Essay Writing Strategies

4 stages of writing

1. Prewriting2. Drafting3. Distancing4. Revising

Prewriting

• This step of the process is the most stress-free. Don’t worry about making your prose grammatically sound, logically organized, or convincing to the reader. – Freewriting– Clustering– Outlining– Drafting

Freewriting

• This is a pure, stream-of-consciousness writing.

• Talk about these ideas: • Honor• Glory• Immortality

ClusteringUseful for discovering relationships between ideas.

Achilles’ Honor

OutliningIf you have a rough idea of what the main points of your paper will be, outlining

is a useful form of prewriting.

• I. IntroductionA. Discuss film TroyB. Mention the importance of HonorC. Thesis: II. Body Paragraph 1. A. B.

• In life, Achilles achieved honor through war and triumph and he gained immortality that lasted through the ages.

• Because Achilles fought bravely in the Trojan War, and was willing to sacrifice his life for honor, thus becoming a historical legend

Drafting

Now that you have a good amount of prewritten material and perhaps a detailed outline, your next task is to transform that material into an actual essay. Before drafting, you must consider your audience-your classmates and me of course!

Thesis

• The main point, the central assertion of your essay, is called a thesis.

• Remember a thesis answers the prompt by having a clear subject and an opinion.

Intro Paragraphs

• Effective introductory paragraphs lead up to the thesis: they draw the reader in by opening with an interesting specific point, a brief anecdote, a controversial assertion- which serves to introduce the topic generally; a general overview then leads to the thesis.

Introduction

– INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT (gain readers attention)-One sentence

– GENERAL STATEMENT (brief background on topic, what would a reader need to know if this person, topic or event. This can be more than one sentence) 2 to 4 sentences

– THESIS SENTENCE (Should be the main focus of the entire paper.) 1 sentence

Evidence

Using evidence effectively is a critical task in composing body paragraphs, because your essay will be convincing only to the degree that you make your arguments credible. Evidence can take many forms:*facts and figures* direct and indirect quotes* personal experiences

(Do not begin or end supporting paragraphs with quotation. Articulate your point in your own words in the first sentence or two, then provide the quotations as a way of supporting your point.)

Finding Evidence

• Take a few moments to go through your notes, your quotes, and the text book to find quotes that you will use in your final paper. Be sure to note the citation.

Supporting Paragraphs

As you draft the body of your paper, keep two main goals in mind. First, try to make sure that all of your supporting paragraphs are aimed at developing your thesis, so that you maintain your focus and don’t ramble off the topic. Second, work toward presenting your supporting ideas in logical order, and try to provide smooth transitions between points.

Body Paragraph 1= Argument 1

• TOPIC SENTENCE (Your first argument that supports your thesis in a complete sentence)

• Evidence (An example that proves your point- quote/paraphrase/fact)

• Supporting sentence (explain how the quote relates to your thesis)

• Evidence (An example that proves your point- quote/paraphrase/fact)

• Supporting quote sentence (explain what the quote shows) CONCLUDING SENTENCE (why does this FIRST MAJOR IDEA

matter to the matter?)

Body Paragraph 2= Argument 2

• TOPIC SENTENCE (Your second argument that supports your thesis in a complete sentence)

• Evidence (An example that proves your point- quote/paraphrase/fact)

• Supporting sentence (explain how the quote relates to your thesis)

• Evidence (An example that proves your point- quote/paraphrase/fact)

• Supporting quote sentence (explain what the quote shows) CONCLUDING SENTENCE (why does this FIRST MAJOR IDEA

matter to the matter?)

Body Paragraph 3= Argument 3

• TOPIC SENTENCE (Your third argument that supports your thesis in a complete sentence)

• Evidence (An example that proves your point- quote/paraphrase/fact)

• Supporting sentence (explain how the quote relates to your thesis)

• Evidence (An example that proves your point- quote/paraphrase/fact)

• Supporting quote sentence (explain what the quote shows) CONCLUDING SENTENCE (why does this FIRST MAJOR IDEA

matter to the matter?)

Conclusions

• Conclusions should leave the reader with something to think about. What that something is depends on your topic, audience and your purpose in writing. You may reflect on the overall ideas, but don’t simply restate them. Explain how and why the main themes are important.

Distancing

• This is the easiest part of the writing process because it involves doing nothing more than putting your first draft aside and giving yourself some emotional and intellectual distance from it.

Revising