Consider the division between what you write about and how you proceed to write it.
Have you ever thought about your writing?
Do you want to continue writing using the same (read limited) vocabulary and sentence structure as you use now for the rest of your life?
Do you think that university will teach you to write, or that you should start university with an emerging writers voice?
Next year, regardless of your discipline, you will be judged by your writing. Consider that your ideas on a topic or subject will always be filtered by your ability to articulate your thoughts and set them down on paper. Always.
Your vocabulary and sentence structure develop by reading. Read everything: magazines, poetry, newspapers, the back of a cereal boxes, both professional and amateur writing on the internet, comic books, texts, and if all else fails, novels. When you encounter a word that you cannot define for your mom, or little brother or your English teacher, stop reading- grab a dictionary and look up the word.
Commit the following to memory, "Writing is a cyclical process". It usually is not a linear process. Understand now that authors, textbook writers, and poets all start and write / rewrite their work until they begin to see that their words stand alone.
Start by reading the resources that I will post in the Writing section of the course website.
To help you sort out my resources (not the Writing Process examples) start with 'Writing' on the website.
For this week's assignment, choose a structure and explain it to me in this week's posting. The due date for this weeks blog is Monday at 12:00 pm.
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What is in a Writing Process?
The writing process is much more complex then it may seem to most people. There is a lot more to writing then just giving a thesis, argument, and conclusion. The writing process that I have chosen is that of MIT. This writing process was the one that I thought was closely related to the way that I write my essays.
According to the MIT writing process there are four major components to follow if you want to write a successful paper. These include prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. I think that prewriting is the most important component out of the four because in order to come up with complex ideas for a good paper, you have to at first organize them and write them down. It is not very efficient to have all these thoughts in your head and write them down on paper with out having any kind of plan to how the ideas should come together.
The second component is drafting. This is where all of your ideas and thoughts come together into a sentence structure. Spelling and grammar are not important in this component, what is important is to make sure that all of your ideas that you have made during prewriting, are put together into sentences. This component gives more shape to your essay and after drafting you can see how your sentences fit together into paragraphs.
The next or third component is revising; this is where you become reader-centered and where you go over your sentences to make sure that they will catch the reader’s attention. After drafting many of the sentences are choppy and the arguments do not have enough proof. You have to go through your sentences and make them flow together a lot smoother and make sure that each argument has enough evidence and proof to convince the reader.
The last component of this writing process is editing. Editing is when you read through your written work and you check for grammar and spelling. You do not edit until every other component is completed. When you edit you have to read your essay word for word and make sure any last minute touches are fixed and cleared up. Once the editing is finished your essay is complete.
There are various writing styles to choose from. It does not matter what one you decide to go with, but whatever one it is if you follow the steps carefully your writing will greatly improve.
A Model for Success!
Writing a good paper takes time and effort. It cannot merely be written, proof read, and handed in. Essays have to go through many stages, which means that it cannot be finished in one sitting. Researching, writing, and revising are part of the long, but crucial, writing process. Jack Lynch, a professor at Rutgers University, explains that “there are no shortcuts” when it comes to writing a paper. Lynch sets out five major sections that guide the writing process: thesis, research, close reading, style, and mechanics.
The thesis statement cannot be weak, it has to be strong and has to outline the central focus of the essay. Although the thesis statement should be found near the beginning of the paper, it does not mean that it is written first. One may begin writing even though a solid thesis is not formed. Lynchs’ idea of a good thesis is one that is argumentative, controversial, analytical, about the text, specific, and, most importantly, well supported.
The second part of the writing process is research. Lynch states that it is best to gather facts and information from reference books, encyclopedias, and catalogues, rather than from the Internet. There are even reference librarians than can help find the appropriate information needed. Once the research component is finished, the easiest way to organize the facts and information is through a research paper. It will help form the main idea and the thesis. The point of the research paper is “to use your research to prove your point, not just to rehash facts,” (Jack Lynch).
The third stage is the close reading of the choice of work. This pertains to reading past the words of the text and understanding the reasoning behind the author’s choice of language. Lynch gives examples of things to look for, which are diction, word order, verb forms, point of view, and metaphors. Diction is the word choice used by the author. Word order is important because sentences often follow the subject, verb, object pattern. If a sentence does not follow this pattern, understanding why would be significant. Verb forms and point of view are the tenses and viewpoint the text is told in. If a text changes tense or point of view it is important to consider. Metaphors occur more often than realized and should be attended to if seen. Another significant point is to use the dictionary and to learn the “history of words and the meanings lurking in their etymologies and connotations […]”(Jack Lynch). Doing so will increase the effectiveness of the paper.
The next part of writing is simple. That is the style of writing. Lynch explains, “part of good writing comes from developing a mature and confident critical voice, and that comes only with time,” (Jack Lynch). His advice is to read the styles of the best writers in order to achieve your own unique style.
The last part of the writing process is mechanics. This includes the little details that bring the paper together; that includes grammar, spelling, fonts, and punctuation, among others. More than often, teachers will notice small mistakes like these and keep them in mind when grading the paper. These are the basic rules of any paper that must be followed.
The writing process is long and takes patience. Following the structure outlined by Jack Lynch will allow for a more intellectual paper. The thesis statement, research, close reading, style and mechanics is an important writing process and is beneficial to do a well presented literary piece.
How to Make Mr. Liconti Happy!
The structure that I chose to explain is “The Writing Process”. The Writing Process is a simple, yet effective guide for anybody that needs to write a paper. There are four distinct steps that need to be followed in order to have the best writing possible. These steps are Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, and Editing.
The first step of The Writing Process is Prewriting. For this step, you need to generate thoughts about your topic. You can think of different ideas by taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information. These different ideas that you brainstorm will help you for the next step, Drafting.
Drafting is when you put all of the ideas that you thought of in the first step onto paper in sentences and paragraphs. Spelling and grammar do not need to be concentrated on in this step. Drafting is about explaining your ideas and connecting them. The ideas you have do not mean anything unless you are able to explain them in your writing.
Revising is what I believe to be the most important step in the Writing Process. It is the key to effective documents because you need to think about your reader’s needs and expectations, and meet them. In this step, you need to make sure that all of your ideas are explained as much as possible and you need to think about how much support you will need to convince your readers. You also need to re-read your sentences and make sure that they are as concise and accurate as possible.
