process-of-writing

1、General WritingProcess,,The Writing Process,This section explains and illustratesThe general sequence of steps in writing an effective essayPrewriting OutliningWriting the first draftRevisingediting,,For many peo

2、ple, writing is a process that involves the following steps:1. Discovering a thesis—often through more prewriting.2. Developing solid support for the thesis—often through more prewriting.3. Organizing the thesis and s

3、upporting material and writing it out in a first drat.4. Revising and then editing carefully to ensure an effective, error-free paper.,,Why should we learn this sequence?Learning this sequence…,,You will know that you

4、can use prewriting as a way to think on paper and to gradually discover just what ideas you want to develop.,,You will understand that there are four clear-cut goals—unity, support, organization, and error-free sentences

5、—to aim for in your writing.,,You will realize that you can use revision to rework a paper until it is a strong and effective piece of writing.,,You will be able to edit a paper so that your sentences are clear and error

6、-free.,Prewriting,Do you have trouble getting started with writing? A mental block may develop when you sit down before a blank sheet of paper. You may not be able to think of an interesting topic or thesis.,,Do you have

7、 trouble coming up with relevant details to support a possible thesis? And even after starting a paper, you may hit snags—-moments when you wonder “What else can I say?” or “Where do I go next?”,,Mastering some prewritin

8、g techniques will help you think about and develop a topic and get words on paper smoothly.,,Technique 1: Freewriting Freewriting means jotting down in rough sentences or phrases everything that comes to mind abou

9、t a possible topic. It will limber up you writing muscles and make you familiar with the act of writing. It is a way to break through mental blocks about writing. Since you do not have to worry about mistakes, you can fo

10、cus on discovering what you want to say about a subject.,,Your initial ideas and impressions will often become clearer after you have gotten them down on paper, and they may lead to other impressions and ideas. Through c

11、ontinued practice in freewriting, you will develop the habit of thinking as you write. And you will learn a technique that is a helpful way to get started on almost any paper.,,See if you can write nonstop for ten minute

12、s or more. Do not worry about spelling or punctuating correctly, about erasing mistakes, about organizing material, or about finding exact words. Instead, explore an idea by putting down whatever pops into your head. If

13、you get stuck for words, repeat yourself until more words come. There is no need to feel inhibited, since mistakes do not count and you do not have to hand in your freewriting.,,When freewriting, you just do some thinkin

14、g on paper and get some material down on the page. Try to explore your topic without worrying at all about being “correct.” Figuring out what you want to say and getting raw material down on the page should have all of y

15、our attention at this early stage of the writing process.,,Activity To get a sense of the freewriting process, take a sheet of paper and freewrite about some of the everyday annoyances in your life. See how much mate

16、rial you can accumulate in ten minutes. And remember not to worry about “mistakes”; you’re just thinking on paper.,,Prewriting Activity Use the prewriting technique freewriting to develop the following topic “Probl

17、ems of Combining Work and College”.,,It’s hard working and going to school at the same time. I never realize how much I’d have to give up. I won’t be quitting my job because I need the money. And the people are friendly

18、at the place where I work. I’ve had to give up a lot more than I thought. We used to play touch football games every Sunday. They were fun and we’d go out for drinks afterwards. Sundays now are for catch-up work with my

19、courses. I have to catch up because I don’t get home every day until 7 pm, I have to eat dinner first before studying. Sometimes I’m so hungry I just eat cookies or chips. Anyway, by the time I take a shower it’s 9 pm or

20、 later and I’m already feeling tired.,,I’ve been up since 7 am. Sometimes I write an English paper in twenty minutes and don’t even read it over. I feel that I’m missing out on a lot in college. The other day some people

21、 I like were sitting in the cafeteria listening to music and talking. I would have given anything to stay and not have to go to work. I almost called in sick. U used to get invited to parties, I don’t much anymore. My fr

22、iends know I’m not going to be able to make it, so they don’t bother. I cant’ sleep late on weekends or watch TV during the week.,,Technique 2: Questioning In questioning, you generate ideas and details by asking que

