Starting to Write

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Information Power/Writing A Paper/Getting Started

Starting to Write is brought to you from the Purdue Writing Center with additions from the Palomar Library

Starting to Write

You can try the text book formula:

I. State your thesis.
II. Write an outline.
III. Write the first draft.
IV. Revise and polish

...but that often doesn't work!

Instead, you can try one or more of these strategies:

Ask Yourself What Your Purpose is for Writing About the Subject

There are many "correct" things to write about for any subject, but you need to narrow down your choices. For example, your topic might be "situation comedies." At this point, you and your potential reader are asking the same question, "So what?" Why should you write about this, and why should anyone read it?

Do you want the reader to agree that all situation comedies are sappy?

Do you want to analyze situation comedy characters?

Do you want to compare Friends to South Park.?
Look at examples for refining your topic.

Ask Yourself How You are Going to Achieve This Purpose

How, for example, would you achieve your purpose if you want to describe some television show as the best you've ever seen? Have you defined for yourself a specific means of doing so if you tell the reader that you really liked the series?

Start the Ideas Flowing

Brainstorm. Gather as many good and bad ideas, suggestions, examples, sentences, false starts, etc. as you can. Perhaps some friends can join in. Jot down everything that comes to mind, including material you are sure you will throw out. Be ready to keep adding to the list at odd moments as ideas continue to come to mind.

Talk to your audience, or pretend that you are being interviewed by someone-- or by several people, if possible (to give yourself the opportunity of considering a subject from several different points of view). What questions would the other person ask? Try, instead, to teach the subject to a group or a class.

See if you can find a fresh analogy that opens up a new set of ideas. Build your analogy by using the word "like." For example, if you are writing about violence on television- Analogy: TV violence is like clowns fighting in a carnival act (that is, we know that no one really is getting hurt)?

Suggested resources to locate information on a current topic
Encyclopedias to locate background information on your topic
Use a database like InfoTrac or EbscoHost to locate periodical articles
Use the Catalog to locate books
Click here to search on the Web

Take a Rest And Let it All Percolate

Nutshell Your Whole Idea

Tell it to someone in three or four sentences.

Diagram Your Major Points Somehow

Make a tree, outline, or whatever helps you to see a schematic of what you have. You may discover the need for more material in some places.

Write a First Draft

Then, if possible, put it away. Later, read it aloud or to yourself as if you were someone else. Watch especially for the need to clarify or add more information.

You may find yourself jumping back and forth between these various strategies...

You may find that one strategy works better than another...

You may find yourself trying several strategies at once...

If so, then you are probably doing something right!

Purdue University Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/Files/103.html
Click here to see organizing patterns for your paper.

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