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Exercise 3
Study how Mariah made the transition from her sentence outline to her first draft. First,
copy her outline onto your own sheet of paper. Leave a few spaces between each part of
the outline. Then copy sentences from Mariah’s paragraph to align each sentence with
its corresponding entry in her outline.
Continuing the First Draft
Mariah continued writing her essay, moving to the second and third body paragraphs.
She had supporting details but no numbered subpoints in her outline, so she had to
consult her prewriting notes for specific information to include.
Tip
If you decide to take a break between finishing your first body paragraph and starting
the next one, do not start writing immediately when you return to your work. Put
yourself back in context and in the mood by rereading what you have already written.
This is what Mariah did. If she had stopped writing in the middle of writing the
paragraph, she could have jotted down some quick notes to herself about what she
would write next.
Preceding each body paragraph that Mariah wrote is the appropriate section of her
sentence outline. Notice how she expanded roman numeral III from her outline into a
first draft of the second body paragraph. As you read, ask yourself how closely she
stayed on purpose and how well she paid attention to the needs of her audience.