Writing Basics: Writing an argumentative/persuasive essay

If your instructor asks you to write an argumentative or persuasive essay, your main task is to convince the reader to agree with your opinion on some subject.  Let's say that you are against smoking and want to write a persuasive essay about why people shouldn't smoke.  Before you start writing, stop and think about why you believe that people shouldn't smoke.  Pick out your three strongest reasons/arguments to support your opinion.  They might be that smoking 1) causes cancer, 2) increases the chances of having a heart attack, and 3) exposes others to second-hand smoke, which can be almost as dangerous as smoking. You have just decided what the body paragraphs of your essay will be.  Now, think about why people who smoke would disagree with you; they might say that they are free to smoke, that it makes them feel good, it reduces stress, and so on. This is called the counterargument.  Now think about how you would refute, or argue against, this counterargument.  This is called your refutation.  You now have the general outline for a six-paragraph essay.

I. Introduction, with hook and thesis statement
II.  First argument against smoking
III.  Second argument against smoking
IV. Third argument against smoking
V.  Counterargument and Refutation
VI. Conclusion

You now have an outline and can start writing the first draft of your essay.

Basic Writing: Prewriting and brainstorming

Thinking is the first step of writing.  Before you start writing an assignment, spend some time thinking about what you are going to write about.  Here are some tips for prewriting and brainstorming activities that will help you write a better essay.

1. Do a "brain dump." Think about what you are going to write about and then write down on a piece of paper all the ideas and words that come to your mind about the topic.  Don't worry about spelling at this point. Just write down as many of your thoughts as possible.

2. Talk about your topic.  Talk to as many people as you can about what you are going to write about and ask them what they think about your ideas.  This will help you have it clear in your mind what you want to write about.  Take some notes on what people tell you.

3. Sleep on it. As you are getting ready to go to bed, read the notes you have written down from steps 1 and 2 and put them on your bed stand next to a pencil or pen. When you go to sleep, your subconscious mind will think about your topic and "work" on it during the night.  If you wake up in the middle of the night with a thought, get up and write it down with your notes.  Go back to sleep.  When you wake up in the morning, look at your list and you will find that your subconscious mind has generated some new ideas while you slept. Write those new ideas down.

4. Review your notes and organize them into an outline for your essay.

Now you are ready to write your essay.

Writing Basics: To write better, keep writing--and reading!

Writing is a skill, and like any other skill, it takes practice to improve. Writing and reading are closely related skills. So read and write as much as possible. Try to write and read something every day.

Think about writing a daily journal, or diary, recording your thoughts each day. If possible, set aside a few minutes (no more than 15) and a special place to write every day. Make it a comfortable place, where you feel good and won't be distracted by people or noises. Have a cup of coffee or tea, or whatever you like to drink, while you are writing. The idea is to make it an enjoyable experience, more like play than work. Just write your thoughts down as they come into your mind. Don't worry too much about spelling, grammar and punctuation. Remember, this writing is just for you, unless you decide to share it with someone else.

You have many other opportunities to write. Write an e-mail to an American friend. Texting is a form of writing. You'll need to learn all the abbreviations used in texting, like LOL, BFF, BTW, OMG, and so on. Write a letter to someone. Think about writing an essay or poem to publish in the Ivy Tech newspaper, The Campus Insider, or the Ivy Tech student publication, New Voices.

Reading and writing are closely related skills. Good writers usually like to read a lot. When you read good books and articles, you see what good writing looks like, and you can "imitate" it. Good writers have good vocabularies, grammar, and punctuation, so they are good models of those aspects of writing. Studies have shown that ESL students who read the most have the highest levels of English skills. It doesn't matter what you read; read a book, article, newspaper, magazine, or comic book. Read articles on the Internet. Read blogs. The important thing is to read daily and to read about something you are interested in. When you read, try not to use the dictionary too much. Try to figure out the meaning of new words from their context. Only look up a word if you absolutely cannot understand what the author is writing without knowing that word. The more you read, the more you will enjoy reading. And the more you read, the more you will learn.

So my advice to you is to keep writing and reading to become a better writer. Good luck!

Writing Basics: Writing an essay in one hour

When you apply to a college or university, you will probably be asked to write a five-paragraph essay as part of the application process. They want to know how well you write, since strong writing skills will be such an important part of your success in college and career after college. They also want to know if you can write under the pressure of a deadline, so they will probably give you 45 minutes to an hour to write the essay. When you are given the topic for the essay, the clock starts ticking. First, take a few minutes to read the topic and make sure you understand it. Then think about the topic and organize your thoughts on what you want to write about the topic and what your thesis statement will be. Take a minute to write a five- point outline. Only then begin to write the essay, and you will find that writing will go very quickly. Finally, give yourself a few minutes to review and proofread your essay and make any necessary changes. You will write a great, well organized essay in a short time if you follow these steps. Good luck!

Writing Basics: Easy as 1-2-3

Throughout history, many people in different cultures have attributed special, even mystical powers to the number three. Numerologists call it a powerful number. Maybe they are right. Think of all the different places that three pops up: triangles, pyramids, ABC, the trinity, and so on.

In writing, three is an important number. When you write, you need to keep this principle in mind. The basic unit of writing is the paragraph, which has three parts; introduction, body and conclusion. Essays also have the same three parts. Many colleges ask students to write a five-paragraph, three-part essay as part of their application, with an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. So you see, writing is as easy and one, two, three!

Henry David Thoreau, the great American author and naturalist, wrote, "I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society."

Writing Basics: The power of proofreading

Proofreading your own writing is important. After you have written something, don't submit it to the teacher if it is an essay, hit the the send button if it is an e-mail message, or "publish" it as I will do after I finish this post and hit the "Publish" button until you have re-read your writing, checked for meaning, grammar, and punctuation, and run the spell-check to check for spelling mistakes. Sometimes, especially if the written piece is very important, it's a good idea to have some else read it and give you feedback and suggestions for possible changes. Be sure to ask someone who will be honest and tell you if they see any mistakes or things that need to be changed. A second pair of eyes can be very valuable. Don't be in a hurry. If you have time, lay your draft aside and come back and read it the next day with fresh eyes. You might spot an error you missed the first time, or decide to change the wording for better clarity. Now you are reading to finalize your draft and submit it.

Writing Basics: The Internet - good news, bad news

As you develop your writing skills, you will go beyond writing about what you know and start writing about topics that require research. The good news: the Internet has become an excellent source of information and research. The bad news: It seems that you can find anything on the Internet. But keep n mind that just because you have found something on the Internet, doesn't mean that is true, or even that it is accurate. Always check the source of information that you find on the Internet and make sure that it is not just someone's opinion before using that information in your paper.

Also, be sure to follow the correct style for citing the source of information you find on the Internet. This basically involves giving the reader the URL where you found the information and the date that you retrieved the information. Style guides, such as APA, MLA, Chicago Manual, will vary slightly on the format of the citation. Just stay consistent with the style guide you are following when you write the essay. Consistency and accuracy are the important things about references and citations.