KEY FACTORS IN

WRITING
EXPLORING
Before even writing a single word, the process of
writing begins first with exploring.
In the exploring stage, there are 4 key steps:
1. Think about your topic
2. Think about your audience
3. Think about your purpose
4. Try exploring strategies
TOPIC
Your topic, or subject, is what you are writing about.
When an instructor/lecturer gives you a writing
topic, narrow the topic and find an angle that
interests you.
When you think about your topic, ask yourself the
following questions:
What special knowledge do I have about the topic?
What subtopics are most relevant to me?
What aspect of the topic do I care about deeply?
AUDIENCE
Your audience is your intended reader.
In your personal, academic, and professional life,
you will often write for a specific audience.
Your tone and vocabulary must be adapted to suit
each audience.
When considering who your audience will be, ask
yourself the following questions:
Who will read my essay?
What does my audience already know about the topic?
What information will my readers expect
Should I use informal or formal language?
How should I adjust my vocabulary and tone to appeal to
my readers?
PURPOSE
Your purpose is your reason for writing. Sometimes
you may have more than one purpose.
When you consider purpose, ask yourself the
following questions:
Is my goal to entertain? Do I want to tell a personal story or
anecdote?
Is my goal to persuade? Do I want to convince readers that
my point of view is the correct one?
Is my goal to inform? Do I want to explain something or
present information?

PURPOSE
Your general purpose is to entertain, inform, or persuade.
Your specific purpose is your more precise reason for writing.
For example, imagine that you are writing about music. You
can have the following general and specific purposes.
General purpose: to inform
Specific purpose: to explain how to become better at playing
the piano.

CLASS EXERCISE
Read the following selections and answer the
questions regarding them. Also, be able to explain
your answer.
CLASS EXERCISE
I just made my favorite dessert. It looks awesome. I
hope it tastes alright. I almost freaked out when I
realized I forgot to turn the oven on. My instructor is
super, and hes got a great sense of humor with my
and the other students. Next, I am going to try to
make a more complicated dessert.

1. What is the most likely source of this paragraph?
a. Web site article b. personal journal c. textbook d. memoir
2. What is its primary purpose?
3. Who is the audience?
CLASS EXERCISE
I never mastered the art of the thump. Whether the
melon is ripe or not, the thump sounds the same to me.
Each one I cut, however, seems to be at its pinnacle
toothy, crispness, audacious sweetnessSitting on the
stone wall, sun on my face, big slice of watermelon
Im seven again, totally engrossed in shooting seeds
between my fingers and spooning out circles from the
dripping quarter moon of fruit.

1. What is the most likely source of this paragraph?
a. Web site article b. personal journal c. textbook d. memoir
2. What is its primary purpose?
3. Who is the audience?
CLASS EXERCISE
Eat regularly. Eating is one of lifes greatest pleasures, and it
is important to take time to stop, relax, and enjoy mealtimes
and snacks. By scheduling eating times, people do not miss
meals. People may not get adequate nutrients if they miss
a meal, and they might not be able to compensate for a
lack of nutrients by eating a subsequent meal. So eating
meals regularly is especially important for school-age
children, adolescents, and other adults.

1. What is the most likely source of this paragraph?
a. Web site article b. personal journal c. textbook d. memoir
2. What is its primary purpose?
3. Who is the audience?

CLASS EXERCISE
About 5,000 years ago, another revolution in technology was
taking place in the Middle East, one that would end up
changing the entire world. This was the discovery of
agriculture, large-scale cultivation using plows harnessed to
animals or more powerful energy sources. So important was
the invention of the animal-drawn plow, along with other
breakthroughs of the periodincluding irrigation, the wheel,
writing, numbers, and the use of various metalsthat this
moment in history is often called the dawn of civilization.

1. What is the most likely source of this paragraph?
a. Web site article b. personal journal c. textbook d. memoir
2. What is its primary purpose?
3. Who is the audience?

EXPLORING STRATEGIES
After you determine your topic, audience, and
purpose, try some exploring strategiesalso known as
prewriting strategiesto help get your ideas flowing.
When you have your topic, it is also important to make
sure that your topic is not broad, but focused.
Find one aspect of your topic that you know about a
lot and that you find interesting.
If your topic is compelling, chances are your audience
will also like your topic.
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
To help narrow and develop your topic, there are 4
prewriting strategies you can use:
1. Freewriting
2. Brainstorming
3. Questioning
4. Clustering

EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Freewriting gives writers the freedom to write
without stopping for a set period of time.
The goal of this exercise is to record the first
thoughts that come to mind.
As you write, dont be concerned about word
choice, grammar, or spelling. Just write without
stopping.
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Brainstorming is like freewriting, except that you
create a list of ideas and you can take the time to
stop and think when you create your list.
As you think about the topic, write down words or
phrases that come to mind. Do not worry about
grammar or spelling.
The point is to generate ideas.
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Heres an example of brainstorming
Topic: Mistakes college students make.
Party too much
Not doing homework
Waking up late for class
Getting too stressed
Weighed down by relationships
Choosing the wrong career path
Being too shy to speak in class
Feeling intimidated
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Questioning is a means of generating ideas by
asking questions and writing responses to them.
The questions can help you define and narrow your
topic.
One common way to do this is to ask yourself who,
what, when, where, why, and how questions.
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Heres an example of how to structure your
questioning:

Questions Answers
What kinds of mistakes do college
students make?
Not doing homework, partying too
much, missing classes.
Who makes the most mistakes? Freshies because they are not
prepared for college life.
Why do some students miss class? Tired, not interested in studying
When do most students drop out? Many drop out in the middle of the
month
How should colleges help these
students?
Guidance counselors, friends,
teachers
Why is this topic important New students can learn to avoid
pitfalls, administrators can help
students
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Clustering is like drawing a map of ideas and
arranging them as a visual image.
To begin write your topic in the middle of the page
and draw a box or a circle around it.
That idea will lead to another, so write the second
idea and draw a line connecting it to your topic.
Keep writing, circling, and connecting ideas until
you have groups, or clusters of them on your
page.
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Heres a sample of a cluster map:
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Brainstorm ideas for the following topic:
Ways to help preserve the environment.
Make a cluster map of your ideas.
EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Once you have ideas for your topic, it is good idea
to have an outline to organize them.
Start by having topic sentences for each point in
your outline (these can be the topic sentences of
each of your paragraphs).
Within each topic sentence or each outline point,
write down sub-topics (these are the
expansions/support of your main point).
For an average essay, its good to have at least
five main points in total.


EXPLORING STRATEGIES
The five points include:
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
For an average college essay, the introduction
usually has one point, while the body has three
points. The conclusion has one point.
Heres a sample of the structure of an outline:

EXPLORING STRATEGIES
Once you have ideas for your topic, it is good idea
to have an outline to organize them.
Start by having topic sentences for each point in
your outline (these can be the topic sentences of
each of your paragraphs).
Within each topic sentence or each outline point,
write down sub-topics (these are the
expansions/support of your main point).
For an average essay, its good to have at least
five main points in total.


OUTLINING
Once youve decided which ideas you will be using
for your essay, you are ready now to plan.
In the planning stage, the ideas you brainstormed
are put into an outline.
The first step toward making an outline is to divide
the ideas.
Pick one or two ideas that stand out to you.

OUTLINING
Heres as example of dividing ideas and choosing them:

Communication problems for foreign students in the States.
Poor verbal skills use incomplete sentences
Lack vocabulary Americans difficult to understand
New language Americans talk too fast
Poor pronunciation unclear expressions
Lack confidence use slang and idioms
OUTLINING
The ideas listed under communication problems
could be divided further into two subliststhose
that describe international students and those that
describe Americans.
Two items, (1) poor verbal skills and (2) Americans
difficult to understand can serve as titles for the
sublists.
New language and lack confidence didnt fit in
either sublist, so they were crossed out.
CLASS ACTIVITY
Pick one idea that you want to write about
regarding how to help preserve the environment.
OUTLINING
Finally, write a topic sentence.
The topic sentence is the most general sentence in
a paragraph, and it expresses the central focus of
the paragraph.
For example, lets say you are writing about
communication problems (general topic), a
possible topic could be one of the following:
One problem that many international students face in the
United States is communication with Americans.
OR
International students in the United States face
communication problems with Americans.
GROUP ACTIVITY
Develop at least two topic sentences with the idea
that you have chosen.
OUTLINING
An outline is a formal plan for a paragraph.
In the outline, you write down the main points and
subpoints in the order which you plan to write about
them.

OUTLINING
The following is an example of an outline of the
topic, communication problems.

International students in the United States face
communication problems with Americans.
A. International students have poor verbal skills.
1. Lack vocabulary
2. Have poor pronunciation
B. Americans are difficult to understand.
1. Use incomplete sentences
2. Use unclear expressions
3. Talk too fast
4. Use slangs and idioms
GROUP ACTIVITY
With the topic sentence you have written, develop
an outline with it.
Develop at least 4 points for your outline.
Write and develop an outline for the following topic:
Mistakes college students make
Come up with a topic sentence and then create an outline.