Writing
should be as easy as talking
Some people
struggle with the process of writing an essay.
How can it seem to come so easy to some and be so hard for others?
Writing is somewhat different from how we speak.
Most of us have no trouble talking to one another, but when we sit down
to put our words to paper we get a mental block.
There are three main parts to writing a proper essay.
I had to learn these parts in order to complete my English 101 class.
In this class there were many different essays that were due.
Each paper had its own theme and writing style that had to be observed.
But no matter what the content, each one had to contain these three
parts: an introduction, body, and conclusion.
These three main parts have their own function, which when used right
will balance out any paper.
The introduction
acts like a gateway to its own story. “My husband handed me the baby and closed the car door”
is a classic example of getting the reader's attention that
I used in my essay “Life Anew.”
The most important thing in writing a story is the introduction; it is
the introduction that gains the reader's attention.
There are ten different ways to introduce a paper, article, or story.
The list contains: fact, quotation, dialogue, story, anecdote, detailed
description, question, outrageous statement and my favorite the “dramatic
scene.” I used this
introduction while writing my paper, “Organ Donors are Heroes too.” My introduction for this paper read:
I sat next to his hospital bed, as I held his hand. I looked into his blue eyes that once showed so much love and
happiness. I watched as tears
rolled from them now. He squeezed
my hand tighter and tighter. We
both knew with each tick of the clock he was slipping father and farther
away…. He would die that night.
I used this example
to draw the reader into the story. This
was a dramatic scene that could have played out for any number of people.
Human contact and personal stories are often very good introductions.
It is often something that the readers themselves can relate too. Opening with a dramatic scene almost insures them finishing
the paper.
The only
function of the body is to provide details.
This can be done in several ways. In
my paper “Do you love your children enough to send them to Hell?” I used
each paragraph in the body to tell a small story.
Each paragraph could stand on its own, but when placed together they made
up a bigger picture. The first paragraph read, “A Christian woman, that I knew
said she didn’t force her children to go to church…She didn’t love him
enough to bring him to church.” The
second paragraph told about a family and read, “The mother, father and their
only remaining child dedicated their lives to the Lord…. Before the night of
his accident none of them had ever attended a church service.”
Each paragraph told about a single story in itself, but when placed
together with the introduction that talks about true love, it unites the
individual’s stories to a theme.
The conclusion should unite with the introduction; it should complete the
story and give you any last words to leave with the reader.
These last words should leave the reader with an image that will unite
the story and make the reader remember it.
The best way to unite the conclusion with the introduction is to use repetition
of a word or phrase. I used the
method of repeating in my essay “Organ Donors are Heroes too” by saying,
“Organ donors should be labeled as heroes because not only do they add hope
they also add the most precious gift of all: life.”
I used this line in the introduction and in the conclusion I said,
“Life is the most precious gift we have been given, and the giving of life is
nothing short of heroic.” By
stating that life is a precious gift in both sentences it helps to get the point
across that I think that life is precious.
Adding a lasting image to the conclusion will also help insure that the
reader will remember the essay. If
they cannot remember the entire story a reader can almost always recall an image
burnt into their mind by a vivid scene. In
my essay “Life Anew” I tried to leave my reader with a lasting image by
saying, “I would be rocking an empty blanket no more.
I sat with him in the rocking chair where I had once shed so many
tears.” By leaving this image
with my reader they can look back on my story and remember me sitting in a
rocking chair holding my new baby.
When sitting down to begin an essay remember these three basic rules and
you should be able to write any essay. No
essay will be complete without these three things.
Always try to unite your introduction with the conclusion; provide enough
details in the body so that it doesn’t leave the reader guessing at what you
may be writing about. Make sure you
leave them with an image that will last. And
as you sit down to type out your next essay remember you speak thousands of
words a day; it isn’t that hard to take the spoken word and transfer it to the
written word.
--Melissa
Hankins
The Beat Goes On in The Circle Of Life
"Self" means "having a single characteristic or quality throughout, a particular side of a person's character, or personal interest." I find this definition true as I try to analyze the themes I have written this semester. It has been easier for me to write about personal experiences. I still had to use my imagination to make the writings real and interesting. I am pleased, as well as surprised, that I have learned so much in the past four or five weeks. Writing came easy to me once I understood the importance of the introduction, the body, the form, and conclusion. Good introductions are important to draw the reader's attention. I think the title also draws interest to a theme. The conclusion brings unity and leaves me with an image. I enjoy writing, and I find that I can write about anything when I use the right technique.
I had to use a lot of detail in my illustration paper, "The Beat Goes On," in order to illustrate a nurse's day at the hospital answering the call lights. I used a direct beginning for the theme: "Good Morning, this is Margie, may I help you?" Then, I continued the paper with quoted conversations between the nurse and the patient. This was a personal experience and one of my easier papers to write.
I think I used more descriptive details in the body of all my themes. "The Circle of Life" describes a new born baby: "A new born infant breathes its first breath of life with a painful, powerful, cry." I think you need to describe something to emphasize the meaning or visualize the story.
