A Guide on How to Begin Writing - Essay Example

A Guide on How to Begin Writing Part one of the texts in the second edition of the book Writing Today gives the reader a guide on how to begin writing. Chapter one gives information about how to approach writing of different genres. Different genres are therein defined in details and how they can be incorporated into the writing process. The first chapter generally gives the reader a guide on how to plan and structure their reading. Questions in this chapter include: what are genres? How can genres assist a writer? How are genres used in different careers and learning institutions? Chapter two of the text book provides a guide to a writer on how to choose a topic for their writing. Topics are very important in writing as they give the first meaning to any piece of writing. In this chapter, the reader is guidedon how to determine the content of their writing based on the purpose for writing as well as choosing the appropriate genre for their piece of work. Some of the critical questions a writer may ask themselves at this point are: What will form the content of my writing? What is the motive for writing? What will stand out in the topic that is to be written about? What will inform the choice of the genres to be written about? Part three provides a guide of how to have the desired impact for the reading by considering the targeted readership. A clear analysis of the characteristics of the targeted readers is done so as to determine the content for the writing. This will assist in determining the context for the writing. The questions in this section may be: What are the expectations of the readers? What will form the context? What are some of the rhetorical questions that may be asked? Part Four and Part Five Part four of this text gives the reader a guide on how to develop their writing by logically presenting their ideas. In order to achieve this there must be a proper introduction as well as a proper conclusion for the writing. These will form the basis for arrangement of different paragraphs in a way that the writing is fluent and has meaning. According to Johnson and Paine, different patterns can be used at this point to organize the writing in a better way. Some basic strategies of writing are also given in this part. These strategies assist the writer determine the best arrangement that will give the best flexibility for their work. Some of the questions that may be used in this part include: How will the introduction and conclusion be written in order to achieve fluency? What type of pattern will work best for this writing? Which strategy is best suited for this writing? How many writers will be involved? Part five gives guidance on the next step which involves carrying out research for the content to write. The readers get to know how to determine the resources to use as well as how to manage the process of collecting material for their writing. This will involve the use of a research plan and this part gives guidelines on how to introduce any necessary changes. Different sources of writing material are introduced and how best to utilize them as well as their appropriateness for different types of writing. Different referencing styles are also discussed. Some of the questions that might be asked include: How is a research plan formulated? When is it best to use APA or MLA writing style? How is information source classification done? Chapter Six: Reviews Chapter six gives guidance on reviews and how to conduct them. The first step according to Johnson and Paine is to come up with the writing to be reviewed. The review has to be planned in a way that it will refine the content. Once the review is carried out, it has to be organized in a clear structure as well as have a style that is in agreement with the type of writing. Managing a review involves planning and designing the process as well as identifying the steps to be followed. Once the writer is satisfied that the review at hand has been done satisfactorily, the contents of the review are then edited for mistakes and any revision is done if there is need to. Different genres have different review styles and hence the need for proper planning and design. The questions that might be asked include: What will be needed for content review? What is the most suitable style for doing a review? What degree of revision and editing is needed in a given review? What are the essentials in planning a review? Chapter Seven: Literary Analysis A literary analysis is important in any form of writing as it evaluates the kind of work done. Literary analyses give an alternative interpretation of the writing under consideration. Chapter seven gives guidance on how to carry out a literary analysis. It begins by giving guidelines on how to determine the content for the literary analysis as well as how to plan it. A literary analysis has to be carefully organized as it gives a determination whether the purpose for writing has been met. The text in this chapter also gives guidance on how to choose a suitable style for carrying out the analysis. The outcomes of this analysis provide recommendations for the work under consideration. According to Johnson and Paine, it is important to think through the writing so as to understand the flow and context of the writing. Some of the questions that might be asked include: What will form the content for the literary analysis? Which is the best style to use for analysis of different types of writing? Does the analysis require more text after edition and revision? Is it possible to match the content of the writing to that of the analysis? How well are ideas expressed in relation to the topic of the writing under consideration? Works Cited Johnson-Sheehan, Richard, and Charles Paine.Writing Today.Pearson, 2013. Read More