tailieunhanh - Write better essays in just 20 minutes a day part 6

When the clock is ticking, and you are faced with a blank sheet of paper, don't wait for inspiration to strike (sometimes it doesn't). While creativity and inspiration can play an important role in good essay writing, organization, discipline, and revision are critical. | CHOOSING A TOPIC AND DEVELOPING A THESIS Practice 1 For the following assignment identify a broad topic narrow it and turn it into a question and tentative thesis. Assignment Identify a factor that you believe figures strongly in a child s personality development. Explain how that factor may influence the child. Broad topic Narrowed topic Further narrowed topic Sufficiently narrowed topic Topic turned into a question Tentative thesis Practice 2 Return to one of your brainstorming sheets from Lesson 3 or 4. Use the steps outlined in the four rules for choosing a topic and write a tentative thesis. 47 CHOOSING A TOPIC AND DEVELOPING A THESIS In Short To write an effective essay you need a topic that interests you and fulfills the assignment. It must be sufficiently focused so the amount of material you will cover can be adequately explored within the confines of an essay. Narrow down your topic until you can turn it into a specific question. The answer to this question should serve as your tentative thesis the main idea that you will address and develop in your essay. Skill Building until Next Time Choose topics and develop tentative thesis statements for the other three brainstorming exercises you completed in Lessons 3 and 4. 48 LESSON 6 Outlining and Organizational Strategies LESSON SUMMARY In this lesson you ll learn about the underlying structure of an essay and how to create an outline. We ll also examine some of the common organizational strategies used by essay writers. Now that you have a tentative thesis you may be tempted to jump right in and start drafting. Sometimes this approach works especially if you ve done a lot of brainstorming have thought carefully about your assignment and your writing skills are strong. More often however a great essay is the product not only of brainstorming but of organization as well. The Assertion Support Structure Before discussing common organizational strategies it s important to consider the underlying structure of .