Once the initial period of invention is
completed, you should review what you have learned about the
topic and start to plan your essay. Planning requires you to put your ideas into a
coherent, purposeful order appropriate to your readers; drafting
challenges you to find the words that will be understandable and
interesting for those readers. Invention continues as you draft, for you will
continue to make further discoveries about your topic as you
work. But drafting requires you to shift your focus from
generating new ideas and gathering further information to
forging new and meaningful relations among your ideas and
information.
1. Formulate a tentative introduction and
thesis statement, around which you organize an essay. Of
course this may be revised later on, so remember that it is not
indelible. Write one or two sentences that could serve as a
strong, explicitly stated, and appropriately qualified thesis statement. Consider using a forecast statement to
introduce some key points which assert a clear and strong
judgment.
An
evaluation of the music played on WXYZ reveals that
most songs depict sex vulgarly, sanction the abuse of women
and police officers, promote gang violence, and encourage the
purchasing and selling of illicit drugs.
It is evident from the above evaluative thesis
that the writer has thought not only about the introduction but
also about the major sections of the paper, each of which will
discuss one of the criticisms mentioned in the thesis.
Additionally, the thesis is appropriately qualified because some
would agree that songs depicting crude sex, encouraging abuse of
women and police, and fostering gang violence and illicit drugs
can be criteria used in judging whether or not a radio
station is presenting an appropriate form of music to a mass
audience. Finally, the thesis asserts a clear and strong
judgment on the subject matter.
2. Using your getting started notes,
make a brief outline to refocus your ideas. You can note on your outline
where you plan to plan to address opposing arguments.
3. Use the outline as a guide
as you draft.