C h a p t e r 2
Writing
H
aving completed the prewriting steps, your writing should move along
smoothly. Whether your prewriting activities result in a list, a scratch outline,
or a formal outline, the process of writing the first draft is nothing more than the
development of your prewriting-activity products. During the writing steps, you
should feel free to express your ideas without worrying about mechanical details,
sentence structure, and other formal writing techniques. Those details can be left as
part of revising and proofreading.
This section of Part I follows the logical building blocks for
• Good Writing Habits
• Writing Sentences
• Writing a Paragraph
• Writing a Multi-Paragraph PaperGOOD WRITING HABITS
The following steps suggest a good plan for gathering all those words in your head
and getting them onto paper.
STEP 1: Getting Situated
Situate yourself in a comfortable spot, free from distractions, in whatever surround-
ings are most stimulating to your own creative process. For some writers, any kind
of sound—music, voices, street noise—proves distracting. For other writers, back-
ground noise helps drown out other distractions. In any case, arrange to work in the
situation most comfortable for you.
STEP 2: Following the Plan
Follow the organization plan you developed during the prewriting process. Begin
with the topic or thesis sentence and add the supporting details suggested in your list
or outline.