Chapter no 1

Writing As A Process
Writing is one of the most common ways of communication. There are no set patterns
of writing. However there is no doubt in saying that it is a complex skill. For an
effective writing nearly all the writers do similar things.

 They generate ideas

 They plan, draft and develop their writing
 They revise, edit and proofread

As writing is a process, it involves certain steps e.g.

1. Prewriting/Discovering Ideas
2. Organizing Ideas
3. Drafting
4. Revising
5. Editing
6. Proof Reading
1. Prewriting/Discovering Ideas
The first activity in writing is to find a topic or what to write about. Prewriting is
where you find an idea to write something. This step is done before drafting,
revising, editing, proofreading and publishing.
In prewriting we use different techniques and strategies to discover and generate
ideas. Following are some of them.

a. Clustering
In this prewriting technique we write a word in the centre of a page and start
writing other words related to this word. After linking different words to the
main word we form a cluster of words. In this way we produce more clusters
and get material for writing on the topic.
 Science English
Bottles

Canteen Library

College
Samosay

Computer Lab Hostel

Warden
PCs Rooms

b. Free writing
Free writing is another prewriting technique in which we continuously write for
a set period of time without worrying about grammar spellings and punctuation.
It is rapid, uncensored and carefree writing strategy that provides you with
some useable sentences.
Free writing increases the flow of ideas. Here you write down whatever comes
to your mind, you just keep on producing even you run out of thoughts.

Example of Free Writing

A Memorable Moment
The day I got my driving license, cloudy, raining, sweaty hands, exam room,
crowded people pushing, smoking, waiting in line, dirty floor, waiting and
waiting in line, candy wrappers on floor, everyone seems older than me. My
test passed. Thanks, people in line got angry, go to the next line, for vision
test, passed, important moment for me.
c. Brainstorming/Listing
In Brainstorming, words or phrases are produced. Unlike free writing, do not
write complete sentences rather make a list of words. Do not worry about
grammar, spellings or even punctuation. Do not judge or skip any idea no matter
how silly or illogical it seems in the beginning. You can decide later which one is
useful or which one is not. Do this for 20-30 minutes until you think you have
enough material.

Example of Brainstorming
Electronic Technology
Cell phone cable Unconscious of near happenings
IPad DVD’s Lack of concentration.
Laptop Too much? Eye sight and mascular problems
Tablet Always on call at home, in car, at school
Playing T.V. Calling, SMS, tunes, watching videos
Positive or negative Tik-Tok So much time in electronic world

d. Asking a Reporter’s Question / Questioning

Journalists gather information and facts to write a news story. In this technique
by asking yourself as a journalist, you can generate ideas. Simply answer 5 W’s
and one H (What, When, Where, Why, Who and How). When you start
answering, the story begins to develop. For a topic that is not based on your
personal experience, you may need to do reading or interviewing to answer
some of the questions. Take an example of the assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan
and notice how each question can lead to further questions.
 Who was Liaqat Ali Khan?
 What happened to Liaqat Ali Khan?
 Where was Liaqat Ali Khan assassinated?
 When was he assassinated?
 Why was he assassinated?
 How was Liaqat Ali Khan assassinated?
e. Diary, Journal, blog entries
Writing diary, journal or blog for sometime everyday can be a good general
source of ideas. A diary is often the most personal of the three. It is arranged by
date and have space for you to write what has happened over the course of the
day. A journal is a diary in a sense. It can be used to express yourself like diary
but it is not necessarily daily activity. A blog is another form of diary or journal
but it is digital and on the internet. They are often referred to as online diaries.
 Many people use blogs to express themselves and to keep them in touch with
their family, friends and society.
2. Organizing Ideas
After using any of these techniques, we discover or generate some ideas. Before
moving forward we must organize these ideas into proper pattern. For this
purpose, we should decide a rough topic sentence for a paragraph or a working
thesis sentence for an essay. A topic or thesis sentence should consist of topic
plus statement. It means it should express an opinion, feeling or attitude about
it. For example, (thesis sentence). ‘There are several ways for college students
to improve their study habits.’
This statement clearly gives the idea of the whole essay for the proper
organization of ideas we can use informal or formal outlines.
A. Informal or Rough outline
Such outline usually consists of a simple list of ideas for example, the rough
outline for the essay “An Elephant” can be.
i. Description
ii. Habits and Food
iii. How and Why hunted
iv. Strength and Intelligence, making elephant useful to man.
v. Once the structure is set, the writer can add more sensory details to it
such as long trunk, white tusks, loud trumpets, etc.
vi. Its different uses.
B. Formal outline
These outlines are formed for longer writing projects or essays. They have
numbered and lettered categories such as:
Thesis sentence (controlling Idea of Essay)
I. First topic sentence (First main supporting idea)
A. First supporting example
1. First specific supporting detail
2. Second specific supporting detail
a. Additional supporting detail
b. Additional supporting detail
B. Second supporting example
II. Second topic sentence (Second main supporting idea)

