Writing Process

Subject

• POWA
• Norton / Write

Discovering Ideas

• Writer's Web
• Purdue OWL - Introduction to Prewriting (Invention)
• Norton / Write - Design What You Write

Research Planning

• Norton / Write

Tips for proofreading:

• Proofread a printed copy. You can usually locate errors on a paper copy more easily than you are able to see the same errors on a computer screen.
• Let the draft "cool" between readings. Even a short break may allow your mind to feel refreshed and enable you to see your writing more clearly.
• Read your paper aloud. We read aloud at about one-half the speed at which we read silently. You are more likely to spot errors as you decrease reading rate.
• Read out of context. Beginning with the last sentence in the essay, analyze the sentence and make necessary corrections. Continue analyzing and editing as you work backwards, one sentence at a time, until you reach the beginning of the paper.
• Anticipate reader response and edit accordingly. Try to imagine what readers might think when they examine your paper.
• Have others read and offer feedback. Reader reaction can often prompt you to think about your writing from other points of view or allow you to gauge how well your essay conveys ideas. The Writing Lab's tutors, serving as typical readers, can offer feedback to help you gain insight into your composition.
• Compare your writing against the instructor's assignment sheet directions or class notes. Ignoring a single instruction can sometimes result in a greatly decreased grade for the essay.
• Look carefully at your instructor's comments on returned papers. Try to avoid making the same errors again. If you are uncertain about how to address an error, confer with your instructor or visit the Writing Lab for advice. Composition course syllabi state, "Progress is a principal objective; therefore, repeated errors and deficiencies become significant in the evaluation of the student's writing."
• Do not assume that suggestions of other individuals, including tutors, or flags by automated grammar or spelling checkers are right. They are intended to simply cause you to focus on elements of your paper to determine whether corrections are really needed. You ought to decide to edit only after consulting with your instructor, a handbook, a textbook, the assignment sheet for the activity, and/or other authorities.
• You can find out more about proofreading by clicking below on the links. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring.

Proofreading

• Norton / Write - Writing Tips

Argumentative Essays

• An argumentative essay focuses on a thesis that is clearly debatable. Possibilities exist for other individuals to disagree with the position you take or the claim you make; in fact, good argument acknowledges opposing points of view. Generally, the introduction begins with a "grabber" or attention-getting statement, followed by sentences that lead to the thesis or central idea of the paper. For shorter essays, such as the ones written for composition courses, the thesis is typically the last sentence in the introductory paragraph. Each succeeding supporting paragraph focuses on one topic that supports the thesis. Evidence to support the paragraph's topic might include facts, examples, statistics, or other proof. The conclusion echoes the thesis and briefly summarizes the case in a final defense of your position or claim. As you write argumentative compositions, remember how Aristotle's three persuasive approaches (ethos, pathos, and logos) can influence the strength of your debate.
• Purdue OWL - Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper
• The Writer's Web - Reasoning: Arguing Cogently

Research Essays

Following good research techniques enables you to effectively gather and present scholarly information. Research writing might require you to conduct primary research in which you are a firsthand observer. For instance, you could be asked to interview someone already working in your field of study or to observe an event and write your discoveries. More frequently, you carry out secondary research to find out what other writers have published about your subject. Occasionally, you might combine these types of research as you address a topic.

• Purdue OWL - Writing a Research Paper
• The Writer's Web - Using Sources Creatively

Writing about Literature

Analysis of a literary selection is not a simple retelling or summarization of the work. Analyzing requires you to examine a piece of literature to discover how elements within the selection support an idea based on your interpretation of the piece. Analysis is argumentative in the sense that you must prove, by using supporting evidence, that conclusions you have drawn are logical. Unlike the sort of argument that characterizes many Composition I assignments, literary criticism generally does not require that you attempt to convince the reader you are right, but only that your interpretation makes sense. The reader does not usually need to know every event in a story to see how the selection supports your thesis. For more information about the process of a literary analysis, see WSCC's Virtual Campus.

Inclusion of quotes is a frequent requirement for Composition II and literature papers. Be sure to properly introduce and cite quoted material that illustrates your ideas. Use signal phrases to let readers know about the source of the information and/or to foreshadow the content of the quotation. Interpret quotes immediately before or after they appear and show how they are important to paragraph topics. Consider both literal and figurative interpretations.

• The Writer's Web - Titles: Underline, Italics, or Quotations?
• Purdue OWL - Writing in Literature
• Norton / Write - Writing Tip