The final step to writing a paper is editing. This is the clean up stage of the Writing Process where you read your paper through, and notice any imperfections in spelling and grammar. There are different ways to check for spelling or grammatical errors. You can spell check your work on the computer, or ask someone around you to take a look at it to check for you. When you have completed editing your paper, you now have the final product.
These simple four steps are a great guide to making you and your teacher happy, but most importantly, they help you to make a great paper. This style of writing is easy to remember, which is why I prefer it over other styles. You will always be able to remember these steps, so the next time you write a paper, you won’t have to get frustrated because you do not know where to start.
Liconti, am I done yet?
Writing an English paper is simple, you think of some elaborate ideas, write them down, click on the spell check button, print, and hand in. There you go, a half hour’s worth of typing and you’re rewarded with that A you were shooting for. Way to go champ! But then you wake up halfway through Act 3 of Hamlet and realize there’s not a chance you can write an A-worthy paper without the proper steps and a lot more time. This is a brief description of how to write a proper English paper.
First and foremost there is the thesis. A good thesis can start a paper off on the right foot, encourage the reader to enjoy your work, and even forge the path to literary greatness while inspiring millions around the globe! That being said, a bad thesis can ruin a paper’s capacity to express creative ideas, thus limiting it to mindless ramblings. A good thesis requires not only a statement to be made but also specific support to be provided. Generally located near the beginning of the paper, the thesis should invoke curiosity in the reader, urging them to read on and see how your main point is to be proven.
The next component of a well-written English paper is the research. Expanding on the thoughts of those more knowledgeable is essential in appearing knowledgeable yourself. Articles and books are the best places to borrow ideas from, while the internet should be avoided if possible as it is watered down and unreliable. The ability to turn the researched facts into solid material is what sets a great paper apart from a good one.
Close reading is the next step to achieving that A. Close reading involves examining the language used by the author and interpreting the reasoning behind every word used. It is also not only about what is being said, but how it is being said is important as well. This complete understanding of a text will enable you to convey your thoughts much clearer and more precise when putting your ideas on paper.
A mature writer is able to develop his or her own style of writing which can be seen in almost everything they write. Finding your own particular style allows for a broader range of literary tools that can be used to express your ideas and once the right tone is found, there is not telling just how far your writing can take you.
The final portion of writing a paper is the mechanics. This includes all of the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and even page layout. Without these simple, yet crucial details, a paper just cannot truly reach its full potential as a reader cannot be expected to take anything seriously that doesn’t incorporate the proper use of the English language.
With these five important aspects of writing covered, you are boundless in your attempts to compose that essay worthy of a pat on the back from Mr. Liconti. Just make sure no shortcuts are taken and nothing gets overlooked. Revision is of utmost importance constantly throughout the writing process, not simply at the end; just when you take a heavy sigh of relief because you think you’re done, think again. There may be a plethora of mistakes or awkward sentences you missed that need to be corrected. Using these tips will enable your next essay to become a Mona Lisa amongst a pile of children’s finger paintings on top of your teacher’s desk.
Writing: Not As Easy As It Looks
For many students, the writing process is one that is easily overlooked. Often times, writing a paper consists of a dry write followed by a spell-check, and if one is feeling exceptionally vivacious, they may chose to read the paper over once or twice. What many students do not realize about the writing process is that it truly is a process. In order to achieve a high level of writing, it is important for the writer to revisit and revise their work until they feel that every sentence has the capability to stand alone, and still offer relevance to the topic being discussed. According to Seamus Cooney, there are several key areas that students should concentrate on when writing papers, including content, style, and mechanics.
When contemplating the content of a paper, we are essentially determining what to say. Cooney says that a good paper outlines a discovery that a writer has made. This discovery may come in the form of a literary interpretation, or a personal opinion. This means that it is imperative for you to first develop an opinion regarding the chosen topic, and then start to get your ideas down on paper. Cooney also stresses that originality in writing comes from “finding the source of your ideas and feelings within yourself”: being true to what makes your work specific to you. The meaning in a piece of work – which contains ideas regurgitated by every student in the class – lies in the way it is written. It is impossible for another person to communicate their thoughts in a way that is identical to yours, providing your paper with its authenticity. Concentrating on what it is you are to write is a crucial step in writing a good paper. It is important to first determine your values and opinion on a topic, and then to communicate them in a way that is original to you as an individual.
Much of a good writer’s personality can be observed through their style. Style can be most simply defined as how you write what you want to articulate. Cooney makes a great point in saying, “Even if you're laboring worriedly to find plausible things to say in your papers, it still might be profitable to you to examine your style and perhaps loosen it a little.”. A problem for many students is that they spend most of their time agonizing over what to write in their paper, and hardly any time at all on how to say it. Cooney recommends that an uncomplicated way to solve this problem would be to ponder on a few questions, including: “Have you read your paper out loud, listening for awkward repetitions and try to hear if the sound flows and if the sentences sound like an educated person?”; “Have you a sentence or two in your paper that pleases you with its rhythm or construction?”; and, “what about italics for conversational emphasis?”. Another suggestions given in regards to style, is to choose an author whose style you particularly like, read a page of their work, and then revise yours. All of these guidelines can be extremely helpful in developing your own personal style. Remember that without a recognizable style, your paper can become incredibly boring to read – like words without meaning.
There are many mechanical errors that can be made while writing a paper. Some are smaller errors and others, but regardless of the size, no error should survive careful proofreading. Many students will occasionally slip up on their sentence structure and add in some phrases that do not follow the subject-predicate construction. There are also several “common mistakes that irritate instructors”, like: two/to/too; their/there/they’re; or then/than. If you are unsure of any of these, the simple solution is to look the meaning of each word up in a dictionary. In regards to tenses, Cooney says to use the past tense when writing about biographical or publication details, but the present tense to talk about a work of fiction or a poem. Small errors on their own will not destroy a paper, but a series of these mistakes can cause the reader to loose trust in the writer. This is why it is incredibly important to proofread your work until you feel that it is immaculate – and then a few times following.
