Introduction

Next to reading, effective writing is probably the second most important skill students need to be successful in college. In fact, in almost every college course, you will be required to do some writing. You will write compositions, term papers, journal entries, research papers, and lab reports. Additionally, you will have tests, exams, and quizzes that contain essay and short-answer questions. Thus, becoming an effective writer will increase your ability to earn good grades in college.

The main goal of writing is to communicate–whether that is in writing an essay, reporting the results of an experiment, or responding to questions on a test. In each case, it is important to write clearly so the reader understands the information you are conveying, the point you are making, or just for the pure enjoyment of reading.

The strategies listed in this section will assist you in becoming a more effective writer. Practice these strategies in all your writing assignments. They can be used to help improve your writing skills for most all types of writing assignments you will encounter in college. Select the title of each section below to learn more about these strategies.

2.1 Use Prewriting Techniques

Many students see prewriting as a waste of time and jump right into drafting a writing assignment. However, when you skip over the first steps of writing and move straight to drafting, the process of writing may take much more time.

Proficient writers know prewriting is important because it allows you to generate ideas to frame your thinking and provide a broad range of content. Spending time planning your writing will ensure that the best of your ideas come together in a cohesive way. This will also make the drafting and revising process easier and result in a higher-quality finished piece.

Here are three prewriting techniques you may find helpful:

Technique 1: Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a technique of listing as many ideas as possible about your writing topic. The greatest rule of brainstorming is to keep the process as broad and open as possible. Review the video below to learn more about brainstorming.

When working on group assignments or problem-solving, you might explore the brainstorming techniques described in the following video.

There are some tips to keep in mind while brainstorming:

1. Do not censor. No criticism, judgment, or analysis of ideas should occur while brainstorming.
2. Quirky or off-the-wall ideas can be helpful. They may trigger other ideas that may end up being useful and more practical.
3. Do not concern yourself with organizing ideas. Focusing and organizing ideas will come later.
4. Give yourself time. Even if there is a lull or break in generating new ideas, give the process time. Sometimes the brain needs time to “percolate.”

Here is an example of some ideas generated around the topic of depression:

Technique 2: Mind Mapping

Mind mapping (or concept mapping) is similar to brainstorming, but it is much more visual. It allows you to create connections between ideas. It can be a useful step after brainstorming, or it may match your style better if brainstorming seems too random.

Select this link titled Yasmin’s Mind Maps to view mind maps created by a former FYEX student. Then watch the following video to learn more about mind maps.

Technique 3: Freewriting

Freewriting is a process of simply writing. When writers freewrite, they write whatever comes to mind without worrying about spelling or grammar. Freewriting helps you get started and can expand your thinking. Watch the following video to learn more about freewriting.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, use a prewriting technique (brainstorming, mapping, or freewriting) for every writing assignment you are assigned in your course(s). You can type your ideas or handwrite them. Spend at least 15 minutes for each prewriting session, and try to write as much as you can. Save the ideas you develop through prewriting so that you can submit them as evidence with your project.

2.2 Define Your Thesis

Your thesis is the engine of your writing assignment. It is the central point around which you gather, analyze, and present the relevant support and reasoning that makes up the body of your writing assignment. It is the center, the focal point. The thesis answers the question, “What is this paper all about?”

A strong thesis does not just state your topic but your perspective or feeling on the topic as well. It does so in a single, focused sentence (or two sentences, at most). It clearly tells readers what the essay describes, explains, or argues, and it engages readers in your big idea(s) and perspective.

In an academic essay, thesis statements are usually found at the end of the introduction paragraph. Seasoned authors may play with this structure, but it is often better to learn the form before deviating from it.

If you select this strategy for your Study Skills project, use one of the following methods to define your thesis whenever you begin a writing assignment for your course(s).

Method 1: Topic and Angle

The thesis sentence is the key to most academic writing. The thesis should typically include two elements: the topic and the angle.

1. Topic: What you’re writing about
2. Angle: What your main idea is about that topic

When defining your thesis, the goal is to include both the topic and the angle in one- to two-sentence thesis statement. By doing this, you will demonstrate to your instructor that you can offer your own insights, analyses, and ideas–not only that you understand the concepts you’re studying, but also that you have thought about those concepts in your own way, agreed or disagreed, or developed your own unique ideas as a result of your analysis.