(This pattern continues for the length of the essay)

3. Drafting
After getting ideas and organizing them it’s time to begin the first or rough draft.
During drafting the writer puts his ideas into complete thoughts, such as
sentences and paragraphs. The writer will compose an introduction and develop
a conclusion for the material.
The process of drafting begins with an analysis of the prewriting. Here the writer
focuses his writing by narrowing down the topic. For example, if the writer has
generally discussed about Horses: show horses, working horses and racing
horses. These are all topics that could stand alone in an essay. During the
drafting the writer should select just one of these topics for his piece of writings.
The writer should compose a solid and interesting introduction. There must be a
logical sequence in the writing. The body must contain the information or
material related to the topic sentence. Each paragraph should include its own
topic sentence.
While concluding, the writer should wrap up by connecting all the thoughts and
ideas. The best conclusions are creative, engaging and leave few questions in
reader’s minds.
Bob Brannan in his book, ‘A writer’s workshop’, suggests some measures for
ideal drafting. He is of the view that suitable environment helps in producing
good composition.
For ideal results:
 Try to create a comfortable surrounding for timely completion of work.
 Pay attention to your main idea without concerning errors.
 Avoid feeling negative about your writing.
 The draft could be composed on a keyboard or on a paper.
 If you are writing in shifts, leave an idea or sentence unfinished for next
sitting.
 Talk to yourself on paper.
 Put yourself in place of others.
 Enjoy a break of a few minutes.
 Now, you can move for a second and third draft for further refinement.
4. Revising or reviewing means “Seeing Again.” It may occur at any and all stages
of the writing process. Most writers do a lot of it. Unlike drafting, revising
requires a more critical (but not negative) approach. It can be done with a
willingness to look closely at the work knowing that it can be changed or
improved.
Revising can be of two types:
1. Macro Revising
2. Micro Revising
Macro revising is related to making large, global or fundamental changes that
affect the overall direction or impact of writing—its purpose, organization or
audience.
Micro revising is paying attention to words, sentences, grammar and
punctuation etc.
Elements of Revising
Revision requires certain elements to be checked:

a. Content
Material or content is the most important feature in writing. In revision:
 Check your thoughts and ideas whether they are clear and easily
understandable for the readers.
 Check out for enough examples and details to satisfy reader.
 Pick up unnecessary details and irrelevant examples.
b. Organization
 Check your topic and thesis sentence.
 Review the overall organizational pattern.
 Check your ending. Does it link to the main point.
c. Style
 What words are not appealing
 Avoid unnecessary repeated words.
 Do you have variety in length and type.
d. Mechanics
Check out the mechanics i.e. grammar, spellings and punctuation.
Further we can have a Revising Checklist for better results.
 Have I written an interesting introduction?
 Have I used interesting vocabulary?
 Have I used a selection of different connectives?
 Have I used complete sentences?
 Does my conclusion make any sense?
5. Editing
After checking material, organization and style, its time now to edit you draft.
Editing means to correct or refine (Mechanics) grammar, spellings and
punctuation. The main objective of editing is to make your writing readable,
understandable and enjoyable.
 Whenever you want to check a word or sentence, consult a good
reference book.
  Learn about grammatical rules so that you can spot and eliminate
problems in your writing.
 Practice until you easily recognize the major errors i.e. use of
punctuation marks.
 Seek help from your peers, tutors or experts.
a. How to Edit
 Go slow, stopping often to look at your work.
 Focus on words or word groups.
 Try putting your fingers on eaen word.
 Go line by line and stop at the end of every idea or thought.
 If you are not sure about the possible mistake, write a question mark
at the end.
 Read many times, but at a time focus only on a single error.
 Prepare an improvement chart and put your common errors into it.
 Use computer for spell check.
b. Major categories of Mechanical Errors
Following are the errors that need to be focused:
1. Grammar
a. Subject verb agreement
b. Verb tense shift
c. Correct verb forms
d. Proper use of pronouns
2. Punctuation
a. Use of commas
b. Sentence fragments
c. Use of apostrophe
d. Question marks
3. Words
a. Spellings
b. Wrong words
c. Sound alike words (Homonyms)
d. Missing words
e. Capitalization

Check list
You can check your editing by answering these questions.

