Writing a Paper

Remember that no paper worth a passing grade is ever written in?

one draft

basic thesis requirement

thesis statement is supported with a minimum of three planks (also called points)

What is the standard amount of time should you devote to editing your paper?

60% of your time is devoted to editing.

Step 8 in editing first draft and writing second

Check your conclusion

Step 7 in editing first draft and writing second

Check your opening; does it fit the assignment? How does it work as a hook to interest my reader?

Step 12 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Check your spelling—and don't rely on spell check. Spell check can't tell whether you meant to write form and typed from instead. It just recognizes that from is a legitimate word and skips over it. But your reader won't skip over it; your reader will think, "He didn't bother to proof his paper." Not a good thing.

Step 11 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Check your word order. Make sure you have no misplaced or dangling modifiers.

Step 9 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Eliminate all indefinite pronouns

Step 8 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Eliminate and fix your fragments and comma splices.

Step 5 in editing first draft and writing second

Eliminate the redundancies.

Step 4 Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted:

Have you met the assignment? Go back and reread the assignment itself. Have you done what you were asked to do? Sometimes you are asked to single-space instead of double-space; have you made sure you have adhered to each of the professor's requirements? Have you written about the topic the professor assigned?

Step 3 Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted:

Have you read your paper aloud to someone else? Was this person able to paraphrase what you have intended to say in each paragraph? If this person says, "I am not quite clear what you mean," then talk out what you do mean and then go back and clarify in your paper.

Step 2 In editing first draft and writing second

Highlight the topic sentences from each section. These will be from your essay map. In a five-paragraph essay, they should be the topic sentences and most likely the first or second sentence of each paragraph. For a longer paper, they will be the topic of sections of paragraphs. Do these support the thesis? If no, fix. If yes, move to step 3.

Step 2 Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted:

How are the 5 Ws? In other words, does each paragraph answer the 5 W's? Are you clear? Go through a hard copy of your paper and mark the who, what, when, where, why, how in each paragraph. If you don't have each clearly delineated, go back and rework

Step 5 Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted:

How's the flow in each paragraph? Does each sentence's idea lead seamlessly into the next? Or do you jump around a bit or leave gaps where the reader has to fill in? If the latter, go back and rework

Step 1 Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted:

How's the skeleton? In other words, could a reader make a clear, parallel outline from your paper? To check, first check your thesis. Is it a statement of opinion, not a statement of fact? Do you have the essay map—the three main points that support your thesis—clearly stated either in the thesis or immediately after the thesis (and stated in one sentence)? Does each of the sections in your paper contain the exact phrases from each point of your essay map? If not, rework. (Listen to the podcasts on outlines for further help.)

Step 4 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Make sure each sentence has a complete subject and verb

Step 5 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Make sure you have used the most effective verb in each sentence

Step 6 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Make sure your subjects and verbs agree in number.

Step 4 in editing first draft and writing second

Now ask, "Are my paragraphs arranged in the best order? How about the sentences within the paragraphs?"

Step 6 Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted:

Once you feel that the content is correct and clear, you now need to start editing the mechanics. You will find that clarifying your ideas will solve a multitude of mechanical errors. Invest your time into fixing the content first.

Rule 2 to remember when writing your draft

Once you have finished your download, get away from the computer for a while. The best method is to download that first draft early, and then go do something totally different from homework or writing.

Steps 1 in editing first draft and writing second.

Print a hard copy; you will always see much more when you read on paper than you do on screen. Get a highlighter. Now highlight and then look at your thesis. Don't read the whole paper; just highlight the thesis. Ask yourself, "Is this thesis as focused as it could be?" If the answer is no, fix it. If it's yes, move on to step 2.

Step 1 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Print a new hard copy, one that has all the changes you made in content editing. Print out the reports from the online services. Put them side by side. Get a highlighter and mark all that you need to fix; check the references that the online service gave you as well as your Hacker text.

Step 10 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

. Simplify your sentences. That means your sentences will become easier to read, which means that your reader will understand what you are trying to say much more quickly. One good rule of thumb: check to see where an overly long sentence naturally breaks. Then break it there, creating two separate sentences.

To write the first draft:

1. Take that outline in hard copy and put it in front of you. 2. Write your thesis statement; you will build the opening and conclusion later. 3. Type

Steps of a Paper

1. Thesis 2. Body 3. First Draft 4. Editing the first draft and writing the second 5. Editing the second draft and writing the third draft. 6.Deciding if your paper is ready to be submitted.

For each part of the thesis plan what should you do?

1. copy that preliminary outline and stretch out the spacing between the essay map points. 2. Then list the 5 W's. Who, What, Where, When, why, and How. 3. Answer each one, giving evidence as you think of it:

Step 2 The Body

A good essay is like a good sandwich: the filling is dense and satisfying

Step 3 in editing first draft and writing second

Ask yourself, "Does each paragraph support that topic sentence?" Remember that each paragraph should answer the five W's. (You know by now you either have to fix or move on, depending on your answer.)

How many drafts of your paper should you have?

At least 3

Step 7 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Check for the elementary stuff: all sentences start with a capital letter and have proper and correct punctuation at the end of the sentence

Step 3 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

Read your paper backwards, starting with the last sentence first. That way you read the sentences out of context, which means you read what's really written, not what you meant to write. Read it aloud. You may feel silly doing so, but you will hear the sentences, which you don't do as you read on screen. Fix any errors.

Step 6 in editing first draft and writing second

Shore up the weak spots.

Parts of a thesis Plan

The Thesis, First Point, Second Point, Third Pont, and Conclusion

Step 2 in editing the second draft and writing the third draft

When you edit, do so in short bursts. Avoid thinking, "I can sit here all afternoon and edit in one session." You can, but the editing won't be any good. You will become too involved in your work to have an objective eye as you edit. Remember the sprinter method of writing; break up your editing in short bursts, no more than ten minutes at a time. Six effective and 100% 10-minute concentration bursts of editing, spread out over two days, equals one hour of excellent quality of editing—far better than one session lasting one hour comprised of perhaps 20% concentration and 80% pretend working.

Step 1

Thesis: A thesis statement has to be a statement of opinion

Rule 1 to remember when writing your draft

When you type your first draft, do not edit as you do so. Editing as you go slows down the entire process. Why? Well, for one reason, because it interrupts your train of thought.