248 / Types of Writing
These questions should help you find a topic that interests you. In a sentence or two,
write your topic. Then list ideas from the work that support that topic, as in the fol-
lowing example.
General topic:
The play, “The Belle of Amherst,” uses only a single character to depict the
biography of Emily Dickinson. By doing so, the dramatist can allow Emily to
do what most characters in a play cannot.Details:
have conversations with those offstage
share secrets with audience
show her impishnessSTEP 2: Prewriting—Reading for Analysis
Next, reread the work, skimming for specific examples that support your idea. Either
take notes on separate note cards or mark the pages of the work with slips of color-
coded paper (using different colors to mark supporting details for different topics).
If you are using your own copy of the book, you may also choose to mark specific
passages directly in the book.
As you read, add to or delete items from your list of supporting topics; thus, you can
add important details and delete less supportive details. Revise or expand your list as
necessary.
STEP 3: Prewriting—Planning the Paper
Now develop a topic or thesis sentence suitable for your paragraph or paper. Then
arrange the revised and expanded list of details in a logical order. The order may
show relationships, opinion, cause and effect, or comparison and contrast. [See
Opinion, Cause and Effect, and Comparison and Contrast (chapters 12, 6, and 8,
respectively).] You may also use chronological order or some order of importance.
[See chronological order and order of importance in the Glossary.]
Next, make some final decisions about your list. Are some items so insignificant that
you will have trouble developing them well? Are some too broad to develop in only
a single paragraph? If so, what logical divisions can you see? Do you have too many
subtopics to develop in a single paper? If so, can you choose the three or four most
important or most telling in terms of your general topic? Change the list as necessary.
When you finish, you will have a scratch outline of your paper. If your assignment
requires it, develop a formal outline from this informal list. [See For a Paper in Chap-
ter 31, Outlines.]