Processes

Writing Project Prep

 Getting Started

• Virtually all writing begins by asking questions:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why
• How
 Creating a Thesis
• The primary question is the most important part of pre-writing.
• This question provides focus for the paper.
• It also leads to the thesis, which is the potential answer to the question:
• Thesis = Hypothesis = Theory = Possible answer
• The rest of the paper attempts to prove the answer is correct or the best one
 Generating Ideas
Before, During, or After Thesis Creation

• Freewriting—spending a set • Questioning—applying the prior

amount of time writing anything
on the subject, in paragraphs
• Listing—creating list of
possibilities
• Clustering—aka webbing; ideas
linked by lines and bubbles, more
visually oriented pre-writing
questions to each of your ideas
• Outlining—more structured form of
listing, with each idea broken down
• Brainstorming—writing down
anything that comes to mind in any
format
• Conversation—talking the idea(s)
over with someone
 Pre-Writing
Important: You are not limited to one type of pre-writing.
You can link them together, ex. start with brainstorming, turn it into an
outline, and have a conversation with about your thoughts so far.
The Generating Ideas techniques can be used at any point in the writing
process, whether beginning the paper, beginning a new paragraph or section,
or figuring out how to add to a nearly final draft.
 Writing Process
• Pre-Write—see previous slides
• Research—not important for WP 1
• Draft—usually terrible, at first, but still words
on the page that can be revised
• Revise—marking what needs to be fixed; repeated as necessary
• Edit—fixing what needs to be fixed; repeated as necessary
• Final—what gets turned in
 Collaboration
At some point, you will probably have to do group writing projects,
whether in science labs or a workplace situation.
1) Keep on topic
2) Practice good time management
3) Take notes
4) Divide and conquer (clearly define the necessary tasks and divide them into parts
5) Consensus v. total agreement—You’ll never have 100% total agreement, seek to achieve consensus, a general
agreement; ex. Ask your family where they want to go out for dinner, can total agreement be achieved?
Probably not.
6) Responsibility—Everyone in group is responsible for everyone in group. Your choices affect the whole.