline First Draft Revising - Drafts 2, 3, etc. Editing

A WRITING CHECKLIST Here are four questions to ask yourself to help you decide if your paper is finished. • Does my paper or essay have a clear point, stated in one sentence? • Is there enough detailed support for my point? • Do I use transitions such as first of all, in addition, and finally to help organize my support? • Does the final draft of my paper flow smoothly and clearly when read aloud?

THE WRITING PROCESS Remember: Step 5 Step 4 Step 3 Revising Writing the First Draft Preparing a Scratch Outline Getting Started through Prewriting Step 2 Step 1 Editing

CHAPTER 8: WRITING ASSIGNMENTS Chapter 8 (pages 35 -40) suggests a variety of writing assignments. Your instructor may ask you to choose some of these topics CHAPTER 9: WRITING AND READING— and a Special Offer Chapter 9 (page 41) explains the importance of reading as a key to success in education. It also offers you a reading challenge.