Composition FAQ: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:10, 11 July 2006

Welcome to the English Composition Writing FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). This FAQ addresses difficulties that many new writers have with mechanics, style, content, and structure. While meant for the new college writer, even experienced writers may benefit from some of the answers to the following questions.

Comments and questions should be forwarded to the FAQ’s Editor. If you have a question, feel free to send it to me, or link it below and hopefully someone will answer it in due time. Please check back frequently if your questions have not yet been answered. If you have a submission — an answer to a question — please include it below. Anyone wishing to submit content to the FAQ is strongly encouraged to do so. Any questions in red have not been answered; click on one to answer it. Please follow the Composition FAQ Guidelines.

Initial Questions

Writing is a not a process that deals only with a pen and paper; it also involves the brain. Writing is not as easy as it looks, and the toughest part about it is, "how do I get started?" The following are some ways that will help writers get started with the writing process.

- Find a focus- Try to figure out the main focus of the essay. - Find an audience- It is important for writers to think who they are writing for; therefore, think about who will be interested in the essay?

- Brainstorm- With the focus and audience in mind, come up with related ideas.

- Pre-write- Write down all of the ideas on a piece of paper. Write down anything that pops up in the mind.

- Outline- Make an outline of the pre-write that will clean up the ideas. It will include an introduction with a thesis statement, some arguments with supporting details, and a conclusion. For example, the outline will be like the following:

             1) Introduction
                 A) I love school. (Thesis Statement)
             2) Arguments
                 A) I see my friends in school everyday (Add examples)
                 B) It is fun to have Snack Time. (Add examples)
                 C) I enjoy sports a lot. (Add examples)
             3) Conclusion
                 A) I wish I can go to school during the summer too.

- Write the first Draft- There is no final draft for an essay; there is always more room for proofreading. Write the first draft as if it is the one to submit. When finished with the first draft, proofread and edit much as possible.

Once the first draft is complete and proofread, continue the writing process with the second draft and then the final.

Content Questions

Mechanics and Grammar Questions

General

What is the difference between possessives and plurals?

Sentences

Punctuation

Commas

Semicolons

Structural Questions

Stylistic Questions

Writing About Literature

Online Writing

Blogs

Wikis

Podcasts

What is a podcast?

Research Questions

Revision and Editing

External Links

Geroge Mason University’s Writing Center — Some excellent resources for writers and ESL.
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab — A great site for tutorials, workshops, study materials, and more.
University of Ottawa’s Writing Centre — Check out Hypergrammar and their other writing resources.

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