How To Write An Essay:  Part 1:  Prewriting.

This information sheet is in four parts.  Part one is prewriting, part two is writing, part three is revising, and part four is editing. 

Prewriting is the process where you gather as much information about your topic as possible.  An essay will emerge from that jumbled mess.

There are many names for the example below:  mapping, webbing, or clustering.

A web is usually done with a pencil, not on the computer.  I find this is a good method when you have a million thoughts but you don’t know how to organize them.  The nice thing about webbing is it can help you tell what will be in each of your paragraphs.  The example below is for an essay describing someone's bedroom.   Notice the first branches are general, and the branches of the main branches are specific.

How To Write An Essay:  Part 2:  Writing.

This information sheet is in four parts.  Part one is prewriting, part two is writing, part three is revising, and part four is editing. 

You have a pile of notes from the prewriting exercise.  How do you turn that into an essay?

First, you need a focus.  A focus will give you direction because it will tell you what to write about.  You need to look at your notes and decide what is interesting.  In our example, a description of your room, you could focus on how messy or clean your room is.  You could focus on how your room became “your” room.  The point of the essay is to describe your room, but you should focus in on one aspect of your room to write about.

Eventually, you’ll need an opening paragraph, or introduction as I usually call it.  You may write it first or last—it’s up to you.  There are lots of ways to write an intro.  You might:  begin with a funny story to set a humorous tone; start with a simple fact that will be important later; draw your reader’s attention with a question or two; gain your reader’s attention with a startling fact, a confession, quotation, or hint of what’s to come; start out with dialogue; or simply identify the main points you wish to cover.

Make your opening interesting.  HOW??? Well…I usually write things that are similar to the things I like to read.  You have to decide what that is for you.

Let’s take a look at that pile of notes you have from prewriting.  You need to organize it. Every paragraph of your essay should have a separate idea, and each paragraph needs a topic sentence.  For example, let’s say you have clustered some information about what is on the walls of your room, and you have several examples.  One paragraph might read:

“My parents are pretty cool about me putting things on the walls, and I have a lot on the walls.  On one wall I have a giant, framed poster of Hello Kitty.  On another wall I have a bulletin board filled with pictures I’ve taken with my friends, like the picture of Gina and me at Oaks Park, the one where we are laughing so hard we look demented.”  Et cetera, et cetera.

Notice that every sentence relates to the first sentence.  I'm only discussing what's on walls.  I'm not discussing the floor or the furniture.  Notice how my example above is filled with specifics.  I didn’t say posters, I said a Hello Kitty poster.  I didn’t say pictures, I described who is in the picture.  Specifics will always get your reader’s attention and add lots of imagery to your writing.  Don’t write about toothpaste; write about mint toothpaste with baking soda; don’t write about food; write about thick crust pepperoni pizza; don’t write about plants; write about a 100 foot tall Douglas fir tree.

From now on, you’re on your own, until we begin the revising process.  Remember:  Mr. Black says there is

no such thing as writer’s block.  Don’t horse around, don’t sit and stare, don’t be cranky because I give you so  much writing to do.  Just write.

One other thing.  Should you include a picture or drawing when you turn in your essay?  Absolutely not.  Your essay should be SO descriptive and SO full of specific details that I will be able to pick out your bedroom among 1,000 bedrooms.  BUT…should you draw a picture or look at a picture during the writing process?  If you are the type of person who needs an artistic component to your schoolwork, then yes, by all means.

How To Write An Essay:  Part 3:  Revising.

This information sheet is in four parts.  Part one is prewriting, part two is writing, part three is revising, and part four is editing. 

This is my favorite part!  Like prewriting, there are many, many things you can do to help you revise.  Maybe I should define revising first, though.

Revising is NOT editing.  Editing is looking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.  Editing is fixing run-on sentences.

Revising is looking at your essay in a fresh, creative way.  Revising is usually done with fun exercises that can really give you a new perspective on your writing.  Revising will help you change, cut, add, or rewrite all or part of your essay. 

Here are some methods:

1. Underline a few parts of speech, like verbs and adjectives.  Do this with colored pencils, and use a different color for each part of speech.  Look at your paper when you are finished, and decide if you could use stronger verbs or more vivid adjectives.  For example, you might say you ran fast to your house, but an even better way is to say you raced home.

2. Pick three or five or 10 sentences and rewrite each one three different times.  Then, choose the best rewrite.  You might even try them out on different people to get their opinions.

3. List the five senses.  Choose a colored pencil for each of the five senses.  Then, every time your essay uses sensory detail for touch, underline it.  Every time your essay uses sensory detail for smell, underline it.  Do the same for all five senses.  When you are finished, decide if your essay has too much of one sense and not enough of another. 

4. Look for emotional passages in your essay.  All good writing contains strong feelings and emotions.  If your essay is lacking these, put them in.  Sometimes, it’s very difficult.  You have to be brave. 

5. What else?  There are thousands of tips and techniques; these are just some of my favorites.  Be creative!

Here are some other questions to consider:

1.   Is the writing interesting?  Add examples or details.

2.   Are there enough details?  Add details, facts, or examples to support the main idea.

3.   Is every sentence related to the topic?  Cut unrelated ideas.

4.   Are ideas and details arranged in a clear order?  Reorder ideas and details to make the meaning clear.

5.   Are the connections between ideas and sentences clear?  Add transition words--because, for example, in other words, usually.

6.  Is the language appropriate for the audience and purpose?  Replace difficult words with easier ones for    younger readers.  For experienced readers, use more difficult words.  Replace slang and contractions in formal writing.

How To Write An Essay:  Part 4:  Editing.

This information sheet is in four parts.  Part one is prewriting, part two is writing, part three is revising, and part four is editing. 

I can not state this enough:  Read your writing out loud.  Read it out loud many, many, many times.  Make sure that what and how you read is reflected in your essay.  Is your essay written the way you talk?  Do you talk in run-on sentences?  Is there a comma where you paused?

You get a proofreading checklist with every assignment, and there is a proofreading checklist available on my home page.