Content, style, and mechanics are all areas that need to be focused on when writing a paper. What you write will distinguish you from your classmates, and how you write it will add worth to what is being communicated. This being said, becoming a good writer is not something that can happen over night. Using these guidelines will certainly help to increase the value of a piece you are working on, but will not automatically hand you an A. Like any, writing is a skill that must be worked on and exercised. Direct your attention to every minute detail of your paper and make it your own, this is how you will develop your skill and grow into a quality writer. Remember first and foremost: “writing is a cyclical process”(Liconti).
The Four Steps in a Writing Process
Writing is the ability of a person to express their ideas on paper. This is a very complicated process for a lot of people even though it only involves four simple steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. This is the process I always use when writing an essay.
During prewriting you have to think about what you want to write, you can do rough notes in which you brainstorm your ideas, or you can gather the information that you need in order to have the appropriate background and a better understanding of the subject. It also enables you to create your own opinion and have the information that you need to back it up.
Drafting is the second step of the writing process. It involves the formation of sentences in which you explain and support your ideas with evidence. You connect your ideas and some changes are made when you have to actually convert your thoughts into sentences. This stage focuses on personal thoughts about the topic.
Revising is the considered to be the most important part of the writing process. During this step one focuses mainly on the audience and what they need in order to understand your ideas. Organization is very important as it helps your audience stay focused on the topic, it also helps them understand what the writer is trying to express.
Finally, editing in which the grammar, spelling and specially the mechanics of your writing and your sentence structure, should be revised.
Following these steps will guarantee that the reader will be able to understand your thoughts and ideas about a topic and will help you communicate your opinions about many different topics a highly effective fashion.
Where Is My Good Grade!
The writing process is a cyclical process. The writing process is a cyclical process. The writing process is a cyclical process. Mr. Liconti said to commit this statement to memory, and after one reads the writing processes at several different Universities one can see why. The writing process is focused on several aspects, and though the different Universities put it in their own words, the overall concept is the same.
Using Rutgers University as an example, Jack Lynch went through the stages needed to write a good English paper. The first step in any good English paper is having an effective thesis statement. Lynch is very blunt when he says, “If [your] [thesis] is weak, you won't get an A — that simple.” A good thesis statement must be argumentative, specific, analytical, about the reading, and most of all, well supported. Yes, supported—with evidence that you have to research.
For this reason, research is another important step in the writing process. However, the thesis should not be something one writes down, and then researches about it. Ones thesis should emerge from their analysis. Research usually starts with a reference book, such as an encyclopedia or dictionary, and then expands from there. Checking a University library is normally a good start, and even asking the librarians could lead to a better paper.
Alright! With a thesis and some good research, now one is assured their good grade! Sadly, this still is not the case. A close reading is often necessary to help understand the meaning of a particular passage. This means reading every single word of the phrase to help piece together the meaning of it. Looking for things such as diction, point of view, and metaphors could help one understand a passage better, and possibly grab that A mark everybody wants. Furthermore, understanding the authors writing style could help make the reading make more sense. Also, the mechanics of the essay must be correct. Simple things such as alignment of the margins, and proper spelling and grammar lead to a better paper.
Additionally, there is one more key element in receiving a good mark on an English paper. Editing and revising ones work is extremely important. One must go back and revise their work, and make improvements on it. One must make every word in a sentence stand out and have meaning. This is where the writing process becomes cyclical. One should be constantly editing and revising their paper, and make sure it improves. By editing ones essay, and even just re-reading it, the minor mistakes can be edited, and the overall paper will be better. Re-reading will lead to editing ones sentence structure to make the paper flow well, and will ultimately result in a good grade.
Could your writing survive University?
Well, could it? Maybe, maybe not – that is why we as students should be taking advantage of the numerous writing guides and resources made available to us, and there are many. I chose to read and report on the writing guide created by Jack Lynch at Rutgers University. On his webpage, Lynch makes it easy to find and understand the steps of writing.
The first and most important segment is your thesis. Lynch states that, “A good final thesis should emerge from, not precede, your analyses”. This is true with any piece of writing you are trying to compose- even a title needs to be refined in order to assure it is appropriate for the final composition. After you have a somewhat usable thesis it is time to start researching and supporting the thesis. Despite the urge to log on to Google, type in three words of your thesis and hit ‘I’m feeling lucky’, DON’T! Lynch tells us that the first thing we should be doing is browsing through the books at the library, not browsing through pages on the internet. We must find hard copies of sources first because those are much more reliable. Talking to the librarian and getting ideas is going to be so much more helpful than just clicking and scrolling down pages and pages.
Next you need to actually write out your paper, using all the resources to their full potential. When using different sources you need to cite them. If not you could fail and be expelled from any university. Don’t be stupid, cite your work. After you have written your paper a close reading is in order. A close reading requires you to pay “excruciatingly close attention to the details of language”. Close readings are done usually in poetry, where changes in word order and point of view are significant things to look for.
Making minor errors in your paper will have major effects on how the reader or professor will grade it. People will always judge you when you make mistakes, this includes your writing, “…your reader will probably know what you meant. But your reader will also think less of you for it”. One of the many ways to improve your writing style is to read. Read, read, read, and read some more, “Absorb the styles of the best writers”.
Use the writing guide of your choice, but surely they will all give you relatively the same outcome if you put in the same amount of effort. So ask yourself this, could your writing even survive this course?
Writing and How to Overcome the Brick Wall
After crossing the threshold of having a piece of literary work spell checked on our Microsoft word, and all of our commas and periods are in the right places, there are still several things we need to double check. When writing, it is easy to mistake good for great, or standard for genius. People find it hard to overcome that brick wall we call average and take our real ideas down, and in proper format show our teachers and peers what we truly think and maybe, just maybe, we can bring new ideas and perspectives to the table. After reading several university writing guidelines, one man by the name of Seamus Cooney was able to explain in the best way possible – how to climb that brick wall of average and step onto the balcony of greatness and skill. Cooney describes in three main parts ways to improve your writing and how to get your ideas in the best way possible, onto paper. These three God sent essay writing tools are Organization, content and style.
