You must understand writing as a process with specific steps that must be followed. You must learn to put on the writing process spectacles (ala Herr Kant) and see the task from the perspective of a writer. Then you must follow the steps in the writing process.

Steps to become a self-confident writer:

Prewriting

Brainstorming

Note taking

Outlining

Drafting (first)

Editing

Drafting (second)

Editing

Proofreading

Let us look at each of these in detail:

Step 1: Prewriting

Before writing, there are many things to consider. The most important of these are:

Who are you?

What are you writing?

Why are you writing this?

Who will read what you are writing?

How should it be written?

Who are you? The 'spectacles' which you don (put on) will determine the perspective (viewpoint) from which you approach this task. The role each of us plays changes depending on the circumstances around us: when at work, you are an employee; when corresponding with the IRS you are a taxpayer; when writing to your Congressman, you are a voter. Here, now, the role you are playing is that of student writer.

What are you writing? You will be writing practice essays at this time. The first will be about the Declaration of Independence.

Why are you writing this? At this time, you are writing to demonstrate your control or command over the English language. Specifically, you are attempting to show that you can write standard formal English.

Who will read what you are writing? Who is your audience? As a writer, you must understand the intended audience for the document. In your case, as a college student, your audience is composed of college professors. They will tell you exactly what they want (and you will have an opportunity to ask questions to clarify). And then it is your task to provide the proof for them that you in fact understand (have learned) the subject matter.

If you want to succeed, then give them what they want!

This is not a forum for your ego (this is not a place to show off). It is a time to take their guidance and suggestions and show them that you have understood what they are teaching by changing your writing to conform to their criticisms and/or expectations. Later on in your academic career you will be able to express yourself in your own way: for now, you must learn and then perform (prove).

How should it be written? How should you structure what you are writing? Depending on what it is you are writing, the structure will be different. A letter has a different format than an essay. A business memorandum (memo) has a different format than an e-mail. A research paper has a different format than an examination (exam) question answer.

Here you are learning to write essays at the freshman college level. At the end of this chapter there is a discussion of the essay, its components, its structure and outlining. Then there are several sample outlines for you to follow and adapt to your needs.

For more on structure, click here: 

The Structure of Formal Writing

 What is a sentence?

Writing Formal sentences.

What is a paragraph?

                                                                                                                                             

Copyright: 2005 English 4 All, Inc.