General Guidelines
The Purposes of Writing
Whenever you write, some clear purposes should guide your work. If you do not know what or why you are writing, neither will your reader. Purpose stems from the writing situation. You explore the consequences of the greenhouse effect in a report for your science teacher. You write an editorial for the Monroe Falcon to air your views on the candidates for Student Council. Clearly your purpose is derived from the writing situation.
There are four common, general writing purposes, two or more of which often are combined in a single piece of writing :
To Inform : Presenting information is one of the most common writing purposes. Teachers often require you to write exams and essays in order to evaluate how well you have mastered the course material.
To Persuade : Often you are asked to present your views on an issue in order to sway your reader's opinion or convince him or her that your point of view is valid.
To Entertain : Some writing merely entertains; some writing combines with a more serious purpose. Satire, for example, exposes the shortcomings of individuals, ideas or institutions by poking fun at them.
To Express Yourself : Creative writing includes composing personal essays, fiction, plays and poetry, as well as journals and diaries. Almost everything you write gives you a chance to display your mastery of words and to enliven your prose with vivid images and fresh turns of phrase.
The Audience for Your Writing
Everything you write is aimed at some audience - the person or group you want to reach. The ultimate purpose of all writing is to have an effect on the reader and therefore audience and purpose are closely linked. Each of the purposes of writing - informing someone, persuading someone, expressing feelings to someone or entertaining someone - requires that you know that someone, the audience for your writing.
In face-to-face conversation, you can observe your listener's reactions, and whenever you note signs of hostility, boredom or confusion, you can change the tone of your voice, provide examples to clarify your point or ask a question. You can also use facial expressions to emphasize what you are saying. When you write, however, the words on the page carry your message. Once you give your written work to any reader, the work must be able to stand on its own. You can not call it back to explain a misunderstanding or appease an angry reader.
Establishing a rapport with your audience is easy when you are writing for you friends or someone else you know a lot about. Often you will be writing for people you know casually or not at all such as teachers, employers, or fellow students. In these situations it is a good idea to assess your audience using the following questions:
1. Why will this audience read my writing? To gain information? Learn my views on a controversial topic? Enjoy my creative talent? Be entertained?
2. What attitudes and expectations does my audience have?
3. How are they likely to respond to what I write? Will they be neutral, opposed or hostile to my ideas?
4. How much do they know about my topic?
5. What kind of language should I use to communicate with them most effectively?
Some writing assignments will require that you write for a reader who is intelligent but lacking in specialized knowledge. Other assignments will require you to write for a specialized audience, one with particular interests or of a certain age group. Whatever the assignment, it is important to remember that you cannot communicate effectively without a specific audience in mind.
The Qualities of Good Writing
Three qualities - fresh thinking, a sense of style and effective organization - help to ensure that a piece of prose will meet your reader's expectations.
Fresh Thinking : You do not have dazzle your readers with something that has never been discussed before. Unique ideas and original information are scarce to come by. You can, however, freshen your writing by exploring personal insights.
Sense of Style : Your teachers do not expect you to display the stylish flair of a famous writer but they do expect you to write in a clear, cohesive style. If you strengthen it with vivid, forceful words, your readers will absorb your points with greater interest.
Effective Organization : A paper should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The introduction generates interest and acquaints the reader with what is to come. The body communicates the main idea and provides a clear connection between ideas so that the reader can easily follow your thoughts. The conclusion draws together the discussion and brings it to closure.
Steps in the Writing Process
Regardless of audience or writing purpose, the writing process consists of the same series of steps. These steps will help you formulate a plan for the writing assignment and guide you if you run into problems with your approach to the assignment.
Follow these steps whenever you receive a writing assignment. Once you are familiar with them, you can combine or rearrange the steps as needed.
Pre-Writing :
l. Analyze the question or assignment.
2. Determine the purpose for writing.
3. Think about who your audience is.
4. Gather and list pertinent details. Use the assignment or a statement of purpose as a guide.
5. Follow suggestions in the assignment or identify relationships among the details to determine a logical order. Organize the details in one of the following ways: chronologically, spatially, in order of importance or by comparison/contrast.
6. Add or delete details as necessary.
7. Compose a thesis statement.
Writing the First Draft :
l. Place your pre-writing notes and your thesis statement in front of you. Rewrite your thesis statement at the top of the first page to help you "break the ice" and begin the writing process.
2. Write at a brisk pace and try to capture your thoughts on paper. Concentrate on content and organization. Get your main points and supporting details in the correct sequence.
3. Write your first paragraph, introducing your essay and stating your thesis. If you get stuck, move on to the rest of the paper.
4. Follow your notes as you write. Begin with your main point and work on each section of the paper in order.
5. Review the supporting details in your notes. Turn the details into sentences. Use one or more sentences to explain each one. Add related details, facts or examples, as they occur to you.
6. Do not spend time correcting spelling, grammar or punctuation errors, improving your word choice or making the writing flow smoothly. You might lose your train of thought and have trouble finishing the assignment.
Revising :
l. Read your essay several times in order to :
a. Improve the development of the essay as a whole
b. Strengthen paragraph structure and development
c. Sharpen sentences and words
2. Answer the following questions :
a. Have I answered the question or fulfilled the requirements of the assignment
b. Is my organization logical and easy to follow?
c. Have I quoted, paraphrased and summarized accurately?
d. Have I indicated the source of material that is quoted, paraphrased or summarized?
e. Are my main ideas developed with adequate details?
f. Do all my sentences and paragraphs develop a main idea?
3. Proofread your work to correct errors in grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation and capitalization.
4. Select a title. Unless a title comes to mind as you write your paper, wait until you finish the paper before choosing one. In order for the reader to see the connection between what the title promises and what the essay delivers, a good title must be accurate and specific.