Summary-Response writing

         One of the most common types of writing that you will do in college and in your profession after college is summary-response writing. Let's start with college.

         Your history professor asks you to read Chapter 2 in the textbook about the the American Revolution and write a summary-response paragraph about it. The paragraph is due the next class in five days. You have a lot of work to do. First you have to read the chapter and make sure you understand the main ideas and points. Don't focus on all the details. When you think that you understand the main ideas and themes of the chapter, write an outline of what you are going to write. Then write the paragraph, making sure that you have a title, an introduction topic sentence, a summary of the main ideas of the chapter, then your response (opinion, evaluation) to the chapter, and end with a conclusion sentence. Your professor will be impressed that you know how to write a good, well organized summary-response paragraph. You will probably get an A.

        After you graduate from college and start your first job, your boss might ask you to write a report for him. Let's say that you are working for a company that manufactures car parts. Customers have been reporting problems with one of the parts that your company makes. Your boss doesn't have time to read all the customer complaints, so he asks you to read them and write a summary of what the main problems are, along with your response to the summary stating which of the problems appear to be the most serious. This allows your boss to read your short summary report instead off all the complaints, and then decide what to do. This saves your boss a lot of time and will make you a valuable employee. Maybe you will get a raise and promotion if you do a good job.

         In conclusion, knowing how to write different kinds of paragraphs and essays will help you not only in college, but in your work and life after college. This is especially true of summary-response writing.

KISS

          KISS has two meanings. It is an acronym that means Keep it Short & Simple. And it is the name of a bad (in my opinion) rock band, Kiss KISS live.  The band KISS is okay, but all their costumes, make-up, and fireworks are really better than than their music. The group KISS needs to follow the advice of the KISS acronym and Keep it Short & Simple, make it more about their music, and less about the theatrics.

         The acronym KISS can be good advice for us in our modern world, where everything is so complicated. Maybe it would be better to get back to a little simpler life. Maybe it would be good to listen to good music, and not be so interested in how the band members are dressed and how good their fireworks are. 

        KISS can also be good advice for ESL students.  When you are writing, don't use a big word when you can use a short word that means the same thing. "Use" and "utilize" both have the same meaning. So why not use "use"?  Don't use big words just to impress your reader, because he/she might not understand what you mean. It's better to stick to words you know rather than look up new words you don't know when you are writing.  KISS is a good thing to remember when you are writing a summary. A good summary is better when it is short. Also, the longer your paragraph or essay is, the more likely it is that it will have mistakes.  Besides, in today's world, everyone wants everything short because most people don't have a very long attention span. So take my advice, and Keep it Short & Simple.  What do you think--about the rock group, KISS, and about the KISS acronym?

       

Banana power

        Bananas are the best fruit...in my opinion. Of course, you might not agree, and have your own favorite fruit. I have had a banana and coffee every morning for breakfast for years. Here is why my vote for best fruit is for the banana. First, bananas are the least expensive fruit, at about 50 cents per pound. At that price, you can buy several medium-sized bananas for less than a dollar. Second, bananas are highly nutritious, more than any other fruit, because they are high in many vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates to give you energy. They are high in important minerals like potassium and manganese. They also have fiber to help your digestion. Third, they have excellent packaging, which means that you don't have to wash them before eating. Just peel and eat. Fourth, they are delicious and the perfect size for a meal.  Finally, after peeling them, you can use the inside of the peelings to clean and polish your shoes or other leather items. They have a kind of natural oil in the peelings. If you don't believe me, just give it a try!  There is one other thing about bananas; they have magical powers, but this is something that you have to see with your own eyes. If you would like, I can show you a banana magic trick in class. So, all things considered, bananas really are amazing. What more could we ask of a simple fruit?

My worst nightmare

        Sometimes, when I am under stress, I have the same nightmare.  Some people call dreams like this stress dreams. In my dream, I have to take a final exam in order to graduate from college. I sit down and look at the test, and realize that I don't know any of the answers to the questions. I look around at the other students, who are answering questions and look fine. This makes me panic. I look back at the test. I realize I don't even understand the questions on the test. I start to sweat, and my heart starts beating fast. What am I going to do?  If I don't pass this test, I won't be able to graduate from college. The teacher says that we only have 30 more minutes to complete the test, and I haven't answered one question yet. At this point in the dream, I usually wake up. I am sweating and feel a terrible panic. Then I slowly realize it was just a dream, and that I graduated from college many years ago. It was just a dream. Only a dream.  It takes me a few minutes to get rid of the bad feelings from the dream. In conclusion, it is hard to understand dreams and especially dreams like this one that repeat. Have you ever had a nightmare like this?

Writing a summary-response essay

      When someone goes to a movie or reads a book, and you want to know what it was about, you say, "How was the movie?" or "How was the book?"  Maybe you want to know a little bit about the book/movie to help you decide if you are going to read the book or watch the movie.  So if someone asks you that question, they don't want a long, 30 minute,  detailed description of the movie or book, they just want a short summary, a couple of minutes speaking or a few paragraphs writing. They want you to summarize the book or movie's main points (not details) in a few words and give your opinion about what you liked or didn't like.

