Learn to Write in an Organized Manner

Writing – Organizing Writing

Steps to Follow to Organize Written Work

Prewriting

• Define the purpose of writing
• Brainstorm and generate ideas
• Determine the topic and main idea (Thesis statement)
• Research and gather information to support the main idea from primary and secondary sources

Planning and Outlining

• Outline the written work in form of graphic organizer and bullet points

• Hook- The first sentence should capture readers’ interest with context-based anecdote, quotation or statistical data.
• Background -Familiarize readers with the subject or the main argument.
• Thesis statement (Main idea)– A simple, clear and concise statement about the writer’s opinion/position on the argument. It defines a path that the writer will follow going ahead.
• Example of thesis statement –Indonesians should add exercise to their morning routine not only to keep a check on their weight but also to reduce the risk of hypertension.

Drafting

• Outline acts as the framework to begin writing. Construct the sentences that most accurately convey ideas and support details.
• Start the new point with a new paragraph.
• Use transition words that bridge each paragraph and connect.
• Example Regarding this, speaking about, moreover
• Handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation skills are important while writing. However, the primary focus should be putting the idea into written language while writing the first draft.
• The first draft can be written in a non-linear way.

Redrafting and Revising

• Give some time gap between writing first draft and redrafting /revising.
• Self -evaluate the first draft to check for –
• Argument points that seem illogical or vague
• Argument points presented in a haphazard manner

• Details left unexplained or unclear
• Unnecessary and irrelevant information. Hold no support to the argument
• The main idea and supporting points should be clear
• The sentences and ideas must complement each other.

• Reorder the text
• Make changes to argument points
• Add or remove the text

Editing and Proofreading

• Editing – Check for grammatical errors, sentence structure and phrasing mistakes and make corrections.
• Sentence structure error –Fragmented sentences. Example – Because of the snow.
• Run-on sentences. Example – She loves to write poems. I want to write every day if I had the time.
• Proofreading – Check the text for the following common errors
• Missing capital letters at the beginning /Proper Noun
• Capital letters at places where it is not required
• Misspelt words
• Missing punctuation marks or wrong punctuation marks used
• Missing or misplaced apostrophes
• Formatting errors like no space between letters/words, extra spaces, missing sentence as new paragraph, numbering and indent
• Use proof-reading marks to highlight the errors and make corrections
• Prepare the final draft of the written work