1. Chapter One An Introduction to Writing
College Writing Skills with Readings, 9/e
John Langan

2. The Process: 4 Steps in a Nutshell
Discover a clearly stated point or thesis.
Provide logical, detailed support for your thesis.
Organize and connect your supporting material.
Revise and edit so that your sentences are effective and error-free.

3. (What kind? How many? What did it look/feel/smell/taste/sound like?)
Point and Support
Any idea that you advance MUST be supported with specific reasons or details.
(What kind? How many? What did it look/feel/smell/taste/sound like?)

4. Point and Support in a Paragraph
A paragraph usually consists of an opening point, called a topic sentence…
Ex: Although I love the movies, I’ve found that there are drawbacks to moviegoing.

5. Point and Support in a Paragraph
…followed by supporting sentences.
Ex.: On a recent visit, teenagers were throwing popcorn and ice cubes to the left of me. The seats were torn and missing springs, and the floors sticky with spilled soda. [. . .]

6. Point and Support in an Essay
In an essay, the thesis appears in the introductory paragraph, and the support appears in the paragraphs that follow.

7. Structure of the Traditional Essay
Parts of an essay:
Introductory paragraph
Body (supporting) paragraphs
Concluding paragraph

8. Introductory Paragraphs should
attract the reader’s interest;
advance the thesis; and
preview the major points that will support the thesis.

9. Body/Supporting Paragraphs should
begin with a topic sentence that states the point to be detailed in that paragraph.

10. Concluding Paragraphs
briefly restate the thesis and the main supporting points, and
present a concluding thought about the subject of the paper.

11. Benefits of the traditional essay
Mastering the traditional essay will
help make you a better writer,
make you a stronger thinker, and
strengthen your skills as a reader and listener.

12. Writing is a Skill!
Writing is not a talent. It is a skill that can be mastered through practice and hard work.

13. Keeping a Journal
The more you practice writing, the better you will write. Keep a writing journal.

14. Tips on Writing with a Computer
Save your work frequently.
Keep a backup disk.
Print out your work at the end of every session.
Copy your file before making major changes – you might want to go back to the original!

15. The Writing Process: Prewriting
Get down as many ideas and details as possible about your subject.
Delete ideas you don’t want in your paper and add new ideas that occur to you.
Shuffle supporting ideas around to find the best order.

16. The Writing Process: Writing Your First Draft
You can write out your first draft by hand and then type it into the computer for revision.
If you compose directly onto the screen, however, you can benefit from the computer’s special features: cut, paste and copy.

17. The Writing Process: Revising
Substituting, adding, deleting, and rearranging can be done easily on the computer.
If you prefer, print out a hard copy of your file and revise first in longhand.

18. The Writing Process: Editing and Proofreading
Take sufficient time to carefully review your grammar, punctuation, and spelling.