In grade nine we all had our teachers explain that there is a certain area for our thesis, that we have to have our best argument third and that we should never forget to repeat each argument at the end of each paragraph; that is step one to the skill of organization, a huge chunk of our literary piece, remember the basics! The simple rules of having to say “Cannot” instead of “Can’t” are easy marks, and one should always try to stay consistent and have the basics down pact to bring the essay at least to the base of the brick wall. In Clooney’s guideline he goes over the fundamentals such as the thesis having to leave the reader interested. With organization, we have to always remember to stay connected to the reader; as the reader thinks and grows we should be joining them on these journeys. Clooney also believes strongly that there should always be a title, following the rules of title names it should never have the title of the work that you yourself are writing about, it should also aim far away from titles that are way to general. An example of a general title Clooney shows is, “Man’s place in Nature!” Clooney calls this a “sweeping title”.
After we have all our basics down, and we are organized with where everything is going in our work – we now have to look at what is going in our work, Content is the next thing Clooney wants to help a writer with. A huge mistake to make would be looking on the internet, or asking others what they think of the topic you are writing about – a paper is best written if the writer agrees with what ideas are coming off of the work. Clooney says “The only kind of originality that matters at all is finding the source of your ideas and feelings within yourself” which involves understanding the content of something before writing about it, and knowing how one feels about the subject collecting ideas and figuring them out in the mind before writing it all down. There is no possible way that another person is able to see things exactly the way one ’s self sees it. Everyone relates in different ways and the key to selling your ideas through a paper is keeping it all your own ideas. Once we have all our ideas and we understand them thoroughly we are at the top of the brick wall, we just have to get down to the other side.
We have what we’re saying, we have where it is all going and now we have to think about how to get our points across, style is an important factor in writing a paper. First person, not personal and formally written are all key factors in our style of writing. When we’re not giving the reader literal evidence that you yourself feel the exact way you’re writing, don’t sweat! Clooney describes, “It goes without saying that your writing expresses you personal opinions, doesn't it?” which is why not using statements such as, “I feel...” and so on, are illegal when writing a paper. Keep it simple, when rules and guidelines are written down for you, there’s no space to test out the boundaries when writing, keep your style legal.
When your essay is well organized and your ideas and thoughts are brought across in a proper format, all of the effort has been given into the paper. The brick wall that once stopped you, the one full of other people’s ideas, run on sentences and personal statements is now overcome and your writing skills have been improved. With the help of Seamus Cooney, a writer can see where an average writer fits in, and where a writer whose genius thoughts are put onto paper more methodically fits in, which is on the other side of the brick wall of basic essay writing.
What’s write?
Like anything in life, writing requires a certain amount of focus, knowledge and practice. It is how well the writer focuses, how much knowledge he/she has and how much practice and time they are willing to put forth that will determine the quality of writing handed in. For this writing task, I have chosen to write about the writing process according to U of T.
One of the most important and overlooked parts of writing is pre-writing. In order to write successfully, a writer should brainstorm and put ideas down on paper before they start their ‘good’ copy. An example of brainstorming could be making a web with ideas branching out from the main topic. Looking for quotes so that your ideas have literary proof for your point is also a good tool for pre-writing. It is important to simply write out ideas and descriptive/powerful words, so that in the end, the writer is more organized and prepared for what they are trying to prove. It is also a good idea to know the author, do research on him/her and their life, seeing why they wrote the particular novel or play you are studying may force you to transvaluate and see it from the author’s intended perspective.
Another important tool for writing is to use time effectively. For example, if a week is given to read a play and write an essay on it, it would be smart to read the play right away, and take detailed notes that you can refer back to. Then, pre-write and brainstorm, putting all of the important facts you wrote down together, forming ideas and opinions. However it may not be the best to spend a lot of time on pre-writing, as it may take away from much needed writing and revising time, or lead to trying to accommodate too many ideas. After you have an organized pre-write, it is safe to start writing.
Once the writing begins, you should have a thesaurus on hand to avoid writing repetitively and help your writing be more diverse. You must have an idea of the structure that you want your essay to be in. It is often a challenge to express all of the ideas put forth in the pre-writing process in a structured manner. It is good to be original in what you write, however they must remember to stay within structured paragraphs and not have ideas all over the place.
Most importantly, your work must be revised and looked over by your computer and anyone who is literate; to catch small spelling errors, grammatical errors and sentence fragments. It is important to make every sentence stand on its own, so that at any time, someone could pick a sentence out of your writing and understand it. All of the steps listed above provide a healthy base for any writing piece. If these steps are followed and performed well, they can capture the interest of a reader and keep them intrigued.
The Writing Process According to MIT
The most common mistake that students make when writing, whether it be an essay or just a simple paragraph, is making it only one step: sitting down at the computer, and just writing whatever comes to mind. No matter what you write, without following the Writing Process, you cannot achieve a high level of writing.
The first step in the Writing Process presented by MIT is Prewriting. Prewriting is when one brainstorms ideas on the topic they are planning to write about. This step is used to gather all of your ideas and help you to decide which ideas you are going to expand upon. Prewriting can include things such as brainstorming in the form of a web, asking friends and family for ideas/opinions about the topic, researching, notes, etc. Prewriting does not only occur at the beginning of the writing process, but all throughout it as well.
The second step is known as Drafting. Drafting is making a rough copy of all of the ideas noted in your prewriting step. Drafting helps you to put your ideas into sentences and help establish a basic foundation of your topic. Drafting is the first copy of your writing and helps you to read over basic ideas and expand them or even alter them to help you get your ideas onto paper. During drafting, the writer should not worry about things just as spelling and grammar, but concentrate more about the topic and what you are writing about it.
The third step is Revising. Revising occurs after you have completed your draft copy of the writing assignment. Revising lets you go back to your draft copy and re-read what you have written. Revising also helps the writer to look at the work from a reader’s point of view. Writers should think about the organization of their ideas and ask themselves if a reader without background knowledge would understand the work. After revising, the writer can either go back and change their work or if confident with their piece, can move on to the final step of the writing process, Editing.
Editing is the last and final step of the writing process. Editing is where the writer checks for grammatical and spelling errors. This should be preformed before printing out your work and should always be the final step of the process.