     My daughters like to watch movies. When I ask them about a movie, they think they have to give me all the details from beginning to end. I have to stop them after a few minutes and say, "Could you just give me the short version, and please don't tell me the ending?"  I'm asking them for a summary of the movie and their response, if they liked it or not, and why. That's all. I don't need to know all the details. I'll get those if I decide to see the movie.

     That is basically what you do when you write a book report essay. You write a summary of the book and then evaluate the book, telling what you like, or didn't like, and why. And don't give away the ending, especially if it has a surprise ending. Then the reader won't even want to read the book if they already know the ending.

Processes

                            Everything is a Process, Including Writing

         Just about everything in life is a process. Life itself is a process, from birth to death, with many steps and stages along the way. Formal education is a process, from first grade or Kindergarten to high school or college graduation. Brushing your teeth is a process. Registering for a class is a process.  Going to the Etiquette Dinner at Ivy Tech on December 3rd is a process, from finding out about the event from an announcement in class and a flyer, deciding to go, going to the Bursar's office to buy a ticket, and then going to the event on December 3 at 6:00pm to eat a delicious dinner and enjoy the company of your friends, instructors, and other Ivy Tech students. Good writing is a process. In this class, we are learning how to write for academic purposes. With the paragraphs and essays that we write in class, we follow the writing process. Good academic writing, like all writing, begins in the mind, with thinking and planning, organizing those thoughts on paper in form of an outline, writing a first draft, receiving feedback and comments on that draft, going to the Learning Resource Center to make an appointment with a writing tutor to help you and give you feedback on improving your writing,  and then writing a final draft, making changes so your writing will be as good as possible, in both content, organization, and format. In conclusion, we  see that everything in life is a process, including those important things that we learn in college, like the writing process, which will help make us more successful in college and in our professional lives. 

Veteran's Day

                  Veterans Day: Just Give Me the Steak Dinner, Please

       I have mixed feelings about Veterans Day. Every November 11th is Veterans Day.  I was in the U.S. Navy from 1970-1973 during the Vietnam War so I am a veteran.  I didn't want to join the Navy, but I was going to be drafted into the Army, and I didn't want to go to war and shoot at people and be shot at. I didn't, and don't,  have anything against the Vietnamese and Vietnam wasn't attacking the U.S. So I joined the Navy and went to Vietnam on an aircraft carrier. I didn't like being in the Navy. Now I am considered a Veteran, but I am not proud of what I did. Every year I can go to a restaurant and get a free dinner to thank me for my service. Last night I went to Applebees with my family and got a free steak dinner. The server said "Thank you for your service to protect our country." I said "Thank you for the steak dinner. It was good."  If a country, like Vietnam, attacked the U.S. directly, I would help to defend my country. But that wasn't the case. I have friends who went to Vietnam in the Army and got killed. I don't feel very good about that. These are high school friends I won't see again. I think the U.S. military and government sticks it's nose into a lot of places around the world when it is none of our business. If a country attacked the U.S. that would be a different story. So I am a Veteran. I have served our country. But, in conclusion, I really don't feel patriotic about what I did. In the U.S. I have the right of free speech to say anything I want about being a veteran. And that's a good thing.

Describing our dreams: the stories in our mind while we sleep

                                 My Crazy Dreams 

        Have you ever had crazy dreams?  Most people have dreams about all kinds of crazy things. Sometimes we can't remember our dreams and sometimes we can. I have all kinds of dreams and nightmares (bad dreams), but the following three are the most common. In the first kind, I dream that I am in college and taking a test. If I don't pass this test, I can't graduate from college. As I look at the test, I realize that I don't know any of the answers to the test questions. It's a terrible feeling and usually I wake up, sweating, until I realize that it was just a dream. The second type of dream is about being lost. I am lost in a city and can't find the place that I am looking for to meet a good friend. Like the first type of dream, these dreams make me feel frustrated and anxious.  Finally, I have another kind of "happy" dream.  In this dream, I am flying with my arms outstretched in front of me like Superman. I look down at the world below and everything I see looks tiny. It is a great feeling to be soaring like a bird. Then I wake up and realize that I wasn't really flying at all, only in my mind. But it was fun while it lasted.  I think that everyone has different dreams, some good ones and some bad ones. In summary, these are the three most common dreams that I have. What do you dream about?

Painting nature with Bob Ross

        In my last post,  I wrote a paragraph explaining why I like Indianapolis and the beautiful colors on the trees in the fall in Indiana. Click on the link below to see a little video about a TV show called The Joy of Painting that used to be on TV where Bob Ross taught people how to paint pictures of nature. I remember I watched this show when I was a kid, not to learn how to paint, but because I liked to watch him paint and talk about it. He taught millions of people to paint in this way. Notice that he points to his head and says that all you have to do is believe,  and you can do it. It's the same with writing; it all starts in the mind with good thoughts.

Click on this link to see the video:  The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross

Fall is my favorite season: a word picture paragraph

I have always thought that fall is the best season of the year. Below is a short paragraph giving three reasons why fall is my favorite season. In this paragraph I will try to describe the fall, creating word pictures in your mind.

