FOCUS AND ORGANIZATIO

NWhen you need a guide in the writing process

BRAINSTORM

WHEN THINGS GET HAZY Make a list.

Look outside the box.

Write down everything.

Restate the assignment.

(Study Guides) Image at www.theslblog.org/2008/04/index.html

AFTER BRAINSTORMING WHAT’S NEXT?

THE “TEN COMMANDMENTS” FOR

WRITING AN ORGANIZED PAPER

1. Thou shall develop a topic. 2. Thou shall research topic/ possible topics. 3.Thou shall organize and write out a plan. 4. Thou shall write several drafts. 5.Thou shall use a logical pattern. 6. Thou shall use transitional words effectively. 7. Thou shall make sure to be unified. 8.Thou shall leave no questions. 9.Thou shall Revise Revise Revise! 10. Thou shall proofread, no one is perfect.

(Study Guides and Strategies)

Image at www.shcm.org

DEVELOPING YOUR TOPIC

RESEARCH AND BECOME INFORMED

** Research topics!

Once you obtain information, it will be easier to pick a topic.

You will find out what you are more interested in, or what topic is easier to write about.

Make sure to keep the audience in mind.• example: If the audience is young, be sure to use simple vocabulary.

Use numerous different search engines and get as much useful information as you can.

Make sure to keep record of the sites you’ve searched, including dates and the URL, making it easier to cite your sources.

(Study Guides and Strategies)

PREWRITING AND SETTING UP A PLAN

Set up a basic outline.

When doing this, make sure you get away from distractions.

Decide where to place information, and also which info to leave out.

You should make sure to have your thesis written or part of the introduction, a main objective for the body paragraphs, and a generalized conclusion.

By starting papers early, with just a plan, can help avoid procrastination.

(Study Guides)

TIPS FOR HOW TO WRITE A HELPFUL OUTLINE

I. IntroductionA. Grab your reader’s attentionB. State a clear thesis

II. Body A. Build your points

B. Develop your ideasC. Support claim with information

III. ConclusionA. Reiterate main idea

(Focus)

THE ROUGH DRAFT

Piece all information together and recall the plans you made.

Stay on TOPIC! Reread the topic if you need to!

Quotes are great, in moderation. If you use them, be sure to cite them and explain why you chose them.

Don’t worry about the title at first, it will come.

Don’t worry about revising while writing, stay focused and then go back and edit.

Be sure to keep away from distractions!(Finding Your Focus)

LOGICAL ? Make sure the paper flows from paragraphs.

Don’t add off topic information, it will cause the reader to be confused.

Make sure to avoid logical fallacies.

Claims supported by reasons.** because is not a good enough reason, it

must be an unstated assumption that is articulated.

IN ADDITION.. Make sure transitional words are present, and

are effective.

Make sure they connect paragraphs, ideas, or details in a way the reader will comprehend.

Examples:** addition: also, again, similarly, likewise, in

addition.** emphasis: above all, especially, particularly.** summarizing: after all, in all, in conclusion,

finally.(Study Guides)

Connect ideas!

REVISING AND UNIFYING

Before you revise, make sure you had time off from looking at the essay, and have a fresh start.

Unified? Do all the paragraphs relate to the main topic and strengthen the thesis?

Is the progression and transitions clear and comprehendible?

It takes time, so start with vocabulary.

How’s the paragraph structure? Are the thesis and conclusion strong?What about the title?

PROOFREAD! LEAVE NO QUESTIONS

Have others read your work.

*Make sure the paper has a strong conclusion.

Spell check doesn’t catch everything!

Read your paper out loud, slowly and multiple times.

Logical Flow! Is your topic clear?

Double check: Punctuation Sentence structure Spelling (Finding Your Focus)

GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Citing sources- avoid plagiarism.

MLA format- margins and spacing.

The Owl at Purdue site is a perfect guideline for citing sources.

Citing isn’t easy, it takes practice!

WORKS CITED Kunka, Jennifer. “Finding Your Focus: The Writing Process.”

01 December 2008. Purdue University Writing Lab. 2000. <http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:qQBoqsfWC4IJ:owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/writproc.PPT+focus+and+organization+powerpoint&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us>

Landsberger, Joe. “Study Guides and Strategies.” 01 December 2008. Joe’s professional and personal webpages. 1996.

<http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr2.htm>

“The Owl At Purdue.” 01 December 2008. Purdue University. 1995-2008. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/06/>