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Outline and Paper Writing Instructions
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Check My Assignment!I Prewriting:
1) Read carefully and take notes.
This is very important. Either underline as you read or take notes as you go. At some point, review the text and take notes on what stands out as the most important, interesting, confusing, contradictory, and enlightening parts. Begin to think analytically about how each text compares to the others.
2) Take notes on your notes.
After you have assembled notes on each text, read through all your notes and take notes on your notes. This sounds funny, but it is actually one of the most important steps. The idea is to begin to notice differences and similarities and to develop your argument –your take on the material. If you are unclear on the sequence of events, make yourself a timeline. Diagrams are very helpful at this stage.
3) Brainstorm.
After you have read, taken notes, and taken notes on your notes, sit down at your computer/typewriter/legal pad and write everything you can think of about the topic. Write anything and everything that comes to mind. Turn off the critic inside your head and don’t worry about grammar, coherence, etc. Ask yourself questions if they occur to you, and write everything down. Do this for 20-40 minutes.
Warning: if you find you have nothing to say, return to step tow, or step one. It is easy to tell the difference between someone who read and thought carefully, and someone who took shortcuts.
4) Thesis and Topic Sentences.
Thesis or argument statements are the most important parts of any paper you write. It is very important to put time and effort into creating these “signposts” that tell the reader where your paper is and where it is going. Writing good thesis and topic sentences is a skill that takes time and practice, and it is the heart of good writing, as well as good public speaking. All forms of communication, whether on the job, in the classroom, or even attempts to improve interpersonal relationships, requires analyzing a large amount of information and distilling that down to the most crucial points. If you want to be successful in any middle class profession, you will need to do this well, and to do it frequently. Therefore it is a really good idea to work on this skill now, in CH203.
Next, cull through your brainstorming and your various notes and come up with your thesis and topic statement. Your thesis is your argument. It is the overarching theme that will tie together your whole paper. One good thing to do is write down a whole bunch of simple statements that you want to be part of the argument. Then see which statements fit inside of the other statements—which are the themes and which are the meta-themes. Another trick is to write the three or four topic sentences first, and then build a thesis statement that can span all of them.
There are many different kinds of thesis statements. Some of the things a thesis can do are:
Comparison—you can compare different versions of events or different authors’ arguments. You can also compare and contrast the method or sources that different authors use.
Qualitative Judgements—a thesis can say which author’s argument is stronger and why; it can evaluate a text on its merits.
Historical synthesis—a synthesis is a broad historical explanation that relies on other texts but that offers its own version of events.
A thesis should be:
Comprehensive: The thesis must cover all the topic sentences.
Concise: Cut away all the fluff and hone the thesis to as few words
as possible. (Watch for the verb “to be”-—you can often replace it with a stronger verb.)
Nuanced: A good thesis often cuts back and forth, fakes left and goes right, etc. To do this, you have to be immersed in the materials to the extent that you can make fine distinctions (see steps 1&2). It also helps to use certain trigger words such as: ““although, however, despite, because, but””
Subtle: In writing, you have to be very precise and you can only write what you can support.
Defensible: Make sure your argument fits the facts.
An argument is not a summary. Beware! You would be amazed how many people write papers that are all summary, no argument, with no thesis. Don’t be one of them!
5) Relax.
Smile. You’re more than halfway done. Take a break if you feel like it. Note that writing well takes a long time, so start well in advanced. Break up steps 1-4 over a few days and you will be much more sane and write a much better paper.
II Outline
6) Organize your evidence.
Make an outline, as described in the assignment. List your opening statement, thesis statement, and a topic sentence for each paragraph. List specific evidence for each paragraph, including direct quotes from your sources. Include a concluding sentence for your last paragraph that restates and broadens your thesis. Some people like to write these elements down on index cards so that you can shuffle them around. It also helps to step away from your computer when you want to think about conceptual issues.
III Writing
7) Write When you have your thesis and topic sentences lined up and your evidence organized, you’ve reviewed your notes and your notes on your notes, you are ready to write. Because you have already done so much work and put so much thought into the texts, your argument, and your evidence, it will be much easier and the end result will be much better than if you tried to write off the cuff.
IV Editing and Rewriting
Print your essay out and try reading it out loud— this will help you to catch a lot of stylistic problems. Take your essay to a writing tutor or a friend, and get advice on how it can be improved. Or, take the essay to your TA’s office hours, or the Writing and Speaking Center and ask for help. Then revise and rewrite your essay. Rewriting your essay will make it MUCH better and is almost guaranteed to improve your grade by 1/3 to 1 whole grade!
Good luck! Remember, writers continue to improve into their fifties. This is an exercise, like hitting the gym and doing reps. You get better at anything with practice. Give yourself the best chance to be successful by taking all the steps to writing an essay; don’t just sit down at the computer and hope something great comes out. That does not work for anyone, no matter how brilliant or experienced. You CAN become a great writer, if you work at it. Writing is hard for almost everyone. But because there are so few great writers, you will put yourself in a very special category by becoming one, and that will help you no matter what you do with your life.
