Transcript Writing to the Point - Anoka

Writing to the Point
An Exercise in Structure and Logic
Step One:
(Label each step as you proceed)
Write a simple declarative sentence that makes one
statement; not a question or a command, but a simple
statement. Use this formula:
Someone is/ does something
Something does/ did something
Examples:
The Empire State building is tall.
The Empire State building is one of New York’s oldest.
Bill was a janitor.
Bill cleaned up a spilled milkshake.
Bill had an important influence on my life.
Step Two:
Next, write three sentences about Step One’s
sentence -- clearly and directly about the whole of that
sentence, not just something in it.
Examples:
Because the Empire State building is tall, people used to
leap from it.
People take a lot of photos of the building because it’s
so unique.
Bill taught me how to clean up milkshakes.
Bill showed me how much fun cleaning up milkshakes
can really be.
Step Three
Write five sentences about each of the three sentences in Step
2 -- clearly and directly about the whole of each Step 2
sentence, not just something in it.
With each sentence, don’t ask, “What will I say next?” Just say
more about what you have just said. The idea here is to say a
little about a lot, not a lot about a little.
Use transitions to make your ideas extend from one sentence
to the next, to show the relationships between ideas. Use key
transition words such as:
Such as
Because of
Therefore
But
So
However
Step Four:
Pull out another sheet of paper. Divide your essay into
three paragraphs, with the three sentences you created in
Step 2 as topic sentences, and the simple declarative
sentence in Step 1 as your thesis sentence. Next, plug in
the five sentences you wrote for Step 3 under its topic
sentence, which you created in step two:
An outline will look like this:
Thesis: Declarative Sentence from Step 1
Topic Sentence: From Step 2
Five sentences from Step 3
Topic Sentence: From Step 2
Five sentences from Step 3
Topic Sentence: From Step 2
Five sentences from step 3
Remember to connect these sentences with clear transitions.
Step Five:
In the first sentence of each new paragraph, starting with
paragraph 2, insert a clear reference to the idea stated at
the end of the last paragraph.
Step Six:
Within each paragraph, make sure every sentence
in your essay is connected with, and makes clear
reference, to the sentence before it (by clear transition
phrases and repetition of key words).
Step Seven:
From the topic sentences of each of the three full
paragraphs, plus the body content of the paragraphs,
locate the common theme of your essay and compose a
paragraph of conclusion which restates your main points
(found in thesis and topic sentences).
Step Eight:
Based on the topic sentences of the three paragraphs,
rewrite your thesis sentence as an organizing statement
that will show the reader what to expect in your essay.
Place the thesis at the end of the first paragraph of your
essay.
Next, write a general opening which leads into your thesis
statement; two or three sentences of general, background
information that logically lead into the specifics of your
thesis statement.
Clean up any minor details, and you should now have
a complete, fully structured essay. It may not be
content-rich, but it should be well-structured.
Hand in the final draft of your essay.