{"id":31,"date":"2020-05-25T16:15:05","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T20:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/whywriteguide2e\/chapter\/drafting\/"},"modified":"2023-09-28T13:52:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T17:52:26","slug":"drafting","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/whywriteguide2e\/chapter\/drafting\/","title":{"raw":"1.6 Drafting","rendered":"1.6 Drafting"},"content":{"raw":"Drafting is an important step in the writing process. You might start by drafting, then think, then draft or you might do the opposite or some other process. There is no one right way to engage the writing process\u2014the main point is to have one<\/strong>. The following gives some suggestions for how and when to draft and where to start. Of course, everyone\u2019s process will be different\u2014so there\u2019s no need to feel limited by what\u2019s listed here.\r\n

Where to Begin<\/h2>\r\nBy this point, you\u2019ll have done the necessary preparatory work: be that simply thinking carefully about your assignment prompt or reading sources and making notes. Whether you\u2019re writing a response paper or a research essay, most writing assignments will require you to make an argument or claim of some kind.\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s think about the example from earlier: you\u2019ve read an article on restorative justice programs for first-time offenders and are being asked to respond. In this case, you\u2019re being asked to describe your reaction to the article and support your reactions with reasons and evidence from the text. In a more formal assignment like a research paper, your instructor will expect you to summarize your argument in one to two sentences. These few sentences are referred to as a \u201cthesis statement.\u201d (For more on thesis statements, check out this webpage on \u201cThesis Statements\u201d from the Writing Center at UNC<\/a>[footnote]\u201cThesis Statements,\u201d The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, https:\/\/writingcenter.unc.edu\/tips-and-tools\/brainstorming\/<\/a>.[\/footnote] or read about and\/or watch a video on \u201cCreating a Thesis Statement\u201d from The Learning Portal<\/a>.[footnote]\u201cCreating a Thesis Statement,\u201d The Learning Portal, College Libraries Ontario, https:\/\/tlp-lpa.ca\/writing\/essay-getting-started<\/a>. (*Note that this information can be found under the heading \u201cThesis Statement\u201d and there is an .rtf transcription of the video available on the webpage).[\/footnote])\r\n\r\nThough, as we\u2019ve said above, there are many ways in which to draft your paper, few people begin without a working thesis\u2014in other words, a rough idea of the argument they plan to make. I say \u201cworking\u201d because it\u2019s not uncommon for our ideas to shift as we write. As award-winning teacher and rhetorician Wayne C. Booth<\/a> tells us, one of the reasons we write is to understand: \u201cWhen you arrange and rearrange the results of your research in new ways, you discover new implications, connections, and complications.\u201d[footnote]Wayne C. Booth et al., The Craft of Research, <\/em>3rd ed. (University of Chicago Press, 2016), 11.[\/footnote] In other words, we (and Booth) would like you to ask questions of your writing (e.g., \u201cDoes this belong here? Does this make sense? What if I moved this over here?\u201d). We\u2019ll talk more about revision later in the book.\r\n

Outlining and Writing Your Assignment<\/h2>\r\nMany writers will draft an outline or \u201cmap\u201d of their paper. This outline might be basic or it might be incredibly detailed.<\/strong> A basic outline may, for example, include a working thesis and rough sketch of what you plan to cover in each paragraph. A detailed outline may include topic or transitional sentences, excerpts from or summaries of the evidence you plan to use, and word counts for each paragraph. The type of outline you come up with will depend on several factors, including the length of the assignment and your own writing process.\r\n\r\nOnce you have drafted your outline, it\u2019s time to commit fingers to keyboard and content to page. You may wish to write the introductory paragraph first, but you don\u2019t have to. Many experienced writers leave writing the introduction until after they have written the body of the paper (or report or response or whatever the writing assignment might be). This experience is similar to introducing a guest speaker. To introduce a speaker you don\u2019t really know, you need some background before you can make the introduction. In a similar way, you can better introduce your paper after you are acquainted with the content. Perhaps try writing the introduction to your paper last. Give it a try!\r\n\r\nNow you need to think strategically about your writing. How are you going to produce a clearly organized, cohesive draft? Your drafting may normally involve stopping and starting, writing and backspacing as you agonize over your word choices, wonder about your comma use, or worry about your citations. (\u201cI know I found that somewhere; where is my source?\u201d) Stopping and starting can be frustrating. When drafting, don\u2019t worry about perfecting your text:\r\n