The Art of Writing

A Continuous Process – Guided Notes

General Process

1. Prewriting: ______, choose a topic, and gather details

Exs: Cluster, t-chart, outline, freewriting

2. Drafting: ______into paragraphs; it starts out rough with your 1st draft

Introduction with a [opening statement] and [main idea of essay]

Body: each paragraph has a topic sentence and develops a point

Conclusion: ______

3. Revising: making MAJOR changes then ______

4. Editing: making ______then you write 3rd (final) draft

5. ______: typing up essay

Different Forms of Prewriting

There are ______ideas for writing.

One of the easiest is to freewrite where you simply ______

as they come to your mind without stopping.

You can also use a ______

______and related areas spread out from the center

The same prompt can also be placed in an outline

The topic will ______and then each roman number will talk about the areas within that topic with ______, which is the most detailed prewriting plan

I. Intro.

A. Lead:

B. Thesis Statement:

II. Topic Paragraph 1: Violent Shows

A. Kids will act out violently

B. Kids won’t feel badly for others

III. Topic Par. 2: Commercials

A. Kids will want to buy everything they see

B. Kids will only value material things

IV. Topic Par 3: Laziness

A. Kids won’t be active so they’ll become obese

B. Kids’ attention span will also be negatively effected

V. Conclusion

Sum up main points

Pros

Cons

It’s entertaining

Violent shows

It’s educational

Commercials

Leads to laziness

Another type of prewriting activity is a ______

 It’s a t-chart where you put all the ______and the bad things on the other side

This is good for ______

Two Types of Essays

Expository

Persuasive

Use ______

Persuasive = you need to convince your reader that ______on a controversial issue is correct

Use ______& details

Use more stats., facts, & personal appeals

Ex – Think about your favorite season. Now write an essay explaining why this is your favorite season.

Only ______(show the other side is wrong)

Ex – Miami-DadeCounty is going to issue a curfew of 12 pm for those under 18. Write a letter persuading the county to enforce the curfew or get rid of it.

Different Types of Organization

Expository

Persuasive

I. Intro

II. 1st Reason

III. 2nd Reason

IV. 3rd Reason

Conclusion

I. Intro

II. 1st Reason

III. Other Side & Rebuttal (mention one reason from other side & show it’s wrong)

IV. Best Reason

V. Conclusion

Rebuttal Paragraph: Only for Persuasive

______like however or on the other hand

Give ONE argument of the ______

Use a transition word ______that argument is dead wrong

______for your rebuttal to show the other side doesn’t know what it’s talking about

Drafting: The Introduction

Once you have your ideas, you need to start writing.

Drafting is all about ______and paragraphs and it all starts with the introduction.

The introduction is the ______in your essay and it needs to be at least 4 sentences long but there are ______

The LEAD: this is the first sentence and is meant to ______

The THESIS STATEMENT: this is the last sentence of your introduction and it includes the ______of your essay

Effective Leads

Here are 5 good types of leads to use:

______

Did you know that 75% of people would consider Hawaii their favorite vacation place?

______

The cool days of October descended upon the region causing the leaves of the trees to bloom like sunsets as they fell to the ground.

______

_“The land of the black sand beaches.”

 ______

While most people would consider a beach their perfect destination, I would be most at home in the Amazon forest.

______

Miami may also have beaches, but Hawaii has something it doesn’t – volcanoes.

The In-between sentences

After your lead, you need to make some ______before you write your thesis statement. Use the SEE METHOD: Statement, Extension, Elaboration (add details to your lead)

Lead: The sun scorches my skin, but I don’t care because the cool Caribbean ocean protects me.

In-betweens: This is my idea of a perfect summer vacation. Far away from the struggles of school and home, all I have to worry about is applying enough sun block and having as much fun as I can in my island paradise.

Make sure your general statements ______.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the ______and lets your reader know how you think about a topic and your main reason why

Ex: A Caribbean island is my perfect summer vacation because I get to enjoy the ocean, the sun, and relax as I do so.

Body Paragraphs

Your introduction is followed with ______

Each paragraph will begin with a topic sentence which is the ______that connects back to the thesis statement. A topic sentence ______, but it should also bring up some new point in your essay.

Topic Sentences

Ex: Introduction

Thesis –A Caribbean island is my perfect summer vacation because I get to enjoy the ocean, the sun, and relax as I do so.

Ex: Body Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence – First of all, the crisp, clean, deep aquamarine of the beaches of the Caribbean would make anyone believe they had reached heaven.

Ex: Body Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence – Moreover, the warm and bright weather afford plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities.

Ex: Body Paragraph 3

Topic Sentence – Lastly, with its natural beauty, the Caribbean is the ideal place to relax and get away from the problems of reality.

Support

After your topic sentence you need to support your argument with details.

Details come in all shapes and sizes.

Here’s an easy way to remember:

F acts Something can be proven: Hawaii is known for its black beaches.

R easonsAn explanation: Hawaii attracts so many tourists because of its spectacular natural beauty.

I ncidentSomething that you’ve heard or read on tv or in an article: Hawaii is ranked as the number one vacation spot in travel magazines.

E xampleSomething that you or someone you know has experienced: When my family went to Hawaii, we stayed an extra week because there were so many things to do.

S statisticsNumbers, percentages: 60% of newlyweds have their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Putting a Body Paragraph Together

Topic Sentence
See Method: Elaborate on Your Topic Sentence
Use 2-3 FRIES
Wrap It Up

Literary Analysis Paragraphs: TIQATIQA

When you’re ______, it’s not so much about FRIES, as it is about analyzing the text closely by looking at and ______.

FORMAT:

T=______
I = Introduce Quote
Q = Quote (with citation)
A = Analyze (2-3 sentences explaining the ______, similar to SEE Method)
T = ______
I
Q
A

Conclusion

Begin with a ______: don’t repeat the exact same thing, come up with a new way to say it

Then ______

End with a BANG! – like your lead

After your 1st Draft

Now that the hard part’s over you need to go back to your 1st draft and ______.

In your first draft don’t look for grammar and spelling errors, ______

______, if your organization works, and if your essay has style

In your ______you can then look for grammar and spelling mistakes

You can revise and edit your own essays or ______

Revising VS.

Editing

Revision means ______

Revision is what you do ______

______/

Editing means ______

Editing is what you do ______your final draft for publishing

Revision Conference exs.:

This part needs a lot more details to make the action clear

This part is unnecessary and looses the reader; I suggest you take it out

This fourth paragraph would make a lot more sense somewhere in the beginning

Editing Conference exs.:

You use the word stories too much, think of synonyms.

This word is misspelled.

I think when you use a diary entry into the middle you should change the font.

I think this title should be changed.

Style & Voice

As in personal style & fashion, your writing should stand out.

There are many ways to do this such as using showing sentences, ______

______

Transitions

Transitions are the words that show a change from one paragraph to the next and one thought to the next.

•Use transition words when ______or argument, showing the opposing side of an argument, or concluding an argument

•However______are created equal

Good Vs. Bad Transition Words

Bad:

•First of all

•Next, second, third, my second reason is

•But

•Last, In conclusion

•Like

Good:

•Initially, For starters

•Also, Furthermore, In addition, Moreover

•On the other hand, however

•Finally, Thus, Consequently, Therefore, Hence

•For example, such as,

Show, Don’t Tell

This is the great writerly advice every writer gets

When you’re trying to describe it is often better to be subtle – don’t just say someone is happy, ______by describing how they look and act because they are happy

Examples

Telling sentences:

He was so nervous.

The pizza was delicious

Showing sentences:

He attempted to speak, but all he could do was clear his throat over and over again and strum his pen on the desk.

Her mouth watered at every bite of the pizza and she didn’t even mind that the sauce was all around her usually perfect lips.

Sensory Language = using all your senses to describe images

Figurative Language

•Along with sensory words, figurative language is the most common way poets create imagery in their poems. This is also very common in Prose

•Simile: the comparison of ______unlike things using like or as. She spoke like a typewriter.

•Metaphor: like a simile but ______. Her typewriter voice woke everyone up.

•Hyperbole: ______, often used for comedy. He was a walking dictionary.

•Alliteration: the ______in a phrase. The salty sea slashed across the waves.

•Personification: the description of ______. The waves coughed up the wrecked ship.

•Onomatopoeia: the use of a word to represent a real sound. Meow, zoom

Editing

______to look for

Capitalization

______but not common nouns

Ex: The EmpireStateBuilding / the tall building

Punctuation: .,;? ______

Verbs: make sure verb and subject ______

Ex: They walk to the part not They walks to the park

Spelling: double-check

Persuasive Techniques: Propaganda

______= most people feel one way about an issue and urges others to go along with the majority

Ex: Everybody’s experienced an urgent moment where a cellphone has proven indispensable, so no one should want to ban it.

Loaded Language/Glittering Generalities = ______, that can be patriotic or religious, that doesn’t give any facts

Ex: What the other side proposes is ludicrous and just plain dangerous to our democratic way.

Stereotyping = uses commonly held and ______to make a point

Ex = This younger generation is lazy and self-centered, and needs all the technology they can get their hands onto stay attentive.

Persuasive Techniques (cont.)

Ordinary Folks = makes association with simple values & ______
Appeal to science = suggests that they have ______without giving facts
______= showcases other people’s sayings, like an eye-witness account
Repetition = drives the message home by saying it ______

______= predicts possible negative effects of making the wrong choice

Publish & Present

Once, your essay has been revised and turned into a 2nd draft and then edited and, you can type it up and turn it in your 3rd and final draft

______

Typed

Double-spaced

12 pt. Times New Roman Font – Black

No cover page

1 inch margins

Turn in EVERYTHING – prewriting activity, 1st, 2nd , and 3rd draft stapled together with the 3rd draft on top

The Art of Writing