Getting an A on an English Paper
A large percentage of any structured essay or paper is the thesis. The thesis is often confused with being a topic; a thesis is an argument that is supported through the narrators work. This is explained in the Rutgers guide to getting an A on an English paper. There are 5 major segments into writing a proper English paper, they are: thesis, research, close reading, style, and mechanics. The thesis is the uttermost essential sentence in any paper because the writer cannot establish valid proof without a cause. This would be meaningless writings. Now that a writer has established a strong thesis, they must prove that this thesis is true. Through research the thesis is proven. Research could include quotes from the novel, information from the internet, or even, the dictionary. Surely these sources of information will be cited. Jack Lynch also stresses that the reader and writer must look past the words and phrases of the paper and analyze the situation. He instructs the writer to look for diction (which is just the words the writer chooses to use and how he uses them), word order, verb forms, point of view, and metaphors. Another segment Jack Lynch stresses to use is style. He understands that only in time a certain mature voice will be found within the writer’s diction. Another style Jack Lynch preaches about is the writer’s mechanics. A writer’s mechanics include capitalization, commas, dashes, hyphens, paragraphs, punctuation and quotation marks, spaces, semicolons, and titles. These are the significant details that are disregarded and overlooked by the reader. These mechanics help establish a positive attitude by the reader toward the writer. If a writer uses these segments, it will assist in creating a balanced paper. After reading Jack Lynch’s guide on how to get an A while writing a English paper, the uttermost crucial detail would be understanding how to write a strong and flawless thesis. Because writing a paper without a strong thesis is useless. Make a point - then prove the point!
The Individual’s Effort (From: Writing Papers of Literary Analysis)
Writing in general is about getting all of our thoughts and ideas on a certain subject onto paper. The process consists of building a structure and putting our own thoughts into that structure. This is related to a more analytical form of writing. The elements of the structure, with observations and conclusions, including revising the work, are all part of putting a paper together.
The different components of the paper are used to build a writing structure. In addition it keeps the paper organized allowing it to be as clear and understandable. The basis of a paper always starts with an argument or a thesis, which will be supported with a number of strong points. The thesis is the main point that the writer is trying to prove along with catching the attention of the reader. This is probably one of difficulties when writing; trying to get a well thought out thesis that is understandable. In the same way even to get the reader’s interest it all depends on the writers approach. Proving the thesis is also one of the important elements to reinforce the argument being made. Points are inputted which allow the reader to follow with further understanding. Similarly it is like a “process paper” which is organized in a way for the reader to observe the analysis point by point. Again the problem for the writer would be creating strong enough points that will support the thesis. Putting all the elements together will help create a strong outline, which will be more clear and organized.
Writing papers especially analytical essays are all about creating our thoughts and opinions and trying to present it. Our perception is important as it identifies our true knowledge and originality on the subject being discussed. When we are analyzing any piece of literature we are reporting our interpretation to the reader. This also relates to the “ideal process” about sharing our findings with the reader. The significant thing about writing papers is that we all have different views; even if it is on the same subject we perceive it differently. Our own opinions are important because it demonstrates what we have come to understand with proof to the reader. Equally important I conclude that the reader is just as important as the writer in the process of writing. We do not just write based on what is give to us by teachers, TAs, and so on for example. It is about making our own ideas as writers and presenting that to the readers. Our own thoughts and conclusions give purpose and reasoning when writing, even to the readers.
Revising the work is another important step to rethink and alter fragments when finishing up a paper. Taking time and effort to review the entire paper helps to make it more understandable. When editing, a lot of people tend to read in their heads. Reading out loud is a more useful way to find weird and tricky sentences. Even when I get another person to read over my papers I can easily identify my mistakes. Truly this is why it is important to check over the work to clarify and correct unclear sentences. Even going back to make emphasis in the writing can help create a better paper. Having emphasis such as a rhetorical question can help reinforce key points. Again this is a way to persuade the reader to have a clearer understanding. Making changes and corrections overall is another important element when finishing the writing process.
The procedure of writing includes building a structured outline, stating ideas and feelings, complete with altering and editing the work. These elements are all part of the process of writing, which takes time, brainstorming, planning, and lots of effort. In addition I find that writing a good paper all depends on the writer who is trying to make their point as clear as possible. To sum it up it is all about how much effort and thought is put into the writer’s paper.
There is more to Writing Then Meets the Eye
The writing process is usually taken very lightly but when you write you have to present a well thought out piece. With that, a topic is usually given to be written about and analyzed. A well put together writing assignment, essay, or whatever it may be, would have ideas and opinions with relevancy to the topic, and would show the reader how much effort and time was put into it. The writer should show their confidence through their words, since readers do not see the author, it should be put together so that the reader sees it coming through the same way as if who wrote it was speaking to you.
The writing process has four steps involved in it: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Prewriting is a major component to the writing process because without this step, you wouldn’t have your ideas and thoughts put down. It’s almost the step where you start small and from there, gains more from it and by the end you have your piece written. Prewriting is almost like brainstorming in a sense, because with every writing assignment given you should think up ideas and from there, grow.
Second part to the writing process is drafting. Drafting is basically putting your ideas into sentences, getting them to make sense. You can almost look at it as if fitting pieces of a puzzle together. It brings together all the information to make it connected to each of the information contained.
Third part to the writing process is revising. Revising is re-reading your “draft” after you formed sentences and then making them flow. You don’t want the reader to get unfocused because of your style of writing. You want them to keep going. If you put together a piece and doesn’t have nothing interesting to offer, and isn’t very interesting and appealing to the reader, then it wont work very well on your behalf.
The last part to the writing process is editing. Editing is basic proof reading. It is the part where the writer looks over the written work, analyzes every aspect and makes sure it has no errors. This part is done after the previous three steps. This step is the finishing touch which perfects your work. It’s what the reader is actually introduced to. It’s the final copy that is to be taken out and read by people of whom seem to be interested in the subject matter.
Many people write in many ways but with this written procedure, it forms a style which you can almost pick out and see it clearly. It connects you to every written piece out there. You can use the four steps as a guide, and pick the process out. This process does a well formatting which will make your work look quite professional.
Writing a Strong Essay
Throughout our education we are constantly judged by our writing style and skill. Much of the time these values are judged through the literary form known as the essay. Essays are meant to be the example of everything we have learnt, put with our own style and understanding of the subject. This is seen even more so in the subject of English and it is a necessity to know how to put together an excellent paper. Nothing here is necessarily going to give you an A there are no absolute assurances. If you properly follow this advice on five main sections of writing a good essay it should help.