Here are some examples of how students have listed their topics and angles to assist them in developing a thesis:

Method 2: Thesis Template

When you are provided a specific question in a prompt (the assignment’s instructions), you may find it helpful to use a template to define your thesis. This template (shown below) asks you to identify the topic and question(s) that your instructor has included in the writing prompt, or instructions for the assignment.

Below, the student has been asked to write about the role of municipal governments in promoting pro-environment behaviors, and the instructor has posed the questions: “Which is better for promoting pro-environment behaviors: incentives or fines? Why? ” in the writing prompt.

The student uses the topic and the questions to create an answer, which becomes the student’s thesis.

When you are asked to develop a writing assignment and your instructor has allowed you to select your own topic, you might use the following template. Begin by writing the area or issue that interests you in the first column. Then, identify a problem, controversy, or uncertainty about your topic and place this in the second column. Next, develop a question based on the problem, controversy, or uncertainty, and place this question in the third column. Finally, Develop an answer to your question. Ensure that your answer includes the topic and your perspective on the problem, controversy, or uncertainty. Readers should be able to imagine what your assignment will describe by reading your thesis.

If you select this strategy for your Study Skills project, complete one of the methods listed above to define your thesis for each writing assignment you are asked to complete in your course(s). You may type or handwrite your ideas. Save your ideas for each thesis and assignment so that you can turn in evidence with your project.

2.3 Organize Your Ideas Before Writing

When you write, you need to organize your ideas in an order that makes sense. The writing you complete in all your courses exposes how analytically and critically your mind works. In some courses, the only direct contact you may have with your instructor is through the assignments you write for the course. You can make a good impression by spending time ordering your ideas.

Order refers to your choice of what to present first, second, third, and so on in your writing. The order you pick closely relates to your purpose for writing that particular assignment. For example, when telling a story, it may be important to first describe the background for the action. Or you may need to first describe a 3-D movie projector or a television studio to help readers visualize the setting and scene. You may want to group your support effectively to convince readers that your point of view on an issue is well reasoned and worthy of belief.

In longer pieces of writing, you may organize different parts in different ways so that your purpose stands out clearly and all parts of the paper work together to consistently develop your main point.

Methods of Organizing Writing

The three common methods of organizing writing are chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance.

Chronological Order

Chronological order is mostly used in expository writing, which is a form of writing that narrates, describes, informs, or explains a process. When using chronological order, arrange the events in the order that they actually happened, or will happen if you are giving instructions. This method requires you to use words such as first, second, then, after that, later, and finally. These transition words guide you and your reader through the paper as you expand your thesis.

For example, if you are writing an essay about the history of the airline industry, you would begin with its conception and detail the essential timeline of events up until present day. You would follow the chain of events using words such as first, then, next, and so on.

Order of Importance

Order of importance is most appropriate in a persuasive paper as well as for essays in which you rank things, people, or events by their significance. Most essays move from the least to the most important point, and the paragraphs are arranged in an effort to build the essay’s strength. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to begin with your most important supporting point, such as in an essay that contains a thesis that is highly debatable. When writing a persuasive essay, it is best to begin with the most important point because it immediately captivates your readers and compels them to continue reading.

For example, if you were supporting your thesis that homework is detrimental to the education of high school students, you would want to present your most convincing argument first, and then move on to the less important points for your case. Some key transitional words you should use with this method of organization are most importantly, almost as importantly, just as importantly, and finally.

Spatial Order

Spatial order means that you explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your reader, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you. The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals to follow from place to place.

The key to using this method is to choose a specific starting point and then guide the reader to follow your eye as it moves in an orderly trajectory from your starting point. You might use spatial transition words such as above, below, beneath, beside, near, over, and under.

Organize Writing in an Outline

Keep these three methods of organization in mind as you plan how to arrange the ideas you will describe in your writing assignment. One way to organize ideas is through an outline, which is a written plan that serves as a skeleton for the paragraphs you write. Later, when you draft paragraphs in the next stage of the writing process, you will add support to your assignment.