The conclusion of my papers left the reader with something to think about, sometimes asking a question. My first paper, "Reaching the Top" asks, "Where is room 305?" "The Circle of Life" theme concludes with "Why not try to show a little love and compassion as we pass through this world?" I think I have accomplished unity in my papers by following the outline of writing about the present, past, and returning focus to the present. My most difficult theme was trying to write an analysis paper of someone else's writing.
When I compare my first story with the last, I can see a big improvement. I feel that I have learned a lot about writing in English 101, and the criticism has been fun as well as helpful. This class has given me a good start for my future writing. All of my themes have been self-related, and I have enjoyed writing them. Writing to me is a personal experience with a unique way of expressing thoughts and ideas.
—Margie Caudill, English 101, Fall, 1995
Form is Everything
It was a dark and stormy morning. How many papers catch a reader's attention in this way? Throughout this course we have been taught how important it is to capture a reader's attention from the beginning and maintain his or her interest until the last word. We do this not by using captivating dialogue but by perfecting the writing form.
After writing my first theme, "Menace to Society," which was a touching and moving story about my experience with poverty in our society, I tried to add many details to the body of the paper. I had hoped to convey to the readers the portrait of a poverty-stricken American. With several sentences like, "I felt sorry for the man who had to wear a old hat, full of holes, to keep his head warm," I felt it would keep a reader interested and eager to learn more about my character's appearance. Before handing my assignment in, I asked myself several questions: Does my paper have good form? Does the introduction inform and interest a reader? Does the body give good and plenty of details? And does the conclusion unify and bring together an understandable image? After several corrections and additions, I could answer "yes" to all of the questions. I felt very confident about my work because of the simple fact that I knew my paper had good form.
Another example of good form can be found in my second theme, "Auto Ordeal." In this story I paid extreme attention to the introduction, making certain it would capture a reader's attention by leaving a question to be answered, plus wonder and suspense. By using sentences like, "Why does it always have to be me?"and "Why am I the one who always gets screwed?" I hoped the reader would have wondered where I was going with this. After completing the body, I knew that the reader had a good portrayal of the events that had taken place. I also wanted to create a lasting image so the reader would remember what the story was about in the first place. I accomplished this by restating several ideas that were in my introduction. Personally, I think that this paper was my best work.
I believe I could say only one sentence that would sum up all writing: "Form is everything." If I were to grade myself in this class on a scale comparing me to the average writer, I would not really know what kind of grade I would receive. The sad truth is I must give myself the grade I think I should have. Honestly after knowing my potential and seeing my work, I would say I deserve a "B." I think all of my material could have been a lot better if I had taken more time and used my knowledge of form-writing to its fullest potential.
—Jason Page, English 101, Fall, 1995
The Black Ink Marks Slowly Disappear
Deciding to go back to school after 10 years was a major step in my life. In high school all I wanted to do was get by, but being out in the real world for the past 10 years made me realize that just getting by wasn't good enough. Being a single parent of a two year old, working full time, and barely bringing home enough money to pay the bills, made me think about my son's future and what I couldn't give him if I didn't try to better myself. I also realized that when he would start in school I would be unable to help him. Seeing that I couldn't write a complete sentence properly myself, how could I correct his?
Poor English skills affected me everywhere I went, mostly at work. Several different people I worked with constantly corrected my English vocabulary; this embarrassed me and made me angry. Joellen, a five year college graduate, took pleasure in correcting my vocabulary, especially when I would pronounce a word such as "idea." I would say "ideal," and she would correct me by saying "idea" has no "l" in it. Writing has taught me how to spell better so I am able to pronounce my words right. Taking English 101 this semester has not only improved my verbal vocabulary but has helped to improve my writing skills tremendously.
For example, I will use my first theme, "Past and Present." There were more black ink marks of corrections on the paper than paper itself. The paper was a disaster. I had several sentence fragments, and at that time I wasn't even sure what a sentence fragment was. For example, I wrote this sentence: "Working as a waitress in a Denny's restaurant making a decent living at most times living in an apartment driving an escort." I needed to make 2 or 3 sentences out of this by adding more details and commas. I never knew when to use quotes. For example, when I wrote what Kimmy yelled across the room at me, "Yo Lisa! Come over here and meet this guy," I was quoting what she said and never realized that's when you use quotes. My apostrophe "s" gave me a really hard time throughout the whole semester. I understand now when to use an apostrophe "s" and when not to. I still have to think about when to use an apostrophe and when not to. I have to say to myself, "Am I talking about someone having possession of something, or am I talking about one or two ideas?" For me, the use of apostrophes doesn't come natural yet.
As time went on, by correcting my papers over and over again, things actually started to sink in, and I understanding what needed to be in an introduction, body, and conclusion gave my paper proper form. Form and structure, those are the two words that I will remember most about my English 101 class. I feel that I've come a long way in one semester, and by looking at my final papers compared to my rough drafts is more than enough to show me just how much I've learned. Someday I will be able to show my son just how smart his mother really is and hopefully inspire him to not only get through high school but make the most out of it and learn everything he can so that when he goes to college he will be well prepared to handle whatever comes his way.
—Lisa Curd, English 101, Fall, 1995
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