C LEAR

1. CLEAR THINKING ANDWRITING JOHNLANGAN © 2010 Townsend Press

2. Chapter Seven: The Writing Process Writing a paper is aprocess.

3. THE FIVE STEPS The process of writing a paper can be divided into five steps. STEP 1Getting started through prewriting STEP 2Preparing a scratch outline STEP 3Writing the first draft STEP 4Revising STEP 5Editing

4. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Here are three helpful prewriting techniques to help you get started writing a paper: •Freewriting •Questioning •List making

5. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Freewriting Freewritingis just sitting down andwriting whatever comes into your mind about atopic. Write without stopping andwithout worrying about spelling, grammar, and the like.

6. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Freewriting On page 24 in the textbook is a paragraph on bullies that was written by a student named Carla. Here is part of the freewriting Carla did for that paragraph. Example of Freewriting Bullying is part of school most of the time teachers dont have a clue. I really never thought about it and was just glad I wasn't part of it. At least for the most part. I'd see some phisikal stuff now and then but kind of turned my head not wanting to look at it. The worst thing with girls was words, they meant more than phisikal stuff. I rember once being called a name and it stung me so bad and it bothered me for weeks. . . . Carla is not worried about spelling, grammar, and punctuation at this prewriting stage. Instead she is concentrating ongetting ideas and details down on paper.

7. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Questioning Questioningmeans that you generate details about your topic bywriting down a series of questions and answersabout it. Your questions can start with words likewhat, when, where, why,andhow.

8. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING Questioning Here are some of the questions that Carla might have asked while developing her paper. Example of Questioning •Who was bullied? •Who were the bullies? •When did bullying take place? •Where did it happen? •Were there different kinds of bullying? •Why were some kids teased and bullied?

9. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING List Making List makingis also known asbrainstorming. You make alist of ideas and detailsthat could go into your paper. Try to think ofas many details as possible. Don’t worry about putting them in any special order.

10. 1GETTING STARTED — PREWRITING List Making After Carla did her freewriting, she made up a list of details. Here is part of her list. Example of List Making some bullies were phisikal boys would push kids around kids would be tripped in hallways some kids would cry names would be used "dummy" or "creep" or "fairy" no one would sit near some kids some kids never chosen for games. . . . By the time Carla had finished her list, she was ready to plan an outline and to write her first draft.

11. 2PREPARING A SCRATCH OUTLINE It shows, at a glance, thepointof the paragraph and thesupportfor that point. Ascratch outlineis abrief planfor a paragraph.

12. 2PREPARING A SCRATCH OUTLINE As Carla was working on her list of details, she discovered what the plan of her paragraph could be. She wrote it down as a scratch outline. Example of a Scratch Outline There are three kinds of bullies. 1. Physical 2. Verbal 3. Social Carla was now ready to write the first draft of her paper.

13. 3WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT Don’t worry yet about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Your goal in yourfirst draftis todevelop the contentof your paper with plenty ofspecific details. When you do afirst draft, be prepared to put in additional thoughts and details that didn’t show up in your prewriting.

14. 3WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT Here are a few lines of Carla’s first draft. Example of a First Draft There are different kinds of bullies that can be seen in schools. One kind of bullying that goes on is done by phisikal bullies. You see kids who will get pushed around on the playground. You see kids getting shoved into lockers and that kind of stuff. There was a girl I knew who was a real bully and a bit crazy because of a really bad home life. She would shove gum into another girl's hair and would also pull her hair. Other bullying went on with words and the calling of names. There were awful names that kids would use with each other, words included "creep" and "weirdo" and names that I don't even want to write here. . . . Carla is not worried about spelling, grammar, and punctuation at this stage. She is concentrating ondeveloping the content with specific details.

15. 4REVISING A typical revision means writing at leastone or two more drafts, adding and omitting details, organizing more clearly, and beginning to correct spelling and grammar. Revisingmeans that yourewritea paper, building upon what has been done, to make it stronger and better.

16. 4REVISING Here are a few lines of Carla’s second draft. Example of a Second Draft There are three kinds of bullies in schools. First of all, there are the physical bullies. They are the bigger kids who try to hurt smaller kids. They'll push kids off of swings in the playground or shove them into lockers. Other examples are knocking books out of the hands of kids or waiting for them after school and slapping them around or yanking their hair. Another kind of bullying is by verbal bullies. The aim here is to hurt with words rather than with fists. A victim will be called a "creep" or "weirdo" or "fatty" or will be told "You are such a loser." . . . Carla hasadded transitions(First of all and Another). She has alsoremoved detailsthat were not relevant. And she hasadded supporting detailsin the form of examples for types of bullies.

17. 5EDITING When you are satisfied that your point is clear, your supporting details are good, and your paper is well organized, you will be ready toedityour paper. Editingmeanschecking the paper carefullyfor spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other errors.

18. 5EDITING Chances are that you will findsentence mistakesat every spot where your paper does not read smoothly and clearly. An important part of editing is toread your paper out loud. This will help you pick up grammar and punctuation problems.

19. 5EDITING This is very important: to find mistakes in your paper,read it out loud.

20. THE FIVE STEPS OF THE WRITING PROCESS Prewriting Freewriting Questioning List Making Scratch Outline First Draft Revising - Drafts 2, 3, etc. Editing

21. A WRITING CHECKLIST •Does my paper or essay have a clear point, stated in one sentence? •Is there enough detailed support for my point? •Do I use transitions such as first of all, in addition, and finally to help organize my support? •Does the final draft of my paper flow smoothly and clearlywhen read aloud? Here are four questions to ask yourself to help you decide if your paper is finished.

22. THE WRITING PROCESS Remember: Editing Step 5 Revising Step 4 Writing the First Draft Step 3 Preparing a Scratch Outline Step 2 Step 1 Getting Started through Prewriting

23. CHAPTER 8: WRITING ASSIGNMENTS Chapter 8 (pages 35-40) suggests a variety of writing assignments. Your instructor may ask you to choose some of these topics CHAPTER 9: WRITING AND READING— and a Special Offer Chapter 9 (page 41) explains the importance of reading as a key to success in education. It also offers you a reading challenge.