The Writing Process
As we revise one essay and begin pre-writing on another, I have to ask about the process. Answer the following questions about your own writing process:
- If you were left alone to write a 5 page essay (regardless of subject) on your own, what would you do first?
- There are several pre-writing activities that can be used- clustering, listing, brainstorming, outlining, etc.- what strategy is helpful in your process?
- Name what you think are the two most important MLA rules regarding writing an essay.
- What is the hardest part of the essay to complete? (intro., conclusion, body, citations, works cited, etc.)
- Have you ever written an essay that you really liked, worked hard on, or felt was your best work? Explain.
I would like some candles. Eat a moonlite dinner with Mary Evelyn. Call Mrs. Caldwell. Put on some Van Morrison and brain storm. I don’t think the MLA rules are important, but keeping the paper not in 2nd person is pretty clutch. I think the conclusion and the introduction are the hardest part of the essay to write. I’ve worked pretty hard on some essays but I don’t recall enjoying any of them
I would begin by writing down all the key words I can think of. Normally when I write these key words, I brainstorm sentences which help me to develop a working thesis. Brainstorming in which I write down whatever comes to my mind is the strategy that I use in my pre-writing activities. Regarding MLA, an essay should always make sure to cite quotations and paraphrases. The MLA parenthetical documentation should also be included at the end of a sentence when it is necessary. The hardest part of an essay for me to complete is the introduction and the conclusion. I usually put a lot of effort into most essays that I write, but there are definitely some that I am more proud of than others. For example, the college essay I just recently finished is an essay I worked extremely hard on. I am proud of it, and I believe it gets across the idea that I want it to.
1. when it comes to preparing to write an essay I always brainstorm first… either making a web or just simply deciding what 3 points I want to address and listing them.
3. the two most important MLA rules would have to be citing and the basic formatting… the appearance is important
4.definitely the intro and conclusion is the toughest part… the body paragraphs go pretty easily
5. Not really… There are definitely essays that I feel better about, but a lot of times those aren’t the ones teachers give me good grades on… who knows
I would probably first be really annoyed with the fact that I had to do it, then I might appreciate the fact that at least it could be about anything I wanted it to. I would most likely start my pre-writing by using a clustering method followed by an outline. The two most important MLA rules are probably to cite right if you are doing a research project, this is probably followed by proper heading and titling. For me, the conclusion is usually most challenging. Getting a proper balance between wrapping up and not repeating myself too much is a challenger. By the time I am done with an essay I am usually feeling like I worked really hard on it whether I like it or not. I can’t recall having an essay that I like the best though.
Well i’m not a huge fan of writing in the first place but I would start off by free writing. This is the only way that I can determine the direction that I want to go in my writing. I don’t really like to list or outline things so free writing works for me. The hardest part of the essay to complete is the works cited. The works cited page is the biggest pain and worthless part of a paper. The fact that it has to be so precise is ridiculous. I have written very few essays that I really liked and worked hard on but it was a long time ago and the only reason I worked hard on it was because it was something that I was passionate about.
1. The first thing I do when I get a writing prompt is outlining or brainstorming.
2. The most helpful pre-writing activity is either outlining or doing a brainstorming web.
3. The most important rules of MLA are the citing rules becuase those can be very tricky and also the rules on plagerism because it can be a huge problem.
4. The hardest part of an essay is getting the ideas down the way you want them to.
5. The best essay I ever wrote was my 10th grade research paper. I chose to write about the history of blue jeans. I did so well on it because I actually enjoyed writing the paper. It was a topic I was interested in, so I was motivated to write it.
1. The first thing I do is brainstorm. I like to write down a few things that I have in my head so that writing the essay will be smooth.
2. Brainstorming and Outlines are methods that have worked well for me. I am able to write the essays with ease after I successfully complete them.
3. The two most important MLA rules are citations and paraphrasing.
4. I think the hardest part is the citations because I do not know the MLA rules that well so it is sometimes difficult to complete.
5. My essay last year that we were required to do for the nine weeks was my best essay I have ever written. I spent many hours working on it, so when I was finished I was excited. I spent hours in the library brainstorming and researching and I think it payed off. That will more than likely be one of my best works ever.
First i would start off by making a bubble chart with all the important points and key words that first come to mind. Then, i would try and list as many subtopics linked to the paper to see if i would have enough information to write a paper on. If not, i would change topics. I would write all body paragraphs before the intro and closer, because those stump me the most.
Well, first I would probably try to figure out what I was going to write about. After that I would do an outline because I am an outline kind of guy. The most important MLA rules are the proper title form and making sure it’s double spaced because each take up significant space. The hardest part is definitely the conclusion. I find myself just ready to be done and out of things to say… Dang it I don’t feel like what I’ve written is ever that good.
2. I don’t really like to follow a certain prewriting method. I prefer to just grab a pencil and piece of paper and just start writing.
3. I think citing is the only important MLA rule. Other rules about appearance are stupid and really don’t matter that much.
4. The conclusion is definitely the hardest part. It’s so hard to restate your ideas without being too repetitive.
5. I worked really hard on a narrative essay in 10th grade. It was easily the best paper I had ever written. I was furious when I got a bad grade on the essay.