The main point of any paper is the thesis. It defines and summarizes the essay in a single sentence. If you do not have a good thesis then you do not have a good paper. This is not to say that a good thesis will make a good paper but it definitely vital to a better paper. A good thesis is many things. It must be analyzing the material it is based upon, not judging it. A thesis should be something that you can argue, something that peaks your readers interest. Another thing that your thesis must be is properly supported which leads into the next section of writing a good essay.
You cannot write a proper paper without first researching the subject that it analyzes. This can be done in many ways from reading books to utilizing the internet. Reference books are a constant source of great material whether it is from a chronology, year by year accounts of important events or a bibliography, showing you the books about your subject. Books and articles help you go much more in detail then reference sources will. You may find a site or two on the internet but this can be hard as it is filled with useful sites. This makes trying to find useful information on the web a big time waster which may not lead to any result. Finding information is important but just as important is citing the information that you find. If your research is not cited properly you may be plagiarizing the information you have found and compromising your academic integrity.
A paper without style is a paper without flavor, confidence and most importantly without proper voice. One of the best ways to amass style in your writings is to read other great stylists through the history of English. George Orwell, Paul Fussell and Vladimir Nabokov are all excellent examples of writers who know what they are saying and how they want to say it.
In many things it is the tiny things that are important. It is no different with English papers. The misuse or lack of grammar in a paper can destroy it no matter how well the other elements are. Many students complain about learning the gritty details and conforming to the rigid style that is English grammar. Nevertheless thoughts in a paper cannot be properly shown without proper form.
These five points are more or less about the proper form of an essay. If you follow these guidelines, you are more likely to get an A.
Anything worth doing is worth bleeding for, and writing a paper is no different. The writing process, according to many top universities in the continent, is far from a linear operation. James Lynch at the University of Rutgers, Newark, breaks down the writing process into five divergent sections. Research is extremely significant to the profundity of the rest of the paper, as it is nothing without proofs. A weak thesis produces an essentially weak paper, and thus, a lot of attention must be paid to perfect it. Close reading is a way of critically examining the language conventions used, and it demands precise attention to detail. The mechanics are plainly laid out, and are nothing less than necessary in the production of a quality paper, and as painful as it may be, they must be learned and followed. Writing style leaves the most up to the writer, and can be improved upon, but it will always be unique to the writer. These five areas of the writing process, when executed correctly, will without a doubt make a better writer when studied.
Researching and deriving information from a variety of sources is important in establishing an effective thesis statement. As a society, we’ve grown an undeserved confidence in the internet’s resources, and because of its accessibility, we often use it as a primary source. Books and research papers are great tools to utilize when writing a paper, because it bypasses the step of sorting through the unreliable sources. The dictionary should be used in conjunction with anything worth researching, in order to get the full and proper meaning so it can be properly relayed in the paper. After research is complete, a good grasp should be had on what the thesis is going to be. The importance of the thesis statement lies not in its placement, but in how it provokes the reader’s thoughts, and whether or not it forces them to think and form have their own opinions. The thesis should not lay out what is already known as common knowledge, but should contain disputable facts and argumentative opinions. Any arguments or doubts in the thesis that the reader has will be cleared up in the following paragraphs.
Close reading is a skill to be honed, and will help immensely in the research stage, and eventually further the impact of the paper. In order to utilize close reading effectively, you need to hang off every word and constantly be questioning. “Why” is perhaps the most important word when reading or researching an essay critically, as no one but the author knows truly what the author means. An effective writing style can be explained thusly: “Part of good writing comes from developing a mature and confident critical voice, and that comes only with time.” (James Lynch). A way to improve on writing style, according to Lynch, is to read the works of accomplished authors acclaimed for their language conventions and diction. Language mechanics in writing, although seemingly routine and inconsequential, can cause readers to devalue the essay and the ideas it proposes. Thorough learning of these mechanics can prove to be quintessential in the workings of a good paper.
The writing process is seemingly simple, as what is required is to write in proper structure and illustrate ideas clearly, but what makes a good paper is a well planned out process involving revision and preparation. Through the use of research, a strong thesis, close reading, an evolved writing style, and proper mechanics, you will have an inevitably strong paper. These five areas can always be improved upon and studied more thoroughly, and will eventually produce a more effective writer.
The Proper Paper
Writing is a task that many people can do, yet the question is, are they doing it properly?
Not everyone is born with the talent to write well, therefore it will take time and practice to be able to successfully master the art of writing. As Jack Lynch, a Rutgers University Professor states, “there are no shortcuts,” although we are provided with helpful guidelines, via the internet. Lynch breaks down his idea of the writing process into five major components: thesis, research, close reading, style and mechanics.
An essay is nothing without a good thesis. A good thesis is argumentative, controversial, analytical, specific, well supported and about the readings. The thesis should be able to make a case and arouse controversy. It should not be vague where the general public would all agree, as there needs to be room for debate. Generalizations are not enough to write and support your paper with, a thesis has to be specific and to the point. In most cases, the thesis is to be located close to the beginning, if not specified.
How much and what kind of research will vary depending on the type of writing assignment given, although Lynch lays out a few general principles to follow. The internet is not a useful source. It is time consuming and it is hard to tell the works of art from the pieces of junk. Reference books are the best place to start. Dictionaries and encyclopedias will give you a better understanding and further background knowledge. Specialized reference books are also crammed with extensive information. Library catalogues and reference librarians can assist you in finding exactly what you are looking for. Once you find all of these facts, you can compile them into your research paper. The idea is to use these facts in order to prove your point. Citation is critical, reference where all of your facts are from. Plagiarizing is the key to failing.
Close readings are imperative since “words are all that we have to work with”. Attention to the detail of words chosen reveals the aspect of the author’s intentions. Things to look out for when completing a close reading are diction, word order, verb forms, point of view and metaphors. Learning to read closely entails understanding each word, the derivation of that word and what the word implies.