23、stions about your subject. Such questions include Why? When? Who? And How? Ask as many questions as you can think of. Asking questions can be an effective way of getting yourself to think about a topic from a number of d

24、ifferent angles. The questions can really help you generate details about a topic.,,Activity To get a sense of the questioning process, use a sheet of paper to ask yourself a series of questions about a good or bad

25、 experience that you have had recently. See how many details you can accumulate in ten minutes. And remember again not to be concerned about “mistakes”, because you are just thinking on paper.,,Prewriting Activity

26、Use the prewriting technique questioning to develop the following topic “Problems of Combining Work and College”.,,What are some of the problems of combining work and school?How have these problems changed my life?,

27、Schoolwork suffers because I don’t have time to study or rewrite papers. I’ve had to give up things I enjoy, like sleep and touch football. I can’t get into the social life at college, because I have to work right after

28、class.My grades aren’t as good as they were when I didn’t work. Some of my friends have stopped calling me. My relationship with a girl I liked fell apart because I couldn’t spend much time with her. I miss TV.,,What d

29、o I do in a typical day?Why do I keep up this schedule?,I get up at 7 to make an 8 A.M. class. I have classed till 1:30, and then I drive to the supermarket where I work. I work till 7 P.M., and then I drive h

30、ome and eat dinner. After I take a shower and relax for a half hour, it’s about 9. this gives me only a couple of hours to study—read textbooks, do math exercises, write essays. My eyes start to close well before I go to

31、 bed at 11.I can’t afford to go to school without working, and I need a degree to get the accounting job I want. If I invest my time now, I’ll have a better future.,,Technique 3: Making a list In making a list, als

32、o known as brainstorming, you collect ideas and details that relate to your subject. Pile these items up, one after another, without trying to sort out details from minor ones or trying to put the details in any special

33、order. Your goal is just to make a list of everything about your subject that occurs to you. By the time you have done with your list, you will be ready to plan an outline of your paragraph and then to write your first d

34、raft.,,Activity To get a sense of list-making, list on a sheet of paper a series of realistic goals, major or minor, that you would like to accomplish between today and one year from today. Your goals can be personal

35、, academic, and/or career-related.,,Prewriting Activity Use the prewriting technique list-making to develop the following topic “Problems of Combining Work and College”.,,Juggling a job and college has created majo

36、r difficulties in my life.1. Little time for studying a. Not reading textbooks b. No rewriting papers c. Little studying for tests2. Little time for enjoying social side of college a. During s

37、chool b. After school3. No time for personal pleasures a. Favorite TV shows b. Sunday football games c. Sleeping late,,Technique 4: Clustering Clustering, also known as diagramming or mappin

38、g, is another strategy that can be used to generate material for a paper. This method is helpful for people who like to do their thinking in a visual way. In clustering, you use lines, boxes, arrows, and circles to show

39、relationships among the ideas and details that occur to you.,,Begin by stating your subject in a few words in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Then, as ideas and details come to you, put them in boxes or circles aro

40、und the subject and draw lines to connect them to each other and to the subject. Put minor ideas or details in smaller boxes or circles, and use connecting lines to show how they relate as well.,,Keep in mind that there

41、is no right or wrong way of clustering or diagramming. It is a way to think on paper about how various ideas and details relate to one another. In addition to helping generate material, clustering can give you an early s

42、ense of how ideas and details relate to one another.,,For example, the cluster for suggests that different kinds of noisy people could be the focus of one paragraph and that different kinds of temptations could be the fo

43、cus of another paragraph.,,Activity Use clustering (diagramming) to organize the list of year-ahead goals that your created for the previous activity.,,Prewriting Activity Use the prewriting technique clusteri

44、ng to develop the following topic “Problems of Combining Work and College”.,,,Work andcollege,Little personal time,Little study time,Little social time,No Sunday football,Sleeping late,No rewriting of papers,No textboo

45、k reading,None during school,No outside friends,,,,,,,,,,,Technique 5: Preparing a Scratch Outline A scratch outline is an excellent sequel to the first prewriting techniques. A scratch outline often follows freewr

