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Elements of Writing
Writing is a way of communicating a message to a reader for a purpose. The purpose of writing is to provide information for and persuade a reader.
Informative Writing:
Informative writing (also known as expository writing) seeks to give
information and, when necessary, to explain it. The major focus of informative
writing is on the subject being discussed. Informative writing includes
reports of observations, ideas, scientific data, facts, and statistics
found in textbooks, encyclopedias, technical and business reports, nonfiction
books, newspapers, and magazines.
Persuasive Writing:
Persuasive writing (also known as argumentative writing) seeks to convince
the reader about a matter of opinion. The major focus of persuasive writing
is the reader whom the writer wants to influence. Persuasive writing seeks
to change the reader's mind. Examples of persuasive writing include editorials,
letters to the editor, reviews, sermons, business or research proposals,
opinion essays in magazines, and books that argue a point of view.
Understanding the Writing Process:
Planning......gather ideas and think about a focus.
Shaping.......consider ways to organize your material.
Drafting......write your ideas in sentences and paragraphs.
Revising......evaluate your draft and rewrite it by adding, deleting,
changing, moving and often totally rewriting material.
Editing.......check the technical correctness of your grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and mechanics.
Proofreading......read your final copy for typing errors or handwriting
legibility.
Think about Writing:
As you think through and gather ideas for your topic, your task is
to establish a focus, or a point of view, about the topic, and support
for that focus. You also need to think about the purpose for your writing
and the audience.
Know How to Select a Topic on Your Own:
Some instructors will ask you to write on whatever topic you wish.
In such situations, you need to select a topic that is suitable for informative
or persuasive writing in college, one that reflects your ability to think
through ideas. You need to demonstrate that you can use specific, concrete
details to support what you want to say. Be especially careful not to choose
a topic that is too narrow, or you will not have enough to say. However,
do not focus on more than one major theme.
Know How to Narrow an Assigned Topic:
When you choose or are assigned a topic that is very broad, you have
to narrow the subject. To do this, you must think of different areas within
the subject until you come to one that seems workable for an essay. A suitably
narrowed topic will enable you to move back and forth between general statements
and specific details.
Know How to Keep an Idea Book and Write in a Journal:
Many writers carry an idea book--a small notebook--with them at all
times so they can jot down ideas that spring to mind. A journal, like an
idea book, is a record of your ideas, but it is built from daily sessions
of writing. In your journal you can write about your opinions, beliefs,
family, friends, or anything else you wish. The content and tone can be
as personal and informal as you wish. Nevertheless, a journal is not a
diary for merely listing things done during the day. It is a book for you
to fill with ideas you wish to ponder.
Know How to Use Freewriting:
Freewriting means writing down whatever comes into your mind without
stopping to worry about whether the idea is good or the spelling is correct.
You do nothing to interrupt the flow.
Know How to Use Brainstorming:
Brainstorming refers to making a list of all the ideas that come to
mind associated with a topic. The ideas can be listed as words, phrases,
or complete sentences. List making, like freewriting, produces its best
results when you let your mind range freely, generating quantities of ideas
before analyzing them. Brainstorming is done in two steps. First, make
your list. Then go back and try to find patterns in the list and ways to
group the ideas into categories. Set aside any items that do not fit into
groups. The groups with the most items are likely to reflect the ideas
that you can write about most successfully.
Know How to Use Mapping:
Mapping is much like brainstorming, but it is more visual. When you
map, start with your subject circled in the middle of a sheet of unlined
paper. Next draw a line radiating out from the center and name a major
division of your subject. Circle it, and from that circle move out to further
subdivisions. Keep associating to further ideas and to details related
to them. When you finish with one major division of your subject, go back
to the center and start again with another major division. As you go along,
add anything that occurs to you for any section of the map. Continue the
process until you run out of ideas.
Know How to Group Ideas:
Effective writing includes both general statements and specific details.
In informative and persuasive writing, general statements must be developed
with facts, reasons, examples, and illustrations. To group ideas, review
the material you accumulated while gathering ideas. Look for general ideas
and group them under less general topics. If you find your notes contain
only general ideas or very specific details, return to gathering techniques
to supply what you need.
Order Ideas:
Shaping ideas for writing also means ordering them into a logical structure.
You need to decide what should come first, second, and so on. Within the
essay, and within individual body paragraphs, you can order ideas in various
ways. The most common organizational strategies are generalization to specifics,
climactic order, chronological order, and spatial order.
Determine your Role and Tone:
As an adult writing to an adult audience, you are expected to sound
reasonable. Your stance is reflected in your tone--what you say and how
you say it. Tone can be broadly described as informal or formal; it is
informal in journals and freewriting. As you move from writing for the
private you to writing for an audience, you are expected to move toward
a more formal tone. Most audiences expect a tone midway between informal
and highly informal. Your tone should take into account the topic, purpose,
and audience.
Draft a Thesis Statement:
A thesis statement is the central theme of an essay. Because it prepares
your reader for what you will discuss, the thesis statement must accurately
reflect the content of the essay. Here is a list of basic requirements
for a thesis statement.
1. It states the essay's main idea--central point you are making to
the readers.
2. It reflects the essay's purpose--either to give your readers information
or to persuade your readers to agree with you.
3. It includes a focus--your assertion that conveys your point of view.
4. It may briefly state the major subdivisions of the essay's topic.
EXAMPLE: Adopted children should be able to find out about their birth-parents
for psychological, medical, and moral reasons.