The 4 Steps of the Writing Process
- discover a clearly stated point or thesis
- provide logical detailed support for your thesis
- organize and connect your supporting material
- revise and edit so that your sentences are effective and error-free
writing is not what?
A talent. It is a skill that can be mastered through practice and hard work.
you can write for many reasons
- academic
- professional
- civic
- personal
Aristotle Greek philosopher and master of rhetoric suggested that one of the ways people are persuaded is by what?
A writers ethos, his or her credibility
Readers believer because:
- who you are
- how you portray yourself
- how you present your information
- what logic you use
- what language you employ
you can create a positive image of yourself to readers through
the persona you create or the words you use.
rhetorical purpose
the purpose you have in mind when writing
rhetoric means
the art of speaking or writing effectively
rhetorical analysis includes
a search for and identification of what are called rhetorical appeals
the rhetorical appeals influence the reader because of
the
- ethos
- logos
- pathos
ethos
the credibility of the author
logos
appeals to logic
pathos
emotions of the audience
any ideas you advance must be what
supported with specific reasons or details
a paragraph usually consists of an opening point called what?
a topic sentence
in an essay what appears in the introductory paragraph?
the thesis
what appears in the paragraphs that follow the introductory paragraph?
the support
parts of an essay
introductory paragraph
body (supporting) paragraphs
concluding paragraph
introductory paragraphs should :
- attract the reader’s interest
- advance the thesis
- preview the major points that will support the thesis
body/ supporting paragraphs should
begin with a topic sentence that states the point to be detailed in that paragraph
concluding paragraphs should
- briefly restate the thesis and the main supporting points
2. present a concluding thought about the subject of the paper
mastering what will make you a better writer.
the traditional essay
mastering the traditional essay will help you:
- be a better writer
- stronger thinker
- strengthen your skills as a reader and listener
- do better in your other classes
What can be used when you have trouble narrowing down your topic
invention strategies
invention strategies
- freewriting
- questioning
- making alist
- clustering/mapping
- preparing a scratch outline
freewriting
write nonstop for 10 min and jot down in rough sentences or phrases everything that comes to mind about a possible topic.
reporters questions
Ask as many questions as you can think of about your topic.
who what when where why how
clustering/ mapping
write your subject in the middle of a blank sheet of paper
jot down ideas and details around the subject
use lines boxes and arrows and circles to show relationships among ideas and details
preparing a scratch outline
think carefully about: the point you are trying to make
the supporting items for that point
the order in which you will arrange those items
goals in the first draft
- state your main idea clearly
2. develope the content of your paper with plenty of specific details
tips for revising
- set the first draft aside for a while
- work from typed or printed text
- read your draft aloud
- add your thoughts and changes abouve the lines or in the margins of your paper
3 stages of the revising process
- revising content
- revising sentences
3 editing
in editing check for and correct errors in:
- grammar
- punctuation usage
- spelling
use what to balance words and ideas
parallelism
revising sentences
1 use parallelism to balance words and ideas
2. keep voice and tense consistent
revising content
- unity
- the main idea must be clearly stated in the introductory paragraph
- supporting points must back up main idea
- support
- at least 3 separate points must support the main idea
- plenty of specific evidence must be provided for each supporting point
- organization
- have an interesting introduction solid conclusion and accurate title
- use transitions and other connecting words to connect ideas