http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s-XHuue6vM

•What exactly do we do when we compose a piece of writing?

• What kind of behavior, what stages, what activities do writers

become involved in before and during writing?

• What causes the “blocks” that most of us have experienced at

times when trying to write?

Being

motivated to

write

Getting ideas

together

Planning and

outlining

Making

notes

Making a

first draft

Revising

Planning

Redrafting

Editing and

getting ready

for publication

What is the purpose of this piece of writing?

Function

Who am I writing this for?

Audience

Isn’t planning time-consuming, messy and unnecessary?

•Yes, planning does take time – and it can be ‘messy’. •Academic writing is not a smooth, trouble-free process. •Writing and planning CAN be enjoyable – just don’t expect miracles!

Source: http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/howtostudy/academicwriting/unit5/

Write down all the ideas that come to your head about the subject. Some ideas are connected.

Writing whatever comes to mind without worrying about spelling, grammar, punctuation, or complete sentences.

Begin with the title: analyze it carefully Consider areas of focus by drawing out sub-questions from the

title.

Example: Main question:

‘In Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the prince mad?’

Sub-questions: What is meant by ‘mad’?

Who has written what on this topic? Is there a generally agreed response to this question?

If not, how and why do critics differ?

Think about what you already know that might be relevant (it will probably be more than you think)Write this down.

Generate ideas through speaking to fellow

students, brainstorming ideas together, freewriting (writing continuously for five minutes or so – not stopping at all; if you can’t think of what to say just repeat the last phrase you wrote and carry on).

Look at what you’ve written down and decide what is relevant to the title, discard the rest.

Eventually you must be clear about the order of things. There is a time for spanning outwards (playing with ideas, pulling on threads) and a time to focus things (bring things back together, unify). Put all your points in order and number them (is there one that would seem to go first or one that would seem to go last? Are there any two that are closely linked?).

Task 1

a. Watch the following video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOHvMz7dl2A

a. Use any of the previous organizers to

plan a paragraph reacting to its

content.

b. Write your paragraph and bring it

next class.

A clear indication of which areas you will be covering, why they are important and how they relate to the question. A clear indication of how your argument is going to unfold Each point you’re going to be making (write down each point in a single sentence). How each point is going to be developed (jot down the ‘skeleton structure’ of the paragraph).

If there is any danger of you straying from the question, include a sentence saying how each point you’re going to make relates to the question. (If you can’t see how it relates to the title, cross it out: it’s a waste of space.) Which texts you’re going to refer to (jot down titles, authors, page numbers and possibly bibliographical information). The order in which each point is to come (number them). A few notes to get you started with the introduction and conclusion (do these last: you can’t know how you’re going to introduce or conclude something until you’re clear about what you’re going to say).

University of Roehamoton. Student Zone. How to study. (n.d.). Retrieved from Unit 5: Essay Planning: http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/howtostudy/academicwriting/unit5/ Braine G. & May C. (1996). Writing from Sources. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company. West Virginia Departament of Education. Retrieved from Graphic Organizers for Writing.: https://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/GraphicOrganizersforWriting.html