A vital element of good writing is established through style. A sophisticated and lucid tone of writing must be developed. This can be accomplished by reading the best stylists whenever possible. This develops your aptitude to mimic the styles of the best writers, or revamp them with your own style and write well critically.
Mechanics are all of the fine details that are a part of the writing process. These mechanics range from spelling, punctuation, citation, footnote styles, fonts, margins widths, and so on. These may seem like minute details and may be overlooked by you or your spell check, yet the mechanics are a prime area of judging. “People always judge you by the way you write, and that includes the little details”, says Lynch.
The writing process is not an easy one, it demands your time, patience and the height of your intelligence to work together create a paper that you should be proud of. By following the steps outlined by Jack Lynch appropriately, you will achieve your goal of writing a proper essay and having the ability only to improve.
Think, Edit, and Repeat.
When first approached with an essay in grade nine, I was one of many students who really did not have a clue in how to write properly an essay. As time went on, my essay structure slowly started to develop in to what it is today. For me, as well as many other students, how to write properly an essay eludes us until someone actual sits us down and teaches us. Since not all of us have the luxury of English professor to assist us, many post-secondary schools have a page dedicated to proper essay structure. The one that appealed to me most was from MIT, the think-tank of the world
The first stage in writing process is the pre-write. What this focuses on in the brainstorming, looking over notes, outlining the format, and just thinking about what you are going to write. This is an important step than can easily be overlooked by the casual writer. Most people just sit down and start writing until their done, but then that makes the paper lack cohesion. The pre-write is an important step in laying the foundation of a proper paper.
The second stage of the writing process is the drafting phase, or better known, the first draft. Here is where you just put the ideas on paper, in sentences and paragraphs. As your writing, you can slowly see where you are going with the subject you choose, and slowly start seeing topics that link to each other. This step is laying the bricks of the essay, connecting all the sides until it makes sense.
The third stage in the writing process is the revising process. This is where one looks back at what they just wrote and sees what needs to be there to connect with the readers. The struggle for the author of the paper is to keep the readers interest. This is also, where you organize the order of your ideas, so it sets a nice flow, and more importantly to see if your ideas make sense. This stage is similar to making sure everything is there, and together it works.
The forth stage is editing, which means just going over the paper, making sure everything is correct, like grammar, punctuation, and most importantly, spelling. One thing interesting the MIT website mentions is not to edit your work until every other step was followed. In my opinion this makes sense, as if your ideas do not form cohesion, then you cannot keep you readers interest, therefore voiding the entire paper.
The MIT writing process gives the most clear-cut basics in writing a proper paper. Since in high school, we as students are just given one outline, and told to follow it like a religious zealot. When approaching these different methods, from U of T, Purdue, Rutgers University, it is a comfort to know that even though there are different ways of writing an essay, as long as the core thoughts are there, and you follow the basic steps, there can be no limit as to how well you writing can develop.
Confident writing.
The writing process that I have chosen to expound is that of MIT . this writing process is very simple and originate. Its four process which are Pre-writing, Drafting, Revising and Editing give the detail ideas of a confident writing.
The first step which is the source of all the four writing Process is Pre-writing; it gives you the ideas of what you are intending to put into your arguments and the conclusion. Most important you could notice your thesis statement in taking notes or outlining. The pre-writing will give you the strategies that will take you throughout the process.
Drafting is the next step. Drafting is when you conjoint your ideas that you jot down from pre-writing together. You then start fully explaining and supporting your ideas. The grammar check are not important in this step; all you should do is to fastened together your ideas. During drafting your mind will start catching on what you should put in your sentences; in this case you will start thinking of erasing or adding up some things.
Revising is the second step, believe or not is the most outstanding step in the writing process. In this step you will think of the needs and the expectations of your readers. you will find a way to convince your readers. Revising make your writing effective and more understandable to your reader. Due to the understanding of your writing the readers can easily compare your ideas to a general life. At this stage you would also refine your prose, making each statement as concise and accurate.
The last stage is Editing. Editing is when you tide up the jumbles you have in revising, you go through your writing and rearrange the grammars, mechanics which may not be on their right positions. In this stage spelling check is very important. If you want your written to be meaningful you should read over and over again to make sure you correct the list mistakes.
These three steps combine to give you the perfect ideas a confident writing.
Writing Takes Time
Every student wants to produce a 90% graded writing assignment but unfortunately there is no possible way to create one without it taking time. Purdue University has provided guidelines needed to create a good quality paper.
Before thinking of a topic or a thesis statement for any assignment, the first thing to know is the due date. Whether it be an essay or a 250 word paragraph, time needs to be placed in work in order to end up with good quality. Writing isn't so much a product but a process; in other words its not so much the assignment that you end up with but how you go about acheiving that favourable level. After all, the quality of writing reflects the time and forethought placed into it. Planning ahead for the assignment by prewriting can be helpful when it comes time to write. Schedulingl time periods to devote to writing can be helpful also so a writer can walk away from their work and return to make alterations with a fresh mind.
Inorder to produce a novel that will be attractive to readers, authors have to use language that will have a persuasive impact. To create this stimulating effect it will take the guidance of rhetorical elements. Topic, audience, genre, style, opportunity, research, the writer and purpose all compose the rhetorical situation.
How to begin writing:
Writers must determine the audience they are writing to and the message they want to send them. They must begin with an open view of their topic, such as smoking, adolensence, ect. and focus it into a compressed thesis statement by thinking about the audience. Things to consider are who is being spoken to, their age group and genre? Why should they be interested in the topic? What do they need to know and what is to be grasped from the contents?
The purpose of all these questions is to realize that not everyone will be intrigued by every subject; for example, a topic as television programs with high school students and parents as possible audiences will result in different reactions. Students will be more likely to enjoy high school dramas and parents would relate more interested in news programs as each realte to their day to day lives. In conclusion, the topic would be of interest to the reader because it speaks of current issues.
Writing can have various purposes. Some possibilities.are summarizing, arguing, narrating, evaluating, analyzing, responding, examining and observing. Summarizing would be presenting the main points of another text in a consice form, arguing would be expressing a point in an effort to convince people the viewponit is right, narrating would be telling a story, and evaluating would be observing something to determine its value. Analyzing would be breaking down a topic to see how its compnents relate, responding would be giving your opinion on a text, examining would be looking for facts you can learn from and observing would be using details to help the reader comprehend a person, place, object or event.