When you write, your goal is not only to complete an assignment but also to write for a specific purpose—perhaps to inform, to explain, to persuade, or for a combination of these purposes. Your purpose for writing should always be in the back of your mind, because it will help you decide which pieces of information belong together and how you will order them. In other words, choose the order that will most effectively fit your purpose and support your main point.

Watch the following video to see examples of outlines.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, create an outline for every writing assignment you are assigned in your course(s). Follow one of the three methods of organization: chronological order, order of importance, or spatial order. Choose the organization method that is most appropriate for the purpose of your assignment. Use a sheet of paper or a Word document for each outline you create. Include the following in your outlines:

• Place your introduction and thesis statement (or main idea) at the beginning, under roman numeral I.
• Use roman numerals (II, III, IV, V, etc.) to identify the main supporting ideas or points that develop the thesis statement.
• Use capital letters (A, B, C, D, etc.) to divide your main points into parts.
• Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) if you need to subdivide any As, Bs, or Cs into smaller parts.
• End with the final Roman numeral expressing your idea for your conclusion.

Save your outlines so that you can submit them as evidence with your project.

2.4 Create a Post-Draft Outline

After you have completed a draft of a writing assignment, a post-draft outline can help you during the revision process. A post-draft outline can help you quickly see where you went with your writing assignment and can help you more easily see if you need to make broad changes to the content or organization. Watch the video about post-draft outlines by Excelsior Writing Lab to learn how to create a post-draft outline.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, create a post-draft outline for every writing assignment you are assigned in your course(s). Use a sheet of paper or a Word document for each post-draft outline you create. Your outline should list your paragraphs and summarize the point you make in each paragraph. Also, include notes about changes you plan to make to your assignment after creating the post-draft outline. For instance, do you plan to separate a paragraph with several topics into separate, focused paragraphs? Do you plan to add more support to a paragraph? Will you rearrange your ideas to create a stronger argument? Save your post-draft outlines so that you can submit them as evidence with your project.

2.5 Revise Your Writing

Writers use critical questions to find cracks and crannies, places where they need to develop or clarify their thinking. In their pursuit of clearly expressed, well-developed ideas, writers find soft spots—that is, passages that need to be developed or discarded and sections that just don’t feel right—that feel mushy like cereal that has been sitting for too long in sour milk. They ruthlessly ask “So what?” and “Who cares?” and reexamine their work, because they know reconsidering a line or even a word may give birth to a new idea or to reconsideration of what has been written.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, select at least two questions from each of the sections below (purpose, evidence, organization, and style or conventions) to assist you in revising each writing assignment that you complete in your course(s). Choose the questions that seem most relevant to your writing assignment. List the questions and your answers on a sheet of paper. Use the answers you write to assist you in revising your writing assignment. Save evidence of your revision questions and answers so that you can submit them with your project.

Purpose

• What is your thesis? Have you expressed your thesis in your introduction and reinforced it in your conclusion?
• Will readers understand your reasons for writing? Have you provided the specific examples, concrete language, careful reasoning, and supporting evidence that they need in order to understand your position?
• In what ways have you fulfilled the assignment requirements in terms of purpose, length, audience, required/appropriate sources, appropriate tone, and rhetorical stance?
• What makes your thesis arguable, controversial, and/or insightful?
• How does your thesis reflect your paper’s purpose?
• How have you advanced your thesis through convincing and compelling ideas?
• How does each paragraph—along with all the sentences it contains—support your main idea?
• Can you make your assignment more enjoyable to read by offering more examples?

Evidence

• How credible (trustworthy) are your sources? How can you demonstrate the source’s credibility to the reader?
• In what ways can you provide supporting details to best back up your claims (i.e., anecdotal evidence and hypothetical examples)?
• How are your sources or details relevant to your thesis and purpose?
• Can the reader distinguish between your ideas and those of your sources?
• How can you better integrate your sources and details into your argument instead of letting them speak for you?
• How much of the quote is vital to make your point?
• What might be a more appropriate approach for this sourced material (i.e., summary, paraphrase, or quotation)?
• Where is the evidence to back up your assertions?

