62 / Methods of Development
STEP 8: Writing—Following the Plan
As you develop your cause-and-effect paper, follow the organization established in
the preceding steps. [See Writing a Multi-Paragraph Paper in Chapter 2, Writing, if
you are writing a full-length paper; and see Writing a Paragraph in Chapter 2, Writing,
if you are writing a shorter paper.]
STEP 9: Revising—Checking the Content
Use the following questions to determine where your paper may need revision:
-^ Have I clearly established the cause-and-effect relationship by using
transitional devices?
- Have^ I^ avoided^ logical^ fallacies?
- Does^ the^ paper^ begin^ with^ an^ effective^ introduction?^ Does^ it^ give^ something^ of^
the background and include a thesis or topic sentence? [See thesis sentence or
topic sentence in the Glossary.] - Is^ the^ paper^ well^ structured?^ [See Checking Structure in Chapter 3, Revising.]
- Have^ I^ maintained^ unity^ by^ omitting^ unrelated^ ideas?^ [See Sample Revision for
Unity in Chapter 3, Revising.] - Does^ each^ body^ paragraph^ include^ a^ topic^ sentence?^ Does^ it^ relate^ directly^
to the thesis statement? [See Writing a Multi-Paragraph Paper in Chapter 2,
Writing, for a complete explanation.] - Is^ my^ conclusion^ effective?^ [See conclusion in the Glossary.]
- Have^ I^ used^ good^ sentence^ structure^ and^ achieved^ effective^ sentence^ variety?^
[See Sample Revision for Sentence Variety in Chapter 3, Revising.] - Do^ my^ sentences^ generate^ appropriate^ emphasis?^ [See Sample Revision for
Emphasis in Chapter 3, Revising.]
If you cannot honestly answer “yes” to each of these questions, you have discovered
areas in need of revision.
[In addition, see Chapter 3, Revising, for general information, including a more detailed
list of questions for guiding your revision.]
STEP 10: Proofreading—Checking for Details
Read your paper for accurate mechanics, usage, and grammar. [Refer to Part IV for
rules and examples.] Check for accurate spelling and word choice.