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From Ideas to an Essay
You have registered in an English class, and you are eager to learn how to write. Your first question is, "How do I start?" Let's assume that you have an assignment in front of you on the subject of protecting the environment, but so far you haven't written a word. you can continue to stare at the blank sheet of paper while waiting for inspiration; you can dash off whatever comes to mind and hope for the best; or you can begin by planning your paragraph before you write it.
Getting Started
Frequently the assigned topic will be broad enough to give each student an opportunity to draw on previous knowledge of the subject. For example, in the exercises that follow, you will be asked to discuss what you can do to protect the environment. Hardly a day goes by that you don't read or hear about the threat to life on our planet by the destruction of the environment, but what can you do about it? You have some general ideas about the problem, but what do you know specifically about it? Where do you find the information to write an entire paragraph on the subject?
First, look for ideas by exploring these five common sources of information:
1. Your own observation and experience
2. The observation and experience of people you know
3. Your college classes
4. Your reading
5. Radio and television programs
You probably have enough material for ten paragraphs if you can just take the first step. Begin by using the following techniques to start the writing process.
Listing Ideas
Make a list of your ideas on the subject by jotting down words and phrases in any order that they occur to you. Do not be concerned about anything except getting your thoughts down on paper. Here is an example of a list of ideas on the subject of protecting the environment:
Keep my car in efficient operating condition.
Don't use products made from polystyrene foam.
Plant trees; landscape with shrubs that require little water.
Recycle bottles, papers, etc.
Carry cloth shopping bag to avoid using plastic bags at store.
Use microwave for cooking small portions of food.
Install a low-flow shower head.
Contribute money to organizations working to save environment.
Write letters to legislators on issues involving environment.
Write letters to manufacturers to protest "overpackaging" of products.
Join local groups that are working to save environment.
Conserve energy in own home.
Drive car as little as possible; use bike, walk to do errands.
Check air conditioner to be sure it isn't leaking.
Follow some of recommendations of gas, electric, water companies.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper; don't use paper plates, etc.
You have completed a list of ideas; now you need to focus on one of them for your paragraph. Organize the material by grouping similar items. For example, from the list above, grouping the suggestions about cars could lead to the topic: acting responsibly as a car owner. You may want to start another list expanding on that idea. Your revised list might look something like this:
Avoid making unnecessary sudden stops and starts.
Keep engine tuned properly for efficient operation.
Check air conditioner to be sure it isn't leaking.
Reduce speed.
Join car pool or use public transportation when possible.
Bike or walk when doing errands.
Drive a small or medium-sized fuel efficient car.
Keep tires properly inflated, check for wear periodically.
Freewriting
Instead of making a list, you may want to write in longer phrases and sentences in your search for a topic, producing a solid block of writing. Although your instructor has already provided some focus for your writing in an assignment such as this one, you still have plenty of scope to develop your own unique response. Here is an example of freewriting:
What can I do to save energy besides turn off the lights! In the kitchen, for instance. Both microwave ovens and stove-top cooking use less energy heating up a small meal than a conventional oven does. If you have a refrigerator over ten years old and can afford to, buy an energy-efficient one to save power. Use reusable plastic containers to pack lunches instead of using plastic bags that fill up landfills. Turn down thermostat ten degrees on water heater, put a jacket around it to save energy. In the bathroom, limit shower time to five minutes instead of almost draining tank of hot water. Can also put a water regulator on the shower head to save water. Turn off tap while brushing teeth or shaving. If you have an air conditioner, keep thermostat at 78 in the summer to cut down on use. In winter set thermostat between 65 and 68 and wear a sweater. Use biodegradable dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent. Don't buy products made of foam; choose cardboard instead of foam egg cartons, for example. Buying in bulk will cut down on packaging materials. Take plastics, aluminum cans, newspapers, glass to recycling centers.
Clustering
Clustering should have a special appeal to those of you who like to sketch a diagram or make a map to explain a point. This technique will not only help you to put words on paper, but when you have finished, you may also discover connections among your thoughts that listing might not reveal. In the center of a blank sheet of paper, write the main word of your assignment and circle it. As you think of ideas, write them down, drawing lines to show the connections among them. Circle each word for easy reading. An example is shown on the next page.
The writer of the cluster on page 6 has a number of ideas that could be used as topics for a paragraph. "Protect the environment" is obviously too broad and complicated a subject for a single paragraph, but "recycling" and "reduce use of paper and plastics" are possibilities. Notice the connection the writer makes between "reduce the need for landfills" and "work on local problems." Some of the topics the writer thought of during the process of drawing the cluster, such as "save energy," led to ideas that would require some research and further limitation of the subject. However, the writer's interest in a local problem might be strong motivation for writing. Sometimes two clusters may lead to another approach more suited to a writer's purpose.
Outlining
Sometimes you will have a strong opinion about the topic before you begin making a list.
The author of the paragraph, "The Effects of the Oil-Drilling Project," was a student named Cathy. She knew who her intended readers were and what her opinion was, but she needed to get the reasons for her opinion down on paper before deciding on the exact wording of her topic sentence.
Cathy had read that an oil company was planning to drill for oil on a vacant lot near her house. On further investigation, she discovered that the company intended to erect a 135-foot derrick to begin with and then planned to drill up to 30 wells. Horrified, Cathy decided to write a letter to the city council member to dissuade them from approving the drilling project She thought she knew what she wanted to say to her readers, so she drew up the following list as she sorted out her ideas in preparation for her letter:
Pollution of the air
Pollution of the ground water
Increased noise
Possible spills
Possible accