Professor Barbara Baker The Writing Process To Paper From Idea

Professor Barbara Baker

The Writing Process

To Paper

From Idea


GETTING STARTED

Your Writing Ritual• Set aside dedicated

time - get to work!• A place of your own• Organize supplies• “I am a writer!”• Keep a journal

Start


The Writing Process

Revising:Coherence

DevelopmentUnity

Writing:Topic Sentence

OrganizingDrafting

Editing:SentencesMechanics

Words/Spelling

Prewriting:ThinkingPlanning


Unity

RelevanceDoes each sentence

contributeto the them e?

E ditT hrow out loose w ords.

Aim for thechopping block.

ReorderW ords

PhrasesSentences.

UnityOne controlliing idea

Sentence Supportof T opic Sentence


ORGANIZING:• From general to

particular• From particular to

general• Chronologically - time• Spatially - physical• From one extreme to

another


PREWRITING:

• Thinking - explore your topic• Reading - surf the net or find an article• Freewrite - spin off into your own

thoughts• Brainstorm - by list or cluster• ? - Who, What, When, Where, Why, How• Discuss your ideas with anyone who

listens


PLANNING:

Example• Subject: The rising cost of tuition• Purpose: To inform• Audience: Taxpayers and college

students


PLANNING:• What is your subject?

• Enjoy your topic!• What is your purpose?

• Know your reason!• Who is your audience?

• Think of the reader!


WRITING THE TOPIC SENTENCETopic Limited Topic Statement

Writing In-class writing is difficult but is good practice for a job.

Voting Voting in the United States

is a right of citizenship.

Sports Participation in sports makes people well rounded.

Anger Road rage Seems to me like a waste of energy.

Reading ??? ???


The Topic SentenceFirst Draft:• I have many friends.

• Overall, going to movies is a lot of fun.

• Buying a car is not fun.

• A high, wooded ridge overlooks my hometown.

Revised Draft:• Sean and Karen are two

of my very different friends.

• I love movies, but some types are definitely better.

• Buying a new car takes thought and planning.

• A high, wooded ridge that overlooks my hometown is my favorite place.


Development - Details

Specific and Concrete

• The river…with its many ripples, the colorful sunset, and the city with lots of tall buildings.

• Huge clouds change from pink to purple to red when the sun goes down behind them.


Developing Details:• Who? I like to be by myself.• What? rowboats, sailboats, motorboats, freight

liners. I like sailboats best because I love to sail against car lights in the distance.

• When? Sunset – pink and purple; light at dusk; headlights streaming through the darkness

• Where? outside the city; above the city, people in the city don’t know I am watching

• Why? the scent of honeysuckle on a summer day; birds building nests, scolding other birds

• How? peaceful, quiet;I can think out my problems


Organization - Rhetorical Strategies

• Chronology/Sequence

• Narrative• Process• Comparison/Contrast• Description• Listing• Cause and Effect


RevisingFirst Draft

• I have many friends.

Revised Draft• Sean and Karen are two of my very different friends.


Organization - Reorganize:• This is convenient because it’s at the beginning of the

Riverwalk.• Hours later, I walk back to my car and think of the day I can

return.• I always eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant first.• Whenever I visit San Antonio, my hometown, I always go to the

Riverwalk.• I usually end my journey near a road that will lead me to the

Alamo.• I always park at the end with the newest hotels and mall.• I then walk down the paths, stopping in all of the unique shops.• I always stop here because it is a wonderful historical

monument.• This way I can spend hours just walking along the beautiful

paths and stopping in my favorite places.


Rewriting for Vitality• At Ozzfest, a pile of bands {sang their

way} through their inner children.• His smile beamed everywhere in the

large room, as if his teeth were {unbelievably shiny}.

• Martina Hingis, a shrinking star who has become as vulnerable as a {sitting duck}.

• He was older than {the hills} now and {likely} to make his century.


Rewriting for Vitality• Svetlana Ivanova, a 57-year old pensioner

with a mind made up like {a drum-tight thing}.

• They were foragers and gatherers, can redeemers, the people who {swayed} through subway cars with paper cups.

• How much cooler it is to save the world from the Nazis than {fret} over the Nasdaq.

• Sister Grace believed the proof of God’s creativity {came} from the fact that you could not surmise the life, even remotely, of his humblest shut-ins.


Authors’ Word Choices:trolled

(Ben Ratliff, TheNew York Times)

a marine’s bed(Michael Wines, The New York Times)

strangely iridescent(Jane Smiley, Moo)

yawed(Don DeLillo, Underworld

dunk-tank victim (Selena Roberts, The New York Times)

swivet(Maureen Dowd, The New York Times)

kerosene, strong(Annie proulx, “The Bunchgrass Edge

of the World)

eddied(Don DeLillo, Underworld)


Coherence• Does everything

stick together?• Is the paragraph

smooth, not choppy?

• Do you move your reader logically from thought to thought?


Coherence

TransitionsRepeated Words

SynonymsPronouns


Some Common Transitions• Addition: moreover, further, furthermore,

besides, and, and then, likewise, also, nor, too, again, in addition, next, first, second, third, finally, last

• Comparison: similarly, likewise, in like manner• Contrast: but, yet, and yet, however, still,

nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary, after all, in contrast, at the same time, otherwise

• Emphasis: in fact, indeed, to tell the truth, in any event, after all, actually, of course


Some Common Transitions• Example: for example, for instance, in

this case• Place: here, there, beyond, nearby,

opposite, adjacent to, near to this end, for this purpose, with this objective

• Purpose: to this end, for this purpose, with this objective

• Result: hence, therefore, accordingly, consequently, thus, as a result, then, so


Some Common Transitions• Summary: to conclude, to sum up, to

summarize, in brief, on the whole, in sum, in short, as I have said, in other words, that is (use sparingly if at all)

• Time: meanwhile, at length, immediately, soon, after a few days, now, in the meantime, afterward, later, then, sometimes, (at) other times, still


Effective Repetition• Can help bind the sentences together• Helps guide readers through your idea• Too much repetition is boring• Repeated sounds can be interesting:• “Why I Write” - Joan Didion as

borrowed from George Orwell


Synonyms• Synonyms are words that

have identical or similar meaning

• Can link your sentences• Can help you avoid needless

repetition• Can add variety and interest• A thesaurus and dictionary

are key tools• Develop your vocabulary


Pronouns• Pronouns stand in for

person, place, thing, state, or quality

• First, second, third person

• Singular or plural• Agreement is

essential• Link ideas and set a

faster pace


Editing Checklist

Sentences:• Does each have a

main subject and verb?

• Do all subjects and verbs agree?

• Do all pronouns agree with their nouns?

• Are modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify?

Punctuation and Mechanics:

• Are sentences punctuated correctly?

• Are words capitalized properly?

Word Choice and Spelling:

• Are words used and spelled correctly?


Potential Errors to Address:

Abbreviation Dangling Modifier Number

Capitalization End Punctuation Pronoun Agreement

Comma Fragment/Run-on Spelling

Confused Word Misplaced Modifier Subject-verb agreement


DRAFTING:• A high, wooded ridge overlooks my hometown. I can sit up

there and see the river, the sunset, and the city. The sun shines like fire, and then the sun is gone behind the ridge. I love the river best, I can always see the river. I see rowboats, sailboats, motorboats, and freight liners. I have always liked to sail. My next favorite view is the sunset. Some nights the sunset is really beautiful. There are huge clouds when the sun goes down behind them. When it gets dark, I can see the headlights of the cars moving through the city streets. I bet people don’t realize they’re being watched. The headlights follow the street lights. When I am up high above the city, I get lost in my dreams. All my troubles melt away. I just look around this place, think about this place’s beauty, and feel good --automatically.


Revised Draft:A high, wooded ridge that overlooks my hometown is my favorite place. I can sit up there and see the river with its many ripples, the colorful sunset, and the city with lots of tall buildings. The sun shines like fire, and then the sun is gone behind the ridge. I love the river best, I can always see the river. I watch different kinds of boats on the river. I see rowboats, sailboats, motorboats, and freight liners. The boats look like toys because I am up so high. I have always liked to sail. My next favorite view is the sunset. Some nights the sunset is really beautiful. There are huge clouds that change from pink to purple to red when the sun goes down behind them. Sometimes I think of a kaleidoscope, and other times I think of a color wheel that spins in slow motion.When it gets dark, I can see


Revised Draft:I can see the headlights of the cars moving through the city streets. I bet people don’t realize they’re being watched. The bright headlights follow the street lights as if the street lights are showing the cars where to go. When I am up high above the city, I get lost in my dreams, and time doesn’t exist. All my troubles homework and family problems melt away. I just look around this place, think about this place’s beauty, and feel good --automatically.

What other editing could improve this paragraph?


Rewrite a Revised Paragraph


Draft a New Paragraph: L-218 Describe the Computer Lab Explain its purpose Personalize its cause and effect:

1st Person Incorporate a metaphor as to its

value


No Boundaries Within these white walls, thirty

computers carve their way into writers’ psyches. I watch my peers, as helpless as baby hummingbirds awaiting Mommy’s masticated food, and I’m struck by inspiration. My mind and my computer’s magnitude lift me beyond these confines. I digest the alphabet as nutrition and write on and on and on.


RESEARCH REPORTMulti-Media

Research: A character

assessment of someone who is accessible within a wide range of mediums, whose controversies you will analyze for synthesis


Sources:

Primary -- autobiography, memoir, on-line chat dialogue, interviews, authored articles and personal web site

Secondary -- biography, magazine articles, MTV, VH1, A & E Biography, TV, video, news clips, documentary, web sources

Photographs -- official, candid, paparazzi


Internet Sites to begin your search:

1. teacher.scholastic.com (for guidelines)2. Biography Magazine3. biography.com4. amillionlives.com (Lives, the Biography

Source)5. salon.com6. Encarta Reference Library7. A & E Biography8. Amazon.com


Evaluate at least seven different mediums to determine three to five controversies and discrepancies about this person. Using critical thinking skills, argue for your synthesis of his/her character.


Research Organizing Process:• Use 3 x 5 index cards, one idea per card• Create a “Works Cited” card, filling in an

MLA style entry. Number the card and circle it.

• Write one idea per card, titling and numbering each card next to the circled number.

• At the lower right, cite the page number, if appropriate.


Research Writing Process:• Sort your index cards’ titles into stacks.• Place stacks in logical rhetorical order(s),

such as chronology, cause and effect, process, comparison/contrast, listing, and/or description.

• Look for holes in research to find more info.• Design an informal outline, if necessary.• Write your rough draft. Revise. Edit. Smile!


Final Research Report:• Staple, no folder• Title Page• Seven pages of

research, double spaced, 12 point font, readable black type

• Three to five parenthetical notes per page

• Works Cited page, minimum of seven sources, at least two print sources


Features of Academic Argument

• The writer: trustworthy, credible, knowledgeable, balanced, truthful, fair

• The audience: educated, convinced by reason and support, not empty rhetoric

• The issue and the content: concerned with situations that generate controversy which require reevaluation addressed in writing; sufficient information for reader to understand but not be overwhelmed


Features of Academic Argument• The purpose: characterized by a

main point, thesis or theme to foster rational understanding which should move reader to consider the thesis, think about the reasons, and acknowledge that the thesis has merit so that reader’s point of view may be modified


Features of Academic Argument• Support and Evidence: compelling

reasons, appropriate examples, valid analogies, statements from credible authorities, accurate statistics, and information from reputable works

• Approach to the topic: with complex human nature, a qualified approach is wise, using qualifiers such as “seems” or “indicates”


Schedule of Activities• Exploration questions, due__________• Reading, Summary, and Response,

due_________• Annotated Works Cited, due__________• One paragraph overview, summarizing

your position that you plan to support, due_________

• First polished draft, due____________• Final draft, due___________


Writing Assignment: Changing the Law

• To formulate a thesis concerning a law that you think should be changed.

• To support that thesis with convincing reasons

• To provide development and support for your ideas

• To demonstrate your understanding of essay structures

Purposes


Changing the Law• Readings: Find at least three short

readings that you locate online. Make hard copies and save them to your floppy.

• Writing Task: Once you have learned as much as you can about this law, respond to the following question is a well-argued essay:

To what extent should this law be changed?


Background - Changing a Law• Choose a federal or local enforced law.• Consider your interest and personal experience.• Determine why this law needs to be changed.• Ask a myriad of questions.• When and why was this law passed?• Who was for and against its passage?• Who is most affected by it? Who benefits from it?• What purpose did it serve that is now outdated?• What is wrong with it as it stands now?• How would society benefit if it were changed?


Essay - Changing a Law:• Academic argument: well-reasoned,

logic-based evidence, balanced• Inclusion of a counter-argument• Preparation: brainstorming, a fact-idea

list, and a points-to-make list• Oriented toward a general academic

audience• Evaluated according to the course’s

grading rubric• Idea suggested by Dr. Irene Clark, CSNU


Criteria for a Good Thesis• It is arguable -- the

kind of statement someone can agree or disagree with.

• It attempts to change someone’s belief or actions.

• It provides the answer to a specific question or the solution to a specific problem

• It is on a topic that makes a difference to your reader.


Conducting Research for Argument Papers

• Facts and Statistics -- books, journals, surveys

• Relevant Examples -- magazines, interviews

• Expert Opinions -- books, articles, online sources, interviews

• Analogies - sources you read, experts you interview, your imagination

Consult MLA or APA Documentation Style for more information


Types of Argument• Fact: Exactly what is

happening or has happened objectively?

• Value: Is something good or bad subjectively?

• Interpretation: What does something mean using cultural assumptions?

• Policy: What should be done accordingly?


Building Consensus Rather Than Barriers

• Consider the values and goals you share with the reader.

• The more you oppose, the more they may resist.

• Opposition leads to opposition; compromise leads to compromise.


Logical Fallacies• False Cause -- Suggesting B was caused by A

when they may be totally unconnected.• False Analogy -- Treating A and B as similar

in ways they may not be able to be compared.• Begging the Question -- Assuming that part

of what has to be proved is true when that is not the case.

• Either-Or -- Reducing a complex issue to two simple alternatives.


Logical Fallacies• Red Herring -- Introducing an element

into the argument that has nothing to do with the issue.

• Oversimplification -- oversimplifying the relationship between a cause and effect.

• Ad Hominem -- Attacking the person’s character to arouse emotions or prejudice.

• Hasty Generalization -- Leaping from too little evidence to too big an assertion.


Three ways to Convince Readers• Logos: An appeal to the reader’s reason,

based on well-structured assertions and solid evidence. Facts make sense, so move readers reasonably.

• Ethos: An appeal based on the writer’s character or particular qualities. Authority creates a reasonable testimonial.

• Pathos: An appeal to reader’s emotion. This kind of attempt can be tricky as it is subjective.


Parenthetical Notes• If quoted:

Deborah Grimes confessed to using a handheld phone while driving, thus causing the accident. She now advocates that “cellular phone use in cars should be illegal” (B63).

• If paraphrased: One driver reported that since she caused a car accident due to holding a cellular phone, she now supports banning handheld phone use while driving (Marsden J1).


Works Cited (MLA Style) • Aronson, Ronald. “Phone Use in Cars.” OPLE

Online. 23 Dec. 1999. <http://www.ople/tv/.com/ople/1999/2146-driving>. 12 Mar. 2001.

• Grimes, Deborah. “Banning Phones From Drivers .” Washington Post 13 Jan. 2002: B63.

• Marsden, Joan. “Cellular Phone Accidents.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution 10Oct. 2002: J1

• Wendell, John G. “Fatal Traffic Collisions.” Accident Analysis and Prevention 30 (2002): 417-

32.


Plagiarism• Knowing what plagiarism really is will help

you avoid this immoral, but common, problem. Stealing another’s property is unethical and can result in severe penalties:loss of reputation, failure, and expulsion.

• Plagiarism is the act of writing facts, quotations, or opinions that you found through an external source, but instead of identifying that source, you write the information as if it had originated from you. This can involve small parts or whole papers.


Plagiarism• Always give credit, whether read, retrieved

electronically, seen on TV, heard or learned -- EVEN WHEN YOU PARAPHRASE.

• Always use quotation marks around the source’s exact wording and create a parenthetical note.

• Write your first draft only from your 5X7 note cards, with no materials open in front of you.

• YOU are the author. You have your own style and your own right to expressing your well-researched opinion. Take advantage of training your brain.


• Paraphrasing demands full comprehension of the idea or information that you wish to incorporate into your research.

• Dangers: copying the author’s exact wording; injecting information you don’t fully understand; half-paraphrasing.

• How? Read passage, cover source, and write concept in your own clear style.


• A substantial amount of informative material that is condensed, whether, paragraph, chapter, or book.

• Use when you need to address an important idea without excessive detail.

• Use when you need to deal with abstract ideas in posing conflicting arguments.


• Take meaningful, well-paraphrased notes. Don’t just copy huge chunks of information, but isolate main ideas and major details.

• Disregard material that becomes irrelevant as your argumentative theme becomes clear.

• As you integrate facts, quotations or opinions from outside sources, note appropriate Works Cited information.


• Don’t burden reader with too many facts and quotes.

• Integrate several sources into each paragraph rather than just draw heavily upon one source after the other.

• Integrate information gracefully, preferably using the author’s name in the sentence at hand.

• Relate each smaller point to the larger point of the paragraph , which in turn, relates to your theme.


Writing About Literature

• Could be a summary and your evaluation, but more likely. an important idea about the work, demonstrating the details which gave you this idea.

• Read the essay, poem or novel’s text for understanding and enjoyment.

• Keep a “Reading Journal” to record your impressions, noting the style, interesting metaphors, emotions evoked, hazy points, etc.



• Reread the material for evidence to support your idea ABOUT the text: quotations, images, plot points, sentence/paragraph length, word choice, qualities of character, author’s life, etc.

• Organize your assignment, deciding upon the points you’ve chosen for a theme and the best rhetorical strategy to present them.



• Do not think of this as a “book report,” retelling the events, but as your opportunity to express your opinion about the material.

• Organize your assignment, deciding upon the points you’ve chosen for a theme and the best rhetorical strategy to present them.

• Only include information about the author’s life as it supports your theme.



• When using details from the reading, explain how or why they stimulated your thinking toward this theme.

• Minimize the number of quotations and keep them to less than five lines.Clarify the speaker, whether author or character, and what importance this quote adds to the paragraph and your theme.

• Cite page number as a parenthetical note.


Go Do It!

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Professor Barbara Baker The Writing Process To Paper From Idea