Lastly, once a thesis statement is formed, writing becomes easy. Spelling, grammar or complete sentences aren't very important at this point because the goal is to gather ideas. Writing everything down that might relate to the thesis, then rereading it will help to evaluate the ideas.
Writer’s Block
To be able to express my thoughts and ideas in the form of words is a gift that I am sure that others, such as myself, often take for granted as with a few simple words, a person is able to evoke a spectrum of emotions from another. However, like any worthwhile skill or gift in life, the seemingly magical properties of writing can be dulled by a lack of proper use due to a limited vocabulary and repetitive sentence structure. As a result, it is imperative for any academic mind to consistently hone their skill at penmanship through practice, but in the proper manner. Luckily, for myself there are a number of writers’ who are willing to share their views on the correct manner as to how critical writing should be written as such as Seamus Connery and his aptly named article, “Writing Papers of Literary Analysis”.
The first and most important concept that Connery emphasizes upon any literary analysis is the thesis which can be imagined as the backbone of the student’s writing. Connery states that “a thesis is a sentence that makes an argument”, suggesting that the thesis is the purpose to the paper and that the entire paper provides proof and upholds the validity of the thesis. The next component that Connery suggests to a budding academic writer to focus on is the style and content of the paper. To reinforce the foundation of content and style of a analytic paper, Connery suggests the writer to not leave out the obvious and to assume that the reader is ignorant of the most basic facts about what the topic is about. As well, it is also ideal for a writer to write in a fluid and smooth manner that is not afflicted by awkward sentence structure. The last key concept that Seamus Connery leaves for a successful literary paper is its mechanics which emphasizes that the writer should not neglect proof reading their works to make certain their points are being taken in a desirable fashion.
By following these 4 key concepts Seamus Connery has established in his article, “Writing Papers of Literary Analysis”, one should expect to find success in their written works. However, it is important to note that the following foundations Connery has set upon successful writing are not to be taken in a linear fashion, but instead, are to be applied in a more original fashion that is reminiscent of life, to be able continually grow and mature in every aspect.
Give birth or write a decent paper?
The OWL at Purdue gives us comprehensible steps to navigate by in order to compose a well written paper. The writing process is broken down into several universal components such as the construction of a thesis, developing an outline, prewriting, proof-reading, reverse outlining, writing the paper, understanding the assignment, and finally the writer’s block, that must be overcome in order to successfully finalize a paper.
Allen Brizee noticeably explains the key strategies to prewriting and coping with writing blocks, which personally I believe are the key concepts to writing a good paper since no man can instantly articulate a thesis or a storyline without having some information or thoughts that would help speed up the process of writing and formulating all ideas into one specific topic.
“Why should you write about this, and why should anyone read it”, this question poses a perfect opportunity for the writer to bring in all the powerful facts that the reader should agree on since that would captivate the reader with what you have to say. Also, Bizaree poses this question to make us understand that we should not linger on one idea for too long and that we should have strong arguments to evidently prove a desired point with enough strength to win over the reader’s mind. To achieve this, the writer would have to brainstorm and find fresh analogy of the topic to have the reader focused and interested in the material presented before their eyes. The idea of transvaluation also comes into play as you look at an object from a different angle and after that, portray that view to the reader that he would have never been expecting. In this case, you could look at a topic barbarically and communicate that view to the reader that would shock him/her. However, to be able to write astonishing papers, one would have to dearly commit to reading, writing and analyzing texts in order to fall into the cyclical process of writing. As pointed out by the teacher (Mr. Liconti), who deals with daydreaming numskulls everyday, that writing is a constant cyclical process in which one should always seek a better way of putting words on paper and composing them in such ways that sentences will stand out by themselves and secretly hint at the main concept behind the paper.
Having the ability to overcome writer’s block or anxiety is quite a skill that is attained through focused and determined practicing. This is a demanding calling, but Arnold Schwarzenegger managed to give birth to a bambino in the outrageously hilarious 1988 movie, Twins. Thus, a writer can realize that reaching for the impossible can only make him stronger in his writing along the way until he deteriorates and becomes nothing more than dust, clay or worm food that Hamlet ever so dearly explains in Act 5, Scene 1.
Ultimately, it is imperative that the base structure of the writing process is present in any paper, but thorough attention should be applied to the prewriting process and breaking through writer’s anxiety will allow the paper to shine as pointed out by Sean M. Conrey and Allen Brizee of the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
When will this end?
The writing process is not a one time deal. You have to repeat the process several times for one assignment. There is no set process, for every assignment the process is different, whether you do not have to do one step or you may have to repeat it a few times more. As Mr. Liconti says, “writing is a cyclical process,” and it is true. The first time you write something it is not perfect so you must go back reread it and rethink your ideas and sentences. The four main steps to the writing process are prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.
Prewriting is the stage at which you begin to formulate your thesis and determine some main ideas for your writing. Prewriting also includes all the notes you have taken and discussions you have had about your thesis. The prewriting stage is the most important stage as it determines the content of your writing. Without the proper content in your writing there would be a weak argument or no argument at all.
Drafting is the stage that you start to put your thoughts and ideas into sentences and group similar ideas into one argument. This stage is where you just put your ideas into sentences without worrying about spelling, grammar or if it can stand on its own. Once you have your ideas in sentences and they are grouped into to paragraphs that have similar ideas you can move onto the revising stage.
The revising stage is when you start to reconstruct your sentences so they can stand alone. You have to make sure the reader can understand and follow your sentences. You also make sure your sentence structure and your paragraph formats are acceptable for the type of writing you are doing. The most important step in this stage is to make sure your ideas flow and you have used proper transitions to go from one idea to the next.
The final stage, after you have gone through the previous three stages until you can find nothing wrong with your writing, is to edit your work. This stage has you look over the grammar and spelling of your writing and to make sure you have the proper mechanics. You should read over your writing a few times to make sure you have not missed any minor mistakes.
With those four stages to do for your writing, it is impossible to have an excellent paper after just one quick night of work. Authors have to go through months of writing and rewriting, and then they have to go through months of editing. The writing process is a repetitive process and can never be a linear one.
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