Organization

• In what ways does your introduction engage your reader?
• How do your topic sentences relate to your thesis?
• How do your topic sentences indicate the purpose of each paragraph, and within each paragraph, how do all of your ideas pertain to the topic of the paragraph?
• Where do you use appropriate transitions to connect ideas between sentences? In what ways do you preview or signal to your reader? In other words, how might you give your reader a heads-up before you shift ideas as well as a nod toward the ideas that have come before?
• How does your conclusion answer the “so what” question?
  • In what manner have you reiterated your ideas?
  • In what way have you provided a call to action?
  • With what have you left your reader to think about at the end of your paper?
• How can your ideas be arranged in a more logical order?
• How have you distinguished between main ideas and details?
• In what ways might you improve the flow or cohesiveness of your paper?

Style or Conventions

• How might you address the grammatical issues that occur throughout your essay? Check for issues with subject/verb agreement, pronoun reference problems, run-ons/fused sentences/comma splices, fragments, or dangling or misplaced modifiers.
• Can you identify places in your text where either punctuation is missing or where the purpose of this punctuation is unclear? How might you correct these punctuation issues?
• What is the appropriate point of view for this text based on your audience and purpose?
• You tend to use less explicit descriptions (such as clichés, qualifiers, wordy constructions, overuse of prepositional phrases, or vague constructions). How might your discussion be more precise and engaging?
• How might you revise this sentence to make it clearer, more active, more convincing, and more connected to other sentences or ideas?
• Are there places in your paper where the word choice is inappropriate for your audience? What might be more appropriate?

2.6 Meet with a Tutor

Getting help from a tutor is one of the habits that every student can benefit from. Not only will you get immediate help with the academic issue but you also develop a supportive relationship that can be helpful for years to come. Some caveats–not every tutor/student relationship works out. You may need to experiment to find a person that works best for you.

As the student, you need to prepare for the tutoring session so that it is productive and useful. In math class that might mean coming with sample problems that are giving you trouble or a list of concepts you need more help with. For English classes or writing assignments, you may need to bring in a draft of your assignment as well as a list of concerns you would like addressed in the tutoring session.

Don’t be surprised that tutors will often not help with an actual homework problem or with editing your writing. Their job is to help you understand the concepts well enough to do the homework yourself. Some students arrange to do their homework in the tutoring center so that they can ask for help whenever they run into problems. What a great idea!

At CNM both in-person and online tutoring is available. You can call (505) 224-4306 or visit the CNM ACE Tutoring website to get information about the times and services available. CNM students can also access a comprehensive list of online services.

If you choose this strategy for your Study Skills project, keep track of dates and times you meet with a tutor as well as the topics and assignments you work on with the tutors. You can report results from assignments, projects, and quizzes as well as how you feel about the tutoring process when using this strategy.

2.7 Keep an Error Log

An error log is a document that lists all your mistakes (errors) in your writing and how to correct them. It is designed to help you learn from your mistakes. An error log is a great way to record, review, and remember errors you have corrected so that you can avoid these errors in the future. When you receive feedback about a mistake in your writing, whether it is in punctuation, grammar, or spelling, you create an entry in your error log that includes the error and how to correct it. You should also include your revised sentence or paragraph so that you can see how you corrected the error.

A simple method to use is a three-column technique, where the first column lists the error you made (spelling, grammatical, punctuation, etc. and highlighting/underlining the error), the second column lists the error or explains what the error is, and the third column is a correction of the error.

If you select this strategy for your Study Skills project, you will need to keep an error log for all of your writing assignments. This document will be submitted at the end of this project along with your study logs.

Licenses and Attribution

Section 2.1 was adapted from Developmental Writing authored by Elisabeth Ellington and Ronda Dorsey Neugebauer, provided by Chadron State College, through the Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0.

Section 2.2 was adapted from The Writing Process by Andrew Gurevich, Excelsior Online Writing Lab 2020, and “Templates for Writing Thesis Statements” by the University of Guelph, all licensed under Creative Commons International Licenses 4.0.

Section 2.3 was adapted from Writing for Success  by the University of Minnesota, licensed under a Creative Commons International License 4.0.

Section 2.4 was adapted from Excelsior Online Writing Lab 2020, licensed under a Creative Commons International License 4.0.

Section 2.5 was adapted from “Revision: Questions to Consider” by Joseph M. Moxley, licensed under a Creative Commons International License 4.0.

Section 2.6 was adapted from OpenStax College Success, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0. Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/1-introduction.