                              Fall, My Favorite Season of All

          I love the four seasons, and there are good things about each of them, but for me fall is the best season for three main reasons. First of all, fall is the beginning of football season. I love to watch high school, college, and professional NFL games live and on TV.  I watch most of the games on TV. I am a big fan of the Indianapolis Colts, and never miss a game. Last year I even got to see a game at Lucas Stadium with my wife because a doctor who she works with gave her two tickets. Second, I love the fall festivities, beginning with Halloween and Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas and New Year's Eve. These are great times to spend with family and friends and enjoy delicious food and friendship. For example, I love Thanksgiving the last week of November because we eat delicious food like turkey, potatoes, corn and pumpkin pie. After eating so much, I usually have to lie down and take a nap in the afternoon, which is nice too. Finally, I love the fall foliage. The trees and bushes are so beautiful in October and November when the leaves turn so many different colors, like brilliant red, bright orange, purple, yellow and green. It seems like you see all of the colors of the spectrum when you look at the trees. It's a good time to take a drive in the country or take a walk in the woods or park to see all the colors in nature. In conclusion, for these reasons, and more, fall is the best season, for me. What is your favorite season?

Describing my hometown

                               My Hometown, Farmington, New Mexico

           I was born and grew up in one of the most beautiful places on earth, a little town called Farmington, and I am going to tell you three reasons why it is such a beautiful place. First of all, I like small towns, and Farmington only had about 20,000 people living there when I was born in 1951. It was larger than a village and smaller than a city. It was about a 200 mile drive to the nearest city, Albuquerque, which is the largest city in New Mexico. Second, I like the location and geography of Farmington. It is located at high altitude on the dessert, near mountains. Because it is on a high dessert, it is hot in the summer, but not humid. It always got cold at night because of the altitude, even in the summer. You could drive 50 miles north to Colorado and find tall mountains to hike in and ski in the winter. Finally,  Farmington is located  about 25 miles from the four-corners. That is the only place in the U.S. where four states come together. If you look on a map, you can see that those states are New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. You can go to the Four-Corners monument and stand in two states and put a hand in the other two states. To sum up, Farmington was a fantastic place to grow up and to visit now for all of these reasons and more. I hope you have a chance to visit Farmington, New Mexico someday.

Excellence, not perfection

     Perfectionists can drive themselves crazy because if they expect to do anything perfectly, they always fall short, and often end up feeling disappointed.  I friend of mine is a perfectionist. He took a math course and his final grade was 980 out of 1,000 points. He was so disappointed because he didn't get a perfect 1,000 points. In this world, nothing is perfect. Instead of striving for perfection, it's better to strive for excellence. Or if you strive for perfection as your goal, don't be discouraged when you fall short, as you always will.

     Writing is the same way.  Any writing can be improved, no matter how good the writer is.  A final draft of an essay will probably have at least one grammar, spelling, or punctuation error. It could have been organized a little differently to make it easier to read.  It could have included more, or different, examples to make the main points clearer. So do your best, but be satisfied with excellence and don't worry if what you wrote isn't perfect. You could say that there is no end to the writing process. You can always write one more draft of an essay to improve it. 

The final steps of the writing process

     When you make something, you have to polish and perfect it before you are done.   That is the same in writing. The last steps of the writing process are revising and proofreading.  To revise the first draft of your essay, read it again and ask yourself what could be improved.  Look at the outline that you made before you wrote the first draft and check to see if you followed the outline. Then, ask at least one other person to read your first draft and give you some honest feedback about how you could improve your essay. Then sit down and revise your essay, using all this information to improve it as much as you can. Then read the essay one final time very carefully, checking spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting, and make any necessary changes. When you are satisfied that you have made all the revisions to make your essay as good as it can be, you have finished the final draft. Save it to your flashdrive and print a copy to give to your teacher.

Topic and conclusion sentences in paragraphs

     Just as an essay has an introduction and a conclusion, each body paragraph of an essay has a topic sentence (introduction) and a conclusion sentence. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about, and the conclusion sentence concludes and wraps up the paragraph before moving on to the next paragraph. An effective way to write the conclusion sentence of a body paragraph, wraps up the paragraph and points to the next paragraph. In that way the conclusion sentence functions as a transition, helping the reader move from one paragraph to the next.  Every sentence in a paragraph should follow from the topic sentence.  If not, it is off topic, and should be deleted or moved to another paragraph. So just as essays have a beginning and an end, paragraphs do, too. You could say that a paragraph, like an essay, has three parts, introduction, body and conclusion. The parts of the essay are paragraphs. The parts of a paragraph are sentences.

Paint word pictures

     One goal of good descriptive and narrative writing is to use words to create scenes, characters, and feelings. Good novelists know how to create powerful word pictures in the reader's mind that allow him to visualize whatever the author is writing about. That's why many good novels are turned into movies. But the book is always better than the movie. The movie doesn't engage your imagination the same way a book does.  Watching a movie is passive, while reading a book is active. You can't put on the screen what the mind can imagine. Get into a book!