 Have I written correct sentences (Grammar)

 Have I constructed clear and effective sentences? (sentence)
  Have I used correct and well selected words? (word choice)
 Have I need to add, correct or drop any marks? (punctuation)
 Have I need to correct capitals, italics or other matters? (mechanism)
 Have I need to adjust margins spacing or headings? (format)
6. Proofreading
Proofreading is the last step in the process of writing before publishing. It
consists of a final sweep through your paper with an eye, for errors. While
proofreading, we check sentence, structure grammar, verb tense and
punctuation. We also look for mistakes in spellings, use of quotations, citation
details and typographical errors etc.

All writers make mistakes when they put their thoughts on paper because the
mind works faster than the pencil or computer. A moment’s break in
concentration – when someone talks or our phone rings, can lead to errors. It’s
not a bad thing. Simply, take the time to find and correct the errors.
Proofreading requires patience and it is a skill that can be developed.

How to Proofread
 Sit patiently for hours and have ample time for this activity
 Check for typographical errors such as misspelled or omitted words
 Check the margins (1 inch), font size (12 points), line spacing (single or double
spacing) and specially the title.
 Look for proper capitalization
 Check for the proper usage of Articles, Prepositions and Conjunction
 Keep a list of your habitual errors
 Focus on one line at a time
 Ask someone else to read your paper and tell you about errors
 Use a dictionary or spell checker
 Specially check unnecessary Commas and Apostrophes

Checklist
 Have I read my draft slowly looking at every letter and word?
 Have I noticed what is actually written not what I think is there?
 Have I read the draft aloud so that I can see or hear my mistakes?
 Have I read backwards to look at each word instead of getting caught up in the
flow of ideas?
 Have I read my draft several times, focusing each time on a specific area of
difficulty? (i.e.) once for spellings, once for grammar and once for punctuation?
 Chapter no 3
ESSAY WRITING
Essay is a written composition in which the author shares his/her knowledge about a
certain topic. Many body paragraphs can also be developed into essays. In doing so,
their topic sentences become thesis sentences sub topic sentences become topic
sentences and concluding sentences become concluding paragraphs.

3.1 Qualities of a Good Essay

1. Planned:
A good essay is the result of a careful planning and selection of
material. Good essays are not produced abruptly but are prepared
with careful consideration and thought.
2. Comprehensive:
A good essay is comprehensive in its approach and vision. A well-
written essay covers all the aspects related to the topic.
3. Objective:
Though an essay reflects its writer’s perspective but, to make it
impressive, it should be objective and impartial.
4. Well-Balanced:
A well-crafted essay is always well balanced. A good writer gives
importance to each of its various parts and sections.
5. Coherent:
It is another characteristic of a good essay. It means that the events
and parts in the essay are very well connected with one another.
6. Unified:
A good passage always creates the impact of one organic whole on
the reader.
7. Logical Sequence:
A good essay always reflects logical sequence of idea in a composed
and controlled manner.

In addition to the above features, a good essay is always dirct, simple,

vigorous and lucid. Its title is also chosen very carefully.

3.2 Stages in Essay Writing

Following are the different stages in writing of an essay:
 i. Collect the Material:
A good essay is the result of a careful study and research. Therefore, before
writing an essay, we need to collect the relevant material to make it
authentic.

ii. Define the Scope:

Since an essay is always specific and to the point, it is essential to define its
scope. For example, when we have to write on “Terrorism in the world”, we
need to give a worldwide view while writing on “Terrorism in Pakistan” we
need to restrict our scope and limit it to Pakistan alone.

iii. Make an Outline:

The outline of an essay relates to its structure. It consists of the main and
sub points of the essay. The outline of an essay keeps us focused and
systematic.

iv. Prepare the First Draft:

An essay is a detailed composition, it is generally best produced after revising
and editing. Moreover, we should keep the main points in our mind. Without
main points, it is not possible to maintain coherence and unity in the ideas.

3.3 Parts/Components of an Essay

An essay can be distributed into three distinct parts:

i. Introduction
ii. Main Body-Development of an Idea
iii. Conclusion
i. Introduction
The first paragraph of an essay introduces the topic (thesis sentence). The
introductory paragraph is most important because it provides direction for
the entire essay. It also sets the tone and helps in grabbing reader’s
attention. For writing effective introduction:
 Describe your main idea or what the essay is about.
 Define or explain the title in a precise, specific way.
 Keep your introduction brief and effective.
 Avoid starting abruptly or too philosophically.
 Use quotations, statements dictionary meanings or sayings to
introduce the reader to the main idea.
  Avoid clichés and bombastic beginnings.
ii. Main Body
Once the beginning is set, we can move on to the main body of the essay. It
is in this part of the discussion that we compare and contrast, provide details
such as facts, quotes, examples and concrete statistics. For developing main
body:
 Evaluate all the possible aspects of a problem, topic or issue.
 Give due importance to each aspect.
 Do not appear biased or prejudiced in your approach.
 Relate all your ideas to one another.
 Avoid too long or too short paragraphs.
 Use supporting material to argument and develop ideas. We can use
examples, facts, comparisons, contrasts and other devices to make the
text authentic.
iii. Conclusion
The concluding paragraph must summarize the essay. This is often the most
difficult paragraph to write. A poor conclusion can adversely affect the
overall impression of the essay. In conclusion, we should restate the thesis
and connect it with the body of the essay. For crafting conclusion:
 Reinforce the idea already established in the main body. Do not
introduce any new idea in the concluding part of the essay.
 Avoid passive and feeble ending, pack it with a punch of force.
 Unrelated or irrelevant ending-spoils the impression.
 Give convincing ideas in conclusions avoid making sweeping
statements.

ESSAY WRITING
An essay is a short composition based on a particular subject or theme, usually done
by students as a part of the workload at school or university. It may be written to:

 Describe (a particular topic or situation)

 Persuade (convince a reader to adopt a certain point of view)
 Inform (to present information that your readers don’t know)
 Explain (to explain a certain process or situation, for example how to bake a
cake)

To write an essay, begin by supplying ideas and follow these steps:

 Decide On Topic (If it wasn’t assigned)

  Do Some Research
 Come Up With A Thesis
 Create An Outline
o Introduction
o Body
o Conclusion
 Write a Rough Draft
 Write a Final Draft
 Polish It Up

Deciding On Topic
Before writing an essay, you must make sure to choose a suitable topic; this is
important because it will set the tone of the whole paper. Selecting a proper topic can
also make the difference between an interesting essay and a dull one. Consider these
things before choosing a topic for your essay.

 Make sure to have access to all the materials you may need before writing a
paper.
 If allowed, choose a topic that is familiar to you. It will be easy and interesting
for you to write about a theme in which you are well versed.
 Define The Purpose: What is the purpose of your essay? Are you trying to
inform the audience of something interesting or persuade them to agree with
your opinion? Even if your goal is just to tell a story, have a clear understanding
of the purpose of the writing. This ensures that the audience will understand
you properly, and that you waste both time and effort.
 Subject Depth: At what point on the spectrum of depth do you plan on
reaching? How broad or narrow do you want to go in your discussion? The best
option is to find the golden middle. Make sure that you subject is not too deep
so only you can understand what you are talking about. Then, check that it is
not too broad/narrow, to make sure that you will be able to find enough
information.

Typical mistakes when choosing a topic:

 Choosing a boring topic because it is easy to write about Writing about boring
topic will lead to a boring essay as the outcome.
 Choosing a broad topic, for example, “computer games” and not narrowing it
down to something more specific like “computer games violence and kids”.
 Desire to look smart by choosing hard and strange topics.
****************
 Example of Writing Essay
Essay Outline
Introduction
An introduction must accomplish 4 main goals:

 Grab the reader’s attention;

 Make a preview of three subtopics;
 Contain the thesis statement;
 Briefly describe the main idea of your essay in 4-5 sentences.
Your hook statement may be an acendote or a quote, but only one that is
related to your story. Starling information is another way to grab the reader’s
attention.
Good attention grabber: The point where my life changed was when I lost my
elder brother in drastic suicide almost 14 years ago at his home.

Body Paragraphs
This is the part of an essay in which you need to explain and develop main ideas of
your topic. It comes after an introduction and before the conclusion. Usually, this is
the longest part of an essay. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence, then write
down a supporting point for that idea and end up with writing an elaboration (it can
be a description, explanation or example).
The structure of the body paragraphs should look like this:

 A clear topic sentence;

 Specific evidence or supporting detail;
 Transitions between sentences and paragraphs;
 a concluding sentence that will tie the evidence or details back to the main point
and brings the paragraph to the logic end.

Conclusion
This part brings the reader to the end of your story. Restate your thesis statement and
main ideas of the essay that were written in the body. Then sum up your points and
provide a final look on your topic.
TIP: to conclude your essay, you will need three or four strong sentences.
Here is an example of an essay outline:

 introduction Paragraph:
o Hook statement;
o A preview of the subtopics you will discuss in the body;
 o A thesis statement;
 Body Paragraphs:
o Topic sentence (must state the first subtopic and be opened with a
transition);
o (Claim piece of argument that will be defended);
o Evidence (Information to support claim);
o An explanation (Describes how the evidence defends the claim);
o Concluding sentence;
 Concluding Paragraph:
o Restatement of the thesis statement;
o Rephrasing main subtopics;
o Concluding statement.