The Steps to Writing Anything

1. Find an example,
2. Deconstruct your example.
3. Do some research.
4. Construct yours using the example.
5. Be Specific.
6. Cite your sources.
7. Be Concise

Find an example

1. How to get examples.
1. Your teacher may provide you with an example.
2. Text book or google search.
3. Google search.

Deconstruct your example.

1. Find the thesis
2. Find topic sentences
3. Outline paragraphs
4. Note important words
5. Note examples

Do some research

1. Find your own examples.
2. Google.
3. Youtube.
4. Wikipedia Sources.
5. Read the news everyday.

Construct yours using the example

1. Make an outline
2. Say it, then write it
3. Rewrite thesis statement.
4. Rewrite the topic sentences.
5. Build the paragraphs with your examples.

Be Specific

Here are some words to avoid using

1. they when no antecedent is present
2. society
3. people or peoples
4. currently
5. these days
6. nowadays

Be Specific--continued

Here are rhetorical devices to avoid.

1. Assertions need to be backed up with details
2. Our rights are being take away.
3. What rights?
4. The government can't do anything right.
5. What specifically can't it do correctly?

Cite Your Sources

1. Citing sources means that you are being accountable to your reader.
2. No sources. No credibility.
3. Because I said so isn't credible.
4. MLA, APA, and Turabian are citation methods.
5. Newspapers: According to Dr Smartperson at the University of Smartpeople...

Be Concise

1. Avoid repetition
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out
4. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a Jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

The Power of Simple WordsBe Concise - cont.

Comparing wordy and conciseBe Concise - cont.

1. Wordy
1. In this essay, I am going to spend the next five pages explaining the fact that the government is constantly taking away our rights.
2. Concise
1. The government is undermining our Constitutional rights.

Themes

Black - White - League - Sky - Beige - Simple
Serif - Night - Moon - Solarized - LE (default)