Writing: Get everything involved

     When you write anything, the time you spend on pre-writing will pay off in much better writing. Once you've decided on your topic and focus (thesis statement), spend time thinking and writing down what you already know about the topic, read about your topic, draw some pictures about your topic, talk to people about your topic and tell them what you're going to write about, ask their opinions about your topic, watch any YouTube videos you can find related to the topic, and watch a movie or listen to a presentation on TED.com about your topic. Then let all of this percolate in your mind (think "brainstorm") for a while. Sleep on it and let your unconscious mind do its job. Then you will be ready to write down all your ideas in a well-organized outline to begin writing.

Essays and speeches

     Essays are similar to speeches, except that writers use written words, while speakers use spoken words. People write essays and give speeches for the same basic reasons;  to persuade, inform, or entertain (PIE). There is a saying that to give a good speech you need to "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them."  Just like speeches, essays have those three main parts;  introduction, body and conclusion.

Go with the flow

     People talk about the flow of an essay. What does flow mean?  Think about a river flowing. The water flows easily along as it goes down the river. A good essay has good flow, starting with the first paragraph. In the introduction, you get the reader interested in your topic with a good hook, set the stage for the essay with some background information, and then tell the reader what main points you are going to cover in the essay in the thesis statement. Then in the body you write about each of these points, with good transitions so one paragraph flows easily into the next. Finally, in the conclusion you leave your reader with a summary and a final thought. After finishing the essay, the reader should feel that he or she has taken a nice, smooth trip with you floating down a river from one point to another, and has enjoyed the ride.

The book report essay: Inform and persuade

     Remember that there are three main reasons that we write: to persuade, inform and entertain (PIE). In a book report you want to inform and persuade the reader.  Inform the reader of what the book is about by summarizing it. Then share your opinions about the book, what you liked and didn't like, to persuade the reader whether to read the book, or not.

Listening, reading and speaking on TED.com

     Another way to combine listening, reading and speaking is to go to TED.com.  On TED.com you will find many, many interesting presentations on a variety of topics.  Find a presentation that you are interested in and click on it. You will see and hear the presenter speaking and you can also see a written transcript of what the person is saying, word for word. Click on Interactive Transcript below the screen you are watching to see the transcript. You can listen to the presenter and read the transcript at the same time. Try listening to the presentation once, with or without looking at the transcript.  Then listen again, using the transcript, speaking along with the presenter and trying to sound just like him or her. Some people have found that this is an excellent way to improve their pronunciation. And it's free, so you have nothing to lose! Click on TED.com right now to check it out.

Be a bookworm

     Educators say that reading is FUNdamental, meaning that it  is a basic learning skill and it is also fun. We call people who always have their noses in a book "bookworms."  You've seen the person I'm talking about. They are constantly reading.  I knew a guy in the Navy who was always reading paperback books. He liked science fiction.  He would even read while we were eating instead of talking to the people at the table. We would say something to him, but he wouldn't even hear because he was lost in the story.  I guess he took it a little too far; even too much of a good thing can be bad. The best advice I could give to students at any level is read, read, read.  But more than anything, read for pleasure and let your imagination run free. Get lost in a book.

Reading and speaking

     Yesterday I wrote about the many benefits of reading.  Today, I'm going to describe another benefit.  Reading can help your speaking and pronunciation in English.  How?  Most popular books published these days have an audio book version that you can listen to.  You can get a copy of  the book (print or ebook) and audio book at a bookstore or library.  Listen to the audio book while you follow along in the print or ebook. Try reading along with the voice on the audio book, and you might be surprised how this will help your pronunciation, especially in the important areas of intonation, stress, rhythm and timing. This is called "reading out loud" instead of silently, which is the way we usually read. Reading along out loud while you listen to the voice is also called "shadow reading."   It will make your English sound more American. If you like the book and want to take this a step further, check to see if there is a movie version of the book. Many popular books are made into movies. Rent the DVD and watch it. You will understand the movie much better after reading the book, and you will probably find that the book is better than the movie! Why's that? Because it is not possible to put on the screen in a one and a half or two hour movie what you can imagine in your mind as you read a book. Give it a try!

Reasons to read

     If you are learning English as a second language and want to become fluent as quickly as possible, read! Read a lot, every day.  Read newspapers, information on the Internet, magazines, advertisements, signs, books, anything that is interesting to you. Whatever you are interested in, read about it!! How will this help you? Most importantly, it will help you learn. Many people say reading is the best way to learn. But it will also help your English in many ways. When you read you will see what writing by native speakers looks like and how they organize and express their thoughts in writing.  You will notice how the grammar and vocabulary you are studying are used. You will see words spelled correctly. You will see how punctuation is used. You will see words that you already know used in sentences and understand these words even better, including how and when they are used. You will learn new words without even using your dictionary. You will usually be able to figure out, or guess, the meanings of new words just from the context, the other words around them.  As a result of all of this, your writing will improve greatly, and your overall fluency in English will, too. Studies have shown that, in general,  the most fluent ESL speakers read a lot, and often. Reading is something that you can do anywhere, anytime. Reading is fun. Reading can make your imagination run wild. Does this sound like Mister Rogers? Carry a magazine or paperback book with you and read whenever you are waiting somewhere or have a free moment. You might even get hooked on reading, and that's a good addiction to have.

