Alfred Rosa & Paul Eschholz "Models for Writers" 9th Ed

Chapter 1 The Writing Process

■ Prewriting
-Understand Your Assignment
-Choose a Subject Area, and Focus on a Topic
  1. Topic: specific part of a subject on which a writer focuses
  2. Go from 'general' to 'specific'
-Get Ideas and Collect Information
  1. Ask questions about your topic
  2. Brainstorm
  3. Cluster
  4. Research
  5. Think creatively
-Establish Your Thesis
  1. Thesis: main idea, often expressed in one or two sentences called 'thesis statement'
  2. Thesis statement : the most important point, more general than supporting ideas and facts, and focused enough
  3. How to write a thesis statement: "What I want to say is....", not too general nor too specific, clear stance on an issue
-Know Your Audience
-Determine Your Method of Development
  1. Illustration
  2. Narration
  3. Description
  4. Process analysis
  5. Definition
  6. Division and Classification
  7. Comparison and Contrast
  8. Cause and Effect
  9. Argument
-Map Your Organization
  1. Make a scratch outline
  2. Chronological, Spatial, Least familiar to most familiar, Easiest to most difficult to comprehend, Easiest to most difficult to accept, According to similarities or differences