46、iting, questioning, list-making, or diagramming; or it may gradually emerge in the midst of these strategies. In fact, trying to make a scratch outline is a good way to see if you need to do more prewriting. If you canno

47、t come up with a solid outline, then you know you need to do more prewriting to clarify your main point or its several kinds of support.,,In a scratch outline, you think carefully about the point you are making, the supp

48、orting items for that point, and the order in which you will arrange those items. The scratch outline is a plan or blueprint to help you achieve a unified, supported, well-organized composition.,,When you are planning a

49、traditional essay consisting of an introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, a scratch outline is especially important. It may be only a few words, but it will be the framework on which your whole essa

50、y will be built.,,Activity Create a scratch outline that could serve as a guide if you were to write an essay about your year-ahead goals.,,Prewriting Activity Use the prewriting technique scratch outline to de

51、velop the following topic “Problems of Combining Work and College”.,,Never enough timeMiss campus partiesHad to study (only free hours a night)Give up activities with friendsNo time to rewrite papersCan’t stay at sc

52、hool to play video games or talk to friendsFriends don’t call me to go out anymoreSunday no longer relaxed day—have to studyMissing sleep I should be gettingGrades aren’t as good as they could beCan’t watch favorite

53、 TV showsReally need the extra moneyTired when I sit down to study at nine o’clock,,Comment After all your prewriting, you will know that you have already had a promising paper—one with a clear point and solid su

54、pport. You will see that you can organize the material into a traditional essay consisting of an introduction, several supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion. Now you may be ready to write the first draft of your paper,

55、 using your outline as a guide. Chances are that if you do enough prewriting and thinking on paper, you will eventually discover the point and support of your essay.,Outlining,Outlining is central to writing a good paper

56、. An outline lets you see, and work on , the bones of a paper, without the distraction of a cluster of words and sentences. It develops your ability to think clearly and logically. Outlining provides a quick check on whe

57、ther your paper will be unified. It also suggests right at the start whether your paper will be adequately supported. And it shows you how to plan a paper that is well organized.,,One key to effective outlining is the ab

58、ility to distinguish between major ideas and details that fit under those ideas.,,Activity In the list below, major and supporting items are mixed together. Put the items into logical order by filling in the outline t

59、hat follows the list. Note that one of the three major ideas is missing and must be added.,Thesis: My favorite times in school were the days before holiday vacations.,Lighter workloadTeacher more relaxedPep ralliesLes

60、s work in classFriendlier atmosphereLess homeworkHoliday concertsStudents happy about vacation,a.___________________ (1)_________________ (2)_________________b.___________________ (1)_________________

61、 (2)_________________c. ___________________ (1)_________________ (2)_________________,Thesis: My favorite times in school were the days before holiday vacations.,,a. Lighter workload (1)Less work in class

62、 (2) Less homeworkb. Friendlier atmosphere (1) Teacher more relaxed (2) Students happy about vacationc. Colorful Activities (1) Pep rallies (2) Holiday concerts,Writing a First Draft,When you write a

63、 first draft, be prepared to put it additional thoughts and details that did not emerge during prewriting. And do not worry if you hit a snag. Just leave a blank space or add a comment such as “Do later” and press on to

64、finish the paper. Also, don’t worry yet about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. You don’t want to take time correcting words or sentences that you may decide to remove later. Instead, make it your goal to state your the

65、sis clearly and develop the content of your paper with plenty of specific details.,Revising,Revising is as much a stage in the writing process as prewriting, outlining and doing the first draft. Revising means rewriting

66、a paper, building on what has already been done, in order to make it stronger.,,One writer has said about revision, “It’s like cleaning house—getting rid of all the junk and putting things in the right order.”,,But it is

67、 not just “straightening up”; instead, you must be ready to roll up your sleeves and do whatever is needed to create an effective paper. Keep it in our mind that the first draft is not the paper. When you realize that re

68、vising a rough draft three or four times is often at the heart of the writing process, you start to become a real writer.,,Here are some quick hints that can help make revision easier. First, set your first draft aside