Summary/Response essay

     Your professor in a college class might ask you to read Chapter 2 in the textbook and write a summary/response essay about the chapter.  In the essay, you will write a summary of the main points of the chapter and then write your response to the chapter.  The summary part is objective. You write the main points from the chapter as the author presents them. The response part is subjective. This is where you write your opinions and ideas about the chapter. Do you agree with the author?  Is there information missing? Is there too much information on a particular topic? Is the chapter easy or hard to understand?  

     Your Book Report Essay is a type of summary/response essay. In the first part of your essay you will summarize what the book you read is about. You need to give an objective summary of the main points of the book in about one typed page.   In the second part of the essay you will write your subjective response about the book; what you liked about the book, what you didn't like about the book, would you recommend the book to someone else, and so on. Your essay could also be called a Book Review. If I am looking for a new book to read or a movie to watch, it is helpful to read a short book or movie review first to decide if I want to read/see it.  

Writing a summary: KISS

     Keep it short and simple. KISS. That's what you do when you write a summary of a longer piece of writing, whether it is a summary of an essay, article, chapter, report, or  book. A summary might just be one paragraph long and include only the main ideas of the longer writing.  The summary shouldn't include details, specifics, or examples. Summary writing is important in college. A professor might ask you to read a textbook chapter or a long lab report and write a paragraph summary.  In the business world, leaders often don't have time to read long reports, so they ask one of their employees to read the report and write an executive summary of it. An executive summary is often not longer than one page. When you write a book report essay, you will need to be able to summarize what the book you read is about in less than a page. That might seem difficult, but it isn't so hard if you just focus on the main ideas, plot and characters in the book. Just remember,  KISS.

Benefits of journal writing

     If you develop the habit of writing in a journal a few minutes each day, you will find it brings you many benefits. For ESL students, you will improve your writing. Writing is a skill and, like any other skill, you improve the skill by doing it. Journal writing also has other benefits besides improving your written English. When you have a problem or are worried about something, if you put your thoughts down in words, you will find that it will be easier to come up with a solution, or stop worrying about that thing that is bothering you. Some psychologists have their patients keep a journal and then discuss what they wrote down in their journal when they meet. Sometimes it just helps to get bad thoughts or feelings out by talking to someone about them or writing about them. Journals can even help you remember when you did certain things in the past. If you forget when you went to Chicago, you can look back in your journal and find what day you wrote about that trip. One final tip. If you write in your journal just before you go to sleep, your subconscious mind will think about what you wrote while you sleep. The subconscious mind never sleeps. You might find that you wake up in the morning with some new ideas about what you wrote about. You can thank your subconscious mind for that!

All's Well That Ends Well

     This is the name of one of Shakespeare's plays.  All's Well That Ends Well. In the play, there are some good things and more bad things that happen, but the play has a happy ending. Like many of the things that Shakespeare wrote, this has become a common expression in modern English,  meaning that the most important thing is the ending or the outcome. The end of an essay is the conclusion paragraph.  A conclusion paragraph shouldn't be long, but it should be interesting. After summarizing the main points that you wrote about in your essay, finish the conclusion by leaving the reader with something to think about, or pointing towards the future. Another clever way to end an essay is to write something that relates to the hook at the beginning of the essay. This is like completing a circle from the end back to the beginning, a way of tying up the essay into a nice package.

      If you look at my post yesterday about the introduction paragraph, you might say, "All's well that begins well," And today's post is about  "All's well that ends well."   This is also supported by psychologists' studies of what people pay the most attention to and remember. They find that people usually remember the first and last things that they hear or read, and don't remember the middle part (body) as well.

First impressions: The hook

     First impressions are important.  Psychologists say that your first impression of a person you meet is very difficult to change later. In fact, they say that it only takes a minute or less for you to decide if you like the new person, and what he/she is like. After that, it is hard to change your mind about that person. Think about a job interview. If a person comes to the interview dirty and not appropriately dressed, has a sweaty handshake, and looks nervous,  this makes a bad first impression,  and the interviewee will probably not have a good interview and get hired, even if his/her answers are very good. The interviewer didn't get a good first impression, which killed the interview.

     It's the same with writing, whether it is a paragraph, essay, article, or book.  If  your writing has a strong and interesting beginning, the reader will probably be eager to continue reading.  That is why the introduction paragraph of an essay is so important. The very first sentence should grab the reader's attention. We call this the "hook."  If you are writing a process essay about how to wash a car, don't begin with:  "This is an essay about how to wash a car." This might put the reader to sleep! Instead, start with a question or some interesting comment that will make the reader curious to read on.  For example:  "There is nothing more enjoyable than washing your car on a hot summer day."  Or, "Have you ever noticed how much cleaner your car is when you wash it by hand instead of taking it to the drive-through car wash?"  Once you have the reader's attention with a strong hook sentence, go on to write more interesting things about washing a car in the first paragraph. If you write a strong introduction paragraph, you will make a good "first impression" on your reader that you know what you are writing about. Then you can go on to explain the process of how to wash a car, from beginning to end, in the second paragraph and the rest of the body paragraphs. First impressions are important, and you don't get a second chance to make a first impression!

