1. WHY DO WE WRITE? AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WRITING PROCESS

2. WHY DO WE WRITE?  We write to share information with others.  We write to keep records of information for ourselves.  We write to communicate with others.  We write to relieve stress.  We write because our teachers tell us we have to write.  We write to express creativity.  We write to express our opinions.  We write to learn.  We write to teach.

3. …AND NOW A MESSAGE FROM MR. GEORGE ORWELL “From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea…” (Orwell 1947)

4. WHAT DID MR. ORWELL MEAN BY THIS?  Is it possible that a five or six year old know their future occupation?  Why would a seventeen to twenty-four year old want to abandon the chosen occupation of a six year old?  Why would a child want to be a writer?  Why would a teenager NOT want to be a writer?

5. MOTIVES FOR WRITING 1.Sheer Egoism. Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc…Serious writers, I should say, are on the whole more vain and self-centered than journalists, though less interested in money. 2.Aesthetic enthusiasm. Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement…Pleasure in the impact of one sound on another, in the firmness of good prose or the rhythm of a good story. Desire to share an experience which one feels is valuable and ought not to be missed. 3.Historical impulse. Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity. 4.Political purpose -- using the word "political" in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples' idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude. (Orwell 1947)

6. SO…WHY DO YOU WRITE?          

7. FORMAL VS. INFORMAL WRITING  Formal Writing—the way we write for academic or professional settings  Informal Writing—the way we write for personal purposes, the way we write to our friends…the way we write on a daily basis.

8. TYPES OF FORMAL WRITING  Essays  Reports  Research Papers  Resumes  Cover letters  Memos to staff members or to superiors  ANYTHING YOU WRITE WHEN YOU NEED TO SOUND AS INTELLIGENT AS POSSIBLE!!

9. TYPES OF INFORMAL WRITING  Notes to friends  Text messages  IM’s  Tweets  Grocery lists  To-do lists  Emails  Journals/Diaries  Anything you write that no one else will read

10. REQUIREMENTS OF FORMAL WRITING  Do not use contractions (can’t, won’t, don’t, etc.) or abbreviations in formal writing  Do not use slang—rather than “kids” say “children”  Spell out all numbers below 100  Stick to writing in the third person (unless you are writing a letter, in which case first person is expected)  Do not use clichés—instead of “tons of people were there” say “many people were in attendance”

11. CONTINUED…  Avoid the imperative voice, be polite—instead of “Refer to page five” say “Please refer to page 5”  Use the passive voice, not the active voice— instead of “We noticed that she was gone a lot” say “It has been noticed that…”  Use longer, more complex sentences  Use a variety of sentence structures  Be confident in your opinions, and do not back down

12. ESSAYS—DIFFERENT TYPES AND STYLES  Persuasive Essays—a persuasive essay has the goal of persuading (convincing) the reader to agree with the opinion of the writer.  Argumentative Essays—an argumentative essay presents a controversial issue and the opposing side of that issue.  Narrative Essays—a narrative essay tells a story from the point-of-view of the writer.  Descriptive Essays—a descriptive essay focuses on one topic and uses as much vivid description as possible and attempts to appeal to the five senses.

13. CONTINUED…  Biographical Writing—biographical writing tells the story of someone’s life.  Autobiographical Writing—autobiographical writing tells the story of one’s own life.  Informative Essays—an informative essay provides information on a specific topic.  Demonstrative Essays—a demonstrative essay provides instruction on how to accomplish a task.  Cause-and-Effect Writing—cause-and-effect writing examines the consequences and connections between definite actions and outcomes.  Compare-Contrast Writing—compare-contrast writing examines the similarities as well as the differences between certain topics

14. PERSUASIVE VS. ARGUMENTATIVE PERSUASIVE ESSAYS Strong introduction Presentation of an opinion Solid, unwavering focus on the topic One-sided argument Presentation of all benefits of the writer’s viewpoint Solid, reinforcing close ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS Strong introduction Presentation of an opinion Solid, unwavering focus on the topic Addressing of opposing viewpoint Presentation of all benefits of the writer’s viewpoint & presentation of all shortcomings of opposition Solid, reinforcing close

