GUIDELINE: HOW TO WRITE

AN EFFICIENT ESSAY

CREATED BY: ASHLEY SILVA

PROFESSOR HEMSTROM
UWP1
 STRUGGLING WITH ENGLISH COURSES?

Are you stressing over a writing assignment?

Do you often struggle with writing essays?
Have you been receiving scores on writing
assignments that you are not satisfied with?
Do you feel like youre terrible at writing and
cannot improve?
 YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
As a student, we can all agree that we have
received a score on an assignment that we are not
exactly thrilled about
It is completely okay! This helps you see in what
areas you can put more effort into improving
There are many strategies you can learn or people
you can seek help from
Click to visit
resources
 I WAS IN THE SAME SHOES AS YOU

I failed the writing placement exam and was

required to take a workload class
I then took a diagnostic exam where I wrote an
essay to determine where my writing stood and
received a D
After plenty of practice, my writing improved
using a process that can hopefully help you as
well
With the use of these steps, I was able to pass
the class with a B!
 STEPS:

Brainstorming (slide 1)

Outline (slide 2) Brainstormi

ng Outline

Rough Draft #1(slide 3)

Rough Draft #2 (slide 4)
R.D. #1 R.D. #2

Continuation of rough draft #2

(slide 5) Final Draft

Final Draft (slide 6)

If at any point step, additional help is needed, If you want to be directed back to the
simply click on the box on the middle of the page you were originally on, simply
bottom page which directs you to slide #7, click on the box on the resources
the resources slide. page located on the bottom
 1

1ST- BRAINSTORMING

Look at the prompt:

What is the prompt asking?

Write down any and all ideas that come to mind when reading
the prompt
Begin thinking of a few different approaches you may choose
to write based on the given prompt
Once youve decided on your position towards the prompt,
write down any idea that may connect your stand to the
prompt
Click to visit
Begin sorting out the best connections resources
that were made
 2

2ND- CREATE AN OUTLINE

Redirect to brainstorming:
What were the best ideas?

Think of an order where the prompt can potentially be properly executed:

An appropriate order of the connections that were made between your position and
the prompt

Write down a rough outline of paragraphs and what each paragraph will include
Does the order make sense? It does not have to be perfect
Many changes will be made on first draft which can affect the outline

Remember that the outline simply works as a guide and does not have to be exact
Do not worry if you are unsure of what some of the paragraphs will include
As you write the first draft, you may change the structure of the essay so it is not necessary to
have everything figured out

Click to visit
resources
 3

3RD-WRITE 1ST DRAFT

As Anne Lamott stated in Shitty First Drafts, first drafts

are essential to let the brain roam around the prompt freely
Because it will be edited, no harm is done in having a variety
of different approaches in the writing

The purpose of the first draft is to see where you stand on

the topic and how you will go about presenting it
Is it the same? Has it changed?

In the first draft, you may have a few meaningful sentences

or paragraphs, but plenty of them will be vague, confusing,
or awkward, and that is perfectly okay
Click to visit
resources
 4

4TH- WRITE 2ND DRAFT

Redirect back to the first draft and make revisions:

What is your main argument?
Were there any meaningful sentences or paragraphs?
If yes, incorporate them
if not attempt to fix whatever has potential of improving
Do not waste time correcting all grammatical errors that can later be fixed
What didnt you like about your first draft?
Avoid committing the same mistakes

What you need to incorporate in second draft:

What were you lacking?
Expanding on specific arguments?
Click to visit
More examples? More details?
resources
 5

CONTINUATION OF 2ND DRAFT

The purpose of the second draft is to write a decent essay:

Keep revisions made on the first draft, in mind

Create the second draft based on your position and approach towards
the prompt:
Avoid anything you did not like in first draft
Include everything that you are lacking
Focus and make sure that your position and prompt connect:
Again, grammar isnt important because it can be fixed later

Click to visit
resources
 6

5TH- FINAL DRAFT

Redirect back to the second draft:

Does it flow smoothly? Were there any weak arguments? What can
be improved?
Anything that can be improved must be revised in order to
make your writing stronger
Revise all grammatical errors and make sure sentence structure,
paragraph structure, thesis, and the format as a whole are perfect

Proofread out loud to catch any mistakes you may have missed
Essay is smooth; easy to understand

Polish all mistakes:

If the grammar, context, and format of the essay as a whole are
perfect, then you are done
If not, keep revising until you finish! Click to visit
resources
 7

STILL STRUGGLING? MANY RESOURCES ARE

AVAILABLE
Student Academic Success Center: The SASC offers tutors who are available
to help assist you with any issues you may have in regards to a writing
assignment; simply sign in, sit down, and wait to be called. Bring a paper
copy of the assignment. Along with the prompt.
SASC website
Location: 2205 Dutton Hall
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm

Online websites: (hyperlink)

UC Davis: writing resources

Owl Purdue: writing process
Click to return to the
page you were
originally on
 WORKS CITED

Lamott, Anne. Shitty First Drafts. Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers. Eds. Paul
Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2005. 93-96.
Leishman, Ron. Confused Person. Digital image. Deposit Photos, n.d. Web.
A+ Paper. Digital image.Entries in Workshop. UCSB Gradpost, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
"Central Authentication Service (CAS)."UC Davis CAS Central Authentication Service. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
Dutton Hall. Digital image.Student Academic Success Center. UC Davis, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
Electrified Brain. Digital image.7 Ways to Make Brainstorming Meetings More Productive. ADIGO,
n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
First Draft. Digital image.Your Shitty First Draft. Cyber Chimps, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
14
WORKS CITED (CONTINUATION)

Grammar Revision. Digital image.Essay Help at Every Step. Kibin, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
Outline. Digital image.Why I Love Outlines. All About the Authors, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
"Student Academic Success Center."Writing and ESL Support | Student Academic Success
Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
Tutor and Student. Digital image.Educational Therapist. Thinking Cap Educational
Services, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
"UC Davis School of Education."Writing Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
"Welcome to the Purdue OWL."The Purdue OWL: The Writing Process. N.p., n.d. Web. 01
Feb. 2017.
Writing Process. Digital image.The Writing Process. Luzerne, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.