Organizing a process essay

     When you write a process essay, you will describe the steps of the process in the body paragraphs of the essay, after the introduction paragraph and before the conclusion paragraph. Depending on the process that you are describing, you might choose to organize the steps of the process either chronologically or by priority/importance. Organize the steps of the process chronologically if following the steps in exact order is important to complete the process successfully. This is usually the case in describing how to make something. A recipe is an example of this; if you don't follow the steps in order, and complete each step exactly, the dish probably won't turn out well.  On the other hand,  there are some "how to" processes that don't have a series of steps that have to be followed in exact order. It would be better to describe the steps of these processes by priority; giving the most important steps first, followed by the less important steps.  For example, if you write an essay about how to be successful,  there aren't specific steps that you have to follow in order to be successful. People define success in different ways, have different paths to success, and have different ideas about how to get there. So you could start by thinking about what, for you, are the most important steps to success, and start with those first. If you read my post yesterday, you know that I would start with "showing up and following directions."  Whether you describe the steps of a process in order or by priority, be sure to add details and examples with the steps to spice up your writing and make it more interesting to read.

The importance of showing up and following directions

     There is a saying that the key to success is showing up and following directions. This sounds so simple, but you would be surprised how many people aren't successful because they don't do these two simple things. Of course, to be successful it also helps to be smart, have good ideas, get along with people, work hard, and have a little luck.   But none of these things will make you successful unless you show up and follow directions.  Maybe you have observed this in your own experience.  The worker who doesn't show up for work and doesn't call in. The worker who always messes up orders because he/she doesn't follow the directions about how to prepare orders. This is also true in school. Usually, the students who do the best in class are the ones who attend class every day and follow the instructions for assignments. So we see the importance of process, understanding the process, and following the process all around us.  And being there.  

An outline is a map

     Think of an outline as a map to follow when you write your essay. If you are writing a five-paragraph essay, you can just start with a simple five-point outline on a piece of paper, with one point for each paragraph. In your outline, don't write sentences, just write words. Number 1 will be your introduction  paragraph. Think of an interesting hook,  some background information, and a thesis statement next to number one. For numbers 3-5, write down some ideas that you will write about in each of your body paragraphs. For number five, write down some ides about how you will summarize your essay and end it in an interesting way.

      Now you can follow your outline like a map to write your essay, adding some examples and details to support your main points. Some people compare an outline to a skeleton. You start with the skeleton and add muscles, organs, and flesh to the skeleton to make it into a complete body.

Everything's a process

     As I have been thinking more about writing about processes, it occurs to me that almost everything we do or make, or anything that happens in the world, is a process. Think about it. Brushing your teeth. Going to work. Fixing a flat tire. Getting a college degree. Getting married. Going on a vacation. A snow storm. The waves of water on the beach. These are all processes, some more complicated than others. They all involve steps, or stages, in a certain order, from beginning to end. Can you think of anything that isn't a process?

A day at the beach

     I lived in San Diego for four years. At first I loved it because the weather was always  so nice, not hot and not cold. There really weren't distinct seasons. After a couple of years I started to miss the four seasons that I had grown up with in northern New Mexico. I didn't want to go to the beach on Christmas Day. I wanted to play in the snow. Having no change of seasons got boring for me after a while.  I guess it's possible to have too much of a good thing. What do you think about the weather? Do you ever miss the weather back home where you grew up?

The weather and seasons as a process

     You could say that the weather is a process. Seasons are pretty predictable and follow each other in a familiar way. I like to live in a place with four seasons because of the variety. You look forward to the first snow of winter, but about the time you are tired of cold and snow in March, the spring arrives with green and many colorful plants and flowers. Then the summer follows with warm days and fun. August and the end of the summer can be so hot and humid that the cool fall air feels good and the trees change colors. Then it's winter again and time for holidays and playing in the snow. Each season comes with its own kind of weather; snow in the winter, rain and tornadoes in the spring, warm rain, thunder showers and hot sun in the summer, and cool nights and wind in the fall.

     Then there's Indiana, where the weather and seasons don't seem so predictable. In the spring, it can be warm and sunny one day, and cold and snowy the next. As we say in Indiana, if you  don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes! But the weather all over the world seems to be getting less predictable. It must be global climate change.

A five-paragraph process essay

     You might be asking yourself how you are going to write a five-paragraph essay about a process that includes, say, 12 steps. Remember that you have the three  body paragraphs to write about the steps of the process. But first, in the introduction paragraph you are going to begin by grabbing the reader's attention with a good hook in the first sentence, give some general background information about the process, and end with a thesis statement. In the conclusion paragraph,  you will summarize the process and end your essay in some interesting way.

