Writing Process

Basic MLA
Paragraph Writing
Submit Writing Samples
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
YOU JUST COMPLETED
BOTH SECTIONS OF YOUR
FINAL!!!
Writing Process
Prewrite
What is your purpose for writing?
How are you going to achieve this purpose?
Who is your reader?
Use journalistic questions
Freewriting
Cubing
Webbing/clustering
Listing
More prewriting questions -
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/673/03
/
Writing Process
Prewrite, Plan
Why create an outline?
Helps to keep track of large amounts of info
Helps organize ideas
Presents material in logical form
Shows relationships among ideas
Defines boundaries and groups
Writing Process
Prewrite, Plan
2 types of outlines
Topic
Sentence
Outlines should be balanced
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20081
113013048_544.pdf
Writing Process
Prewrite
Plan
Drafting
Rough draft, early version of final copy
Writing Process
Prewrite
Plan
Drafting
Proofread
Peer review grammar and process
Writing Process
Prewrite
Plan
Drafting
Proofread
Publish
All done! Final copy
Basic MLA format
Must be typed, double-spaced, one sided,
paperclipped
I want typed, double-spaced, double sided, stapled
Only one space after punctuation
1 inch margins, Times New Roman, 12 point font
Include heading
Your name
Instructor name
Class
Due Date
Last name and page number in upper right hand corner
Title centered
Sample page 1
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090701095
636_747.pdf
Parts of a Paragraph
A paragraph has three necessary parts:
Topic sentence
1 sentence
Body
Minimum 5 8 sentences
Concluding sentence
1 sentence
Parts of a Paragraph
The topic sentence
States the main point
Is (often) the first sentence of the
paragraph
Parts of a Paragraph
The body -
Supports (shows, explains, or proves)
the main point with supporting
sentences that contain facts and
details.
Supporting Your Point
Two types of support
Primary support
Major ideas to back up main point
Secondary support
Gives details to back up primary
support
BEWARE!!!
Dont confuse repetition with support
The amount shown on my bill is
incorrect. You overcharged me. It
didnt cost that much. The total is
wrong.
The amount shown on my bill is
incorrect. I ordered the bacon-
cheeseburger plate, which is $6.99 on
the menu. On the bill, the order is
correct, but the amount is $16.99.
Basics of good support
Relates to main point
Creates support that shows readers
what main point means
Is detailed and specific
View handout paragraph with primary and paragraph with primary & secondary support
Selecting Primary Support
Carefully read ideas generated
through prewriting technique
Select 3 5 primary support points
Should be clearest and most convincing,
providing best examples, facts, and
observations
Cross out ideas not closely related to
main point
If not enough support remains, prewrite
more
Adding Secondary Support
Flesh out best primary support points
Specific examples
Facts
observations
Parts of a Paragraph
The concluding sentence -
Reminds readers of the main point
(topic sentence)
often makes an observation
Outlining
I. Topic Sentence
Training for success in a marathon demands several
important steps.
II. Body
A. Runners should first get a schedule developed by
a professional running organization.
1. These schedules are available in bookstores or
on the Web.
2. A good one is available at
www.runnersworld.com.
3. All of the training schedules suggest starting
training three to six months before the
marathon.
Outlining
II. Body
B. Runners should commit to carefully following
the schedule.
1. If they cannot stick to it exactly, they need
to come as close as they possibly can.
2. The schedules include a mixture of long
and short runs at specified intervals.
3. Carefully following the training schedule
builds up endurance a little at a time so that
by the time of the race, runners are less
likely to hurt themselves.
4. The training continues right up until the
start of the marathon.
Outlining
II. Body
C. On the night before and the morning of the
big day, runners should take special steps to
make sure they are prepared for the race.
1. The night before the race, they should eat
carbohydrates, drink plenty of water, and get
a good nights sleep.
2. On the day of the marathon, runners
should eat a light breakfast, dress for the
weather, and consider doing a brief warm-up
before the races start.
3. Before and during the race, they should
drink plenty of water.
Outlining
III. Concluding Sentence
Running a marathon without completing the
essential steps will not bring success; instead it
may bring pain and injury.
Eng 100
Presentation Rubric
Writing Narration
What is narration and its elements?
Telling of a story
Essential elements
Series of events arranged in an order
Plot
Told by a narrator
POV 1
st
, 3rd
Specific purpose
Controls narrative and detail selection
I am telling this story because...
Writing Narration
What are common forms?
(Third common)
Fictionalized narrative
Author invents characters and plot
Purpose to scare, puzzle, think about a situation,
ponder course of action
Writing Narration
What are common forms?
(Second common)
Here-is-what-happened narrative
Typical in newspapers and histories
Require research
Omniscient narrator not part of the story
Purpose to inform reader or provide information
Writing Narration
What are common forms?
(Most common)
Personal experience narratives
Writer is narrator
Tells personal true event
Purpose is to share an insight with reader a
realization, a sudden understanding, an awareness
Writing Narration
What do you include?
Do not include every single detail
Choose details that correlate with purpose
Cut out unnecessary, uninteresting, and
redundant details
Writing
How is a narrative structured?
Chronological order
Flashback
Do not switch time too frequently
Make sure switches are clear
In media res
Change or modify
Heighten tension
Make purpose clearer
Writing
How does one end a narrative?
Reflect reason or purpose for telling story
Joke ends with punch line to make audience laugh
Significant event leads to moment of insight
Historical event ends with summary statement
relating its significance
Writing
How does one tell a narrative?
Choose point of view
Personal experience narratives 1
st
person,
narrator is in story
Limited only narrators thoughts
Omniscient all-knowing, everyones thoughts
Historical narratives & illustrative narratives 3
rd
person, speaker stands outside the narrative and
provides objective view
Writing
How does one tell a narrative?
Show vs. tell
Showing
dramatizing scene and creating dialogue
makes more vivid, allows reader to experience
scene directly
Telling
summarizing what happened
permits greater number of events and details
Okay to use a mix
Writing
How does one write dialogue?
Creates an illusion of speech
Real conversation is longer, slower, more boring
Must recognize when it can play an important role
in story
Use sparingly
Too much can slow down action of story
Purpose is to reveal character or generate tension
Writing
How does one revise a narrative?
Prune unnecessary detail
Write purpose
Test every included detail
Make structure clear
Ask readers to create a chronological timeline
Differentiate between showing and telling
Look for moments in which dramatization
(showing) might be particularly effective
Conclusion
Is it flat or does it lead up to a climactic moment?
Score this presentation
Monday...
Have a great weekend
We will work on prewriting and planning our
narratives in class
WEDNESDAY
Read description chapter
Quiz on parts of speech, active/passive verbs, ending
in prepositions, shifts, pronoun & antecedent
agreement, pronoun reference, pronoun case