First, I would think about what I could write about and what would actually make sence on paper. I really don’t like prewritting. I feel like I am in fifth grade writting again. I just like to start writing and then keep on revising. I do like typing it first though so it is easier to make changes. I think that citing where you got your ideas from and using third person are very important. The hardest part is defintally the conclusion because I feel like I am just saying the same things over and over. I worked really hard on a narative last year about my mom. I spent hours on it but i loved the final paper so much.
1. I think that you can’t write a creatively developed essay without doing a sufficient amount of brainstorming first. I use different ways to gather my thoughts for brainstorming, but the method does not matter as long as you think through your ideas completley before beginnning a formal draft.
2. Citing your sources is a key MLA rule because obviously otherwise you would be plagerising, and I guess spacing is important because it makes it evident that your work is a final draft.
3. I usually have the hardest time with the conclusion because I think it is sometimes impossible not to sound too redundant.
4. I felt good about an essay that I completed in 10th grade about some literature we were studying.
1. First I start an essay by doing an outline of what I am discussing. I usually write the introduction and bullet what points I want to make in the body.
2. Outlining/Brainstorming are the easiest ways to begin writing an essay.
3. The two most important MLA rules are citations to make sure each source gets its credit and double-spacing to make areas for corrections.
4. The hardest part of an essay is the introduction because once you get going, it is easy to finish the rest.
5. Whenever I finish a research paper after several drafts, I feel like I have completed a really good essay. Looking at an essay that has been worked on for months is always something that you have to like.
The first thing I would do is to brainstorm and outline what I plan on writing. The Most important part of the MLA process in my opinion is the basic structure of the paper and how the heading is and double spacing so it looks longer. The Works Cited is the worst part becasuse it takes forever to get all of the sources because I usually forget to write them down when I find them. It is also hard to format it correctly. I have written several essays I thought were pretty good and well written. The recent research papers we have done in 11th and 10th grade were precise and interesting in my opinon.
I would start off by doing a web map, those really help me organize my thoughts. I think that the thesis is one of the most important thing because it is one statement that gathers all your thoughts. I think the double space is also very important because it enables the teacher to make remarks, even though there are generally none on mine paper. I think that the conclusion is hard to do because I find myself generally repeating my self which is not good. I have written many papers that I was proud of and I got a good grade on the ones I enjoyed writing.
I would start off by brainstorming. I usually write down whatever first comes to mind. I then start putting ideas together until I form some kind of outline. The most important MLA process is how to format the paper. The appearance can be really important. I think the conclusion is the hardest part of the essay because it is easy to be redundant. I have not written many papers that I am particularly proud of. Sometimes I think my papers are pretty good, but the teacher does not always agree.
The first thing I would do would be prewriting. I usually brainstorm ideas first, then after deciding upon a subject I make a loose outline. I think the two most important MLA rules are using proper citations and properly paraphrasing so that you can avoid plagarism. I think the hardest parts to write in the essay are the introduction and conclusion. It’s sometimes hard to restate the paragraph without repeating yourself. I was very proud of my tenth and eleventh grade research papers. I worked very hard on them and was rewarded for my effort with very good grades.
First I would brainstorm about what I could write about. After brainstorming for awhile I would begin to prewrite by making an outline. I have found that outlines and listing are the most helpful when writing a paper. Using the correct MLA headings and spacing is very important. Also, citing the sources that are used in the paper is important. The hardest part of the essay for me is the conclusion. I always feel like I am repeating myself. My favorite paper that I have written is probably my research paper in tenth grade. I remember working very hard on that paper.
When I start to write a paper I like to run ideas off of other people. I like to ask what they think and get the other side of arguments, so that I know what I am defending in my paper. I also like to make outlines or quote pairs. I usally dont have problems with MLA. I think that the hardest part of an essay to complete is the introduction, because it is the first part that a reader sees and it makes a lasting impression on the rest of the paper. I wrote a paper last year on the traps of poverty and it was really interesting. I enjoyed writing the paper and doing the research. It was cool because I formed an opinion and was able to back it up. It was the first time that I came up with my own theory about the society and how it can effect an individual.
I would definately start with a topic I care about because if I am writing about stuff I could care less about it will show up in my writing and be boring. Then i would most likely do a chart with the central idea in the middle and smaller ideas branching out. Then I would write a nice outline to make me feel good.
The only MLA rules worth worrying about are citing and formatting it correctly. Citing because you don’t want any cheaters and formatting because every needs to know how to write formally.
I always find it hard to write the body because I want to put to much of my own opionion in it.
The only writing I am pround of is a story I wrote in fifth grade. It was about my dog dying and it still makes me tear up to this day. Mrs. Caldwell if you even read these we might need a story day because it is just that good.
I would start with an outline. I would list some main ideas and then after each include some supporting points. I usually brainstorm by listing and outlining. The only really important MLA rule would be citing correctly, its definitely the most challenging. The hardest part of the essay for me would be the conclusion, I feel like I’m just repeating myself. I’ve worked hard on some essays, but none of them really stand out as a favorite or one that I’m really proud of.
1. If you were left alone to write a 5 page essay (regardless of subject) on your own, what would you do first? Make an outline
2. There are several pre-writing activities that can be used- clustering, listing, brainstorming, outlining, etc.- what strategy is helpful in your process? outlining
3. Name what you think are the two most important MLA rules regarding writing an essay. Spacing and works cited
4. What is the hardest part of the essay to complete? (intro., conclusion, body, citations, works cited, etc.) Intro and thesis
5. Have you ever written an essay that you really liked, worked hard on, or felt was your best work? Explain. No, sorry.