     So how do you write about 12 steps in the three body paragraphs? Before you begin writing,  arrange the 12 steps in chronological order, from beginning to end. Then look at the steps and see how you could divide them into three groups that would make sense. Those three groups will be your three body paragraphs. For example, let's say that you have decided that  there are 12 steps to wash a car. The first four steps might be about preparing the things that you need to wash the car, the second four steps about getting the car wet with the hose and washing the car, and the final four steps about rinsing off the car and drying it. Those are your three body paragraphs, with four steps in each paragraph.

Process essays

     Writing about a process is easy. Just think about something  you know how to do and write down the steps in order, using transition  words like first, second, then, and finally to help the reader follow the steps. There are two kinds of processes, directional and informational.

     A directional process essay gives directions on how to do or make something. For example, how to ride a bicycle or how to make a cake. Think of giving someone directions on how to do or make something, step by step, from beginning to end. Usually, the first step of a directional process essay is to write about the ingredients, tools, or materials you will need. An informational process is about something that occurs in the natural world and follows certain steps, such as how a tornado forms , or how a drug works in the body.

     Writing about processes is a common form of academic, business, and scientific writing.  It will be helpful for you to know how to write about processes in your college studies and career.

Sports in the springtime

     I love to watch sports on TV and live.   I was just thinking today that sports used to all have their separate seasons during the year, but it seems like the seasons have gotten longer now and you can see different sports all year long. Spring is an especially good time for sports.  Right now the baseball season is starting, the basketball season is ending, we're in the middle of the hokey season, the winter Olympics just ended, and you can even follow the off-season activities, draft, and trades in football. You can watch college and professional teams. You can watch soccer pretty much all year round.  I'm a big fan of the Indianapolis teams, the Pacers and the Colts. There is even a minor-league professional baseball team in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Indians. Their season just started last week. My wife and I like to go to a few games each year. They play at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. It's a beautiful stadium and the tickets are inexpensive. Even if you don't understand baseball, you would enjoy going out to watch a game. Someone said that you can't really understand Americans unless you understand baseball. You can even get a discount on Indians tickets as an Ivy Tech student. If you're a sports fan like me, you can enjoy watching lots of sports right now, and maybe even play some sports yourself.

What are your favorite sports? Do you like to play, watch, or both?

Rabbit Hunting Essay

Today I am writing a six-paragraph narrative essay that is based on the paragraph that I wrote in my post yesterday. It is about hunting rabbits with my Dad and brother. Notice that the essay has a lot more detail than the paragraph.

                                            Family Rabbit Hunting

     Have you ever eaten rabbit meat?  Have you ever hunted the rabbit that you ate?  I have done both. When I was a kid we used to live on a farm in southern Colorado, near Durango. We had quite a few acres of farm land behind the house and then more land with cedar trees and a little lake. (1) I  loved to hunt rabbits with my Dad and brother, Harold, when I was a kid,  because we hunted together as a team and each of us had a special role on the team.

     (2) So here is how it always began, with my Dad, my brother and I going hunting in the woods behind our house. We would start out walking next to each other with my Dad in the middle with his rifle. My Dad had a small .22 caliber rifle, which was good for shooting rabbits, squirrels and other small animals. We enjoyed being out there together and talked, but only in whispers so we wouldn't scare the rabbits until we got close to them.

     (3) Harold had the first job, which was to spot a rabbit and point at it so my Dad could see where it was. We called Harold "Eagle Eye" because he was so good at this. Usually, not long after we started walking, a cottontail rabbit would jump out of a bush in front of us,  about 50 yards way,  and start running like crazy, jumping high in the air with each bound.

     (4) Then, my Dad would shoot the rabbit with his rifle. My Dad was a good shot and would usually hit the rabbit on the first shot, sometimes in midair. It's not easy to hit a running rabbit over 50 yards away. The rabbit would fall to the ground, twitch and wiggle around for a little and then lie still. My Dad had finished his part of the job, and he would look over at me. That was my signal to take action.

     (5) Finally, it was my turn to run out and grab the dead rabbit and then we would all head home, where my Mom would clean and roast the rabbit for dinner. My Mom would usually complain when she saw us coming with the bloody rabbit and tell us not to come in the house with it.  As she complained she would smile a little; she knew we were just being boys and having fun. She also knew that we liked to eat roasted rabbit, and so did she. So she would grab the rabbit, cut off its head, skin it, and clean out the insides in less than a minute. Then she washed it off good with the hose and took it into the house and roasted it in the oven, and we'd have roasted rabbit for dinner. It was one of our favorite dinners.

     (6) In conclusion, family rabbit hunting was fun and a good way for me to learn the importance of teamwork at a young age. I learned that with a lot of things in life a team can get a job done easier than a single person. We had a spotter, a shooter, and a retriever, and somehow it seemed like none of us could have done it alone. I got my own rifle when I was a little older and would go rabbit hunting by myself, but it was never as fun as going with my Dad and brother, bringing the rabbit home for dinner.

Family rabbit hunting

I am going to write a short story today about a nice memory of my childhood hunting rabbits with my father and brother and what I learned from the experience.  Today I will write the story as a six-sentence paragraph and in my post tomorrow I will expand the paragraph into a six-paragraph narrative essay.


