ENG 150

Chapter 1: Decisions in the Writing Process

During the writing process, you transform the material you discover- by inspiration, research, accident, or other means-into a message that makes a difference for readers. In short, writing is a process of making deliberate decisions.
Consider a Dear John or Jane letter, an essay exam, a job application, a letter to a newspaper, a note to a sick friend, or your written testimony as a witness to a crime. In each of these situations, you write because you have a viewpoint- a position on the topic- and you want to respond or speak out. By asserting your viewpoint, you let readers know exactly where you stand; you announce your position.
Here are just a few examples of viewpoints any writer might assert:

Examples of view points:

College is not for everyone.
I deserve a raise.
Food can be just as addictive as a drug.
I want my life to be better than that of my parents.
It’s time to bring back school uniforms.

Later you will see how ideas like these serve as thesis statements for essays.
But merely expressing a viewpoint doesn’t tell readers very much. To understand and appreciate your ideas, readers need clear explanations. Any useful writing-whether a book, a news article, a memo, a report, or an essay- displays a sensible line of thinking, often in a shape like this:

Much of your writing will have this basic shape:

Introduction:
The introduction attracts attention, announces the topic and viewpoint, and previews what will follow. All good introductions invite readers in.

Body:
The body explains and supports the viewpoint, achieving unity by remaining focused on the viewpoint. It achieves coherence by carrying a line of thinking from sentence to sentence in logical order. Body sections come in all different sizes, depending on how much readers need and expect.

Conclusion:
The conclusion sums up the meaning of the piece or points toward other meanings to be explored. Good…