After writers think about their experiences and observations, they often take notes on paper to better develop their thoughts. Even everyday observations can lead to interesting topics. When selecting a topic, you may want to consider something that interests you or something based on your own life and personal experiences. My audience: _ Using Experience and Observations Write your purpose and your audience on your own sheet of paper, and keep the paper close by as you read and complete exercises in this chapter. The first important step is for you to tell yourself why you are writing (to inform, to explain, or some other purpose) and for whom you are writing. You will also be planning one of your own. In this chapter, you will follow a writer named Mariah as she prepares a piece of writing. A good topic not only covers what an assignment will be about but also fits the assignment’s purpose and its audience. Sometimes your instructor will give you an idea to begin an assignment, and other times your instructor will ask you to come up with a topic on your own. In addition to understanding that writing is a process, writers also understand that choosing a good general topic for an assignment is an essential step. Later you will learn more prewriting strategies that will narrow the focus of the topic. Although prewriting techniques can be helpful in all stages of the writing process, the following four strategies are best used when initially deciding on a topic:Īt this stage in the writing process, it is okay if you choose a general topic. Prewriting is the stage of the writing process during which you transfer your abstract thoughts into more concrete ideas in ink on paper (or in type on a computer screen). Using the strategies in this chapter can help you overcome the fear of the blank page and confidently begin the writing process. Although many more prewriting strategies exist, this chapter covers six: using experience and observations, freewriting, asking questions, brainstorming, mapping, and searching the Internet. This chapter will give you the chance to work on all these important aspects of writing. These are the five steps in the writing process:Įffective writing can be simply described as good ideas that are expressed well and arranged in the proper order. In other words, writing is a process that requires steps and strategies to accomplish your goals.

Just as you need a recipe, ingredients, and proper tools to cook a delicious meal, you also need a plan, resources, and adequate time to create a good written composition. Every process, from writing to cooking to bike riding to learning to use a new cell phone will get significantly easier with practice. When faced with a blank page, however, experienced writers remind themselves that writing, like other everyday activities, is a process. Many writers, students, and employees find that beginning to write can be intimidating. If you think that a blank sheet of paper or a blinking cursor on the computer screen is a scary sight, you are not alone. Use prewriting strategies to choose a topic and narrow the focus.

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