                            Family Rabbit Hunting

     (1) I loved to hunt rabbits with my Dad and brother, Harold, when I was a kid,  because we hunted together as a team and each of us had a special role on the team.  (2) So here is how it always began, with my Dad, my brother and I going hunting in the woods behind our house on the farm where we lived.  (3) Harold had the first job, which was to spot a rabbit and point to it.   (4) Then, my Dad would shoot the rabbit with his rifle.  (5) Finally, it was my turn to run out and grab the dead rabbit and then we would go home,  where my Mom would clean and roast the rabbit for dinner. (6) In conclusion, family rabbit hunting was fun and a good way for me to learn the importance of teamwork at a young age.

Free writing

Free writing is a technique in which you just write down whatever is going through your mind. Sometimes this is called stream-of-consciousness writing. Think of your thoughts as a river running through your head.  As we have discussed in class, the first step in writing is always thinking and brainstorming to organize your thoughts on a topic.  In free writing, you are still thinking first and letting your thoughts guide your writing. When you free write, your writing probably won't be very organized and coherent, but your writing will document to some extent the random thoughts that are flowing constantly through your mind. You might discover something about yourself that you didn't know because we are not always aware of the thoughts that are going on in our heads.  One thing is for sure, we all have thousands of thoughts every day, so there are always plenty of thoughts to write down. You may try this technique in your daily journal for this class, especially if you have writer's block.  Give it a try and see what you think!

What is writer's block?

Have you ever sat down to write and you can't think of anything to write about?  Maybe you had a case of writer's block.  This happens to many people, including famous authors. There are at least two solutions. First, go do something else and come back to writing later. Don't pressure yourself looking at the blank computer monitor wondering what you should write. Second, just write about anything that is going through your mind---and there are always thoughts flowing through your mind, even when you are asleep--and before you know it, you might "break the ice" and start writing up a storm.  It's like jumping into a cold swimming pool. You hate to do it, but after you are in the water, it feels fine. I chose the second approach today. I couldn't think of what to write, so I decided to write about writer's block. And now I am finished with my post for the day and I have overcome writer's block, for now.   What do you do when you have writer's block?

Here is a link to some information on Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) with some ideas about writer's block. Click on the following link to learn more:  Purdue OWL Writer's Block

The power of a story

Everyone likes a good story. Narrative is a big word for story. Stories, or narratives, can be entertaining and educational. They can make you laugh or cry, or both.  They can teach you about history and culture. Storytelling began as a way for the older generation to pass along their ideas and beliefs about the world to the younger generation.  Stories can be real or make-believe, or a combination of both. Sometimes true stories can be the most powerful kind.

We have all had a lot of interesting experiences in our lives that we can tell or write about.  If you have travelled or lived in a foreign country, I'm sure you will have many interesting, and sometimes funny, stories to tell.  You can write a five-paragraph about an interesting experience from your life. It will include an introduction paragraph that that sets the stage for the story, three body paragraphs that tell the story, and a conclusion paragraph.  Your story should include a setting, the place where it happened, a plot, what happens in the story,  characters, the people in the story, and a climax, probably at the end of your story, which is the high point of the story, followed by the conclusion. The conclusion might include what you, or others, can learn from your story. We call this kind of ending "the moral of the story."

Storytelling is more of an art than a science. The success of your story is based on how the people who hear or read it react to it. If it makes them laugh and cry, or scratch their heads, it's probably a good story. It's about feelings and emotions. Remember that there are three main reasons that people write. It's as easy as P.I.E.  People write to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain. A good story can entertain and inform, and maybe even persuade. That is the power of storytelling.

So what should I write about?

Many students ask that question.  I can't answer the question for you. You need to look within yourself to find the answer.  Think about what you know about, are interested in, and would like to learn more about. Then you will discover the answer to your question:  What should I write about?  Don't write about something that you are not interested in and is boring to you. In your daily journals, write about things you are interested in and want to share with me, your reader. I'm interested in knowing something about your daily routine, but not about what you do every day. I'm more  more interested in knowing what you are thinking about, your plans, your memories, your fears, your joys.  Think about "growing the garden of your mind" as Mister Rogers used to say.  Here is another Remix video about the wonderful Mister Rogers. Mister Rogers Remix, Side B

Thinking about writing, writing about thinking

Everything begins with a thought.  This is what my mother used to tell me. Anything we do in life first starts in our heads as a thought, idea, or concept.  Some of these thoughts become reality when we act on them and do or make something. A house, a vacation, an academic degree, a new car:  all of these things began in the mind as thoughts.  It is the same with writing. No matter what kind of writing it is--a letter, an email message, an essay, a blog post, an article, a tweet, a book--they all began in the mind.  When you have a writing assignment in school, first spend some time thinking about what you are going to write before you start writing. If you do the thinking step first, the writing will be better. Fred Rogers used to have a children's show on television called Mister Rogers. Maybe you used to watch  it when you were a child.  He talked about thinking, creating, imagining, and being curious. He called it "the garden of your mind."  I am attaching a video remix of Mr. Rogers for you at the following link:  Mister Rogers Remix