15. NARRATIVE VS. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE ESSAYS Written in first person Focus on one event Focus on imagery Attempt to draw the reader into the story AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL Written in first person Focus on a longer time-span Focus on imagery Attempt to draw the reader into the story

16. INFORMATIVE VS. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATIVE ESSAYS Provide information on a specific topic Written in third person Closely focused; not broad BIOGRAPHICAL WRITING Provide information on a specific person Written in third person Closely focused; not broad

17. CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMONSTRATIVE WRITING GOOD DEMONSTRATIONS Topic is very clear Knowledge of topic is apparent Audience is drawn in and actively listening Demonstration has been rehearsed and runs smoothly All good demonstrations begin as good, clear demonstrative writing NOT SO GOOD… Topic is too broad or too narrow Writer is unfamiliar with topic Audience is bored or confused Demonstration is being “winged”

18. CAUSE-AND-EFFECT WRITING GOOD… The writer has chosen a topic that has a cause- and-effect relationship The writer is familiar with the effects of the causes A variety of effects are addressed for a very specific, limited “cause” OR—a limited scope of effects are examined for a series of “causes” NOT SO GOOD… The topic is not one that supports a cause- and-effect relationship The writer is unfamiliar with the consequences of the topic The focus jumps around and the reader becomes confused

19. COMPARE AND CONTRAST GOOD… The topic is very clear and controlled There is a balance between similarities and differences There is a definite organization to the information NOT SO GOOD… The topic does not have comparable items The balance of similarities to differences is skewed The information is disorganized

20. TERMINOLOGY EVERY WRITER MUST KNOW You will hear a lot of “technical terms” in this course. You need to know what they mean… This means you…

21. MECHANICS AKA THE REASON YOU GOT A “C” INSTEAD OF AN “A” The mechanics of a paper refer to the technical issues of writing: spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and (thanks to technology) typos. The invention of Spell Check has greatly improved our chances of producing a spelling-error free paper…if you remember to use it and you PAY ATTENTION to the suggestions. In other words, do not follow Spell Check with blind faith. Spell Check has been know to suggest “brain” for “Brian”. Unless you are making an ironically misguided statement regarding your superior intellect, if your name is “Brian” make sure Spell Check leaves it that way.

22. MORE ON MECHANICS… Grammar Check. Unfortunately, Grammar Check is not as reliable as Microsoft would like us to believe. Grammar Check needs to be verified. Grammar Check is not a human, and therefore does not always understand the nuances of writing. Therefore, double check everything.

23. Punctuation. Need I say more? Yes, I need to say more! Go slow, children are crossing the street. Go, slow children are crossing the street. When you move the comma, YOU CHANGE THE MEANING! Let’s eat, Grandpa! Let’s eat Grandpa!

24. FOCUS What is focus? Focus means that your reader knows what your topic is. Focus means that you zero in on your topic like a target and you don’t look away. In order to have an unwavering focus you need the following information: Who is your audience? Are you writing for a teacher? A friend? An adult? A child? What is your actual topic? What is your goal? Are you trying to persuade? To inform? To describe? These basic items must be addressed in order to have focus.

25. SUPPORT Anytime you make a point, you better be able to support it…or risk looking silly when someone else shuts down your point with their supported, thought out point. In order to support your point you need FACTUAL information. You cannot support an opinion with an opinion. That is just a traffic-jam of opinions…not an argument. You must know your focus in order to support it. You must know your audience to know what type of support you need. Are you presenting a business plan to a group of executives? You better support it with dollar amounts.

26. ELABORATION One time, I did this one thing and it was okay. BAD STORY! Make it better… ________________________________________________

27. ELABORATION Elaboration comes down to two things: Word choice Detail Word choice can either kill your paper by putting your reader to sleep, or it can make your paper the one that no one wants to put down because it is so insanely attention-grabbing. Lack of detail is an instant kiss of death for any paper. Readers want to know what you are talking about— otherwise they wouldn’t take the time to read your writing. If you do not provide as much detail as necessary for the reader to form a visual of your words, then you did not do your job.

28. ORGANIZATION Organization means your paper makes sense. It is NOT a hot mess. You have the following items if you have organization: Paragraphs An understandable sequence of events A definite introduction A definite conclusion Subtle transitions between ideas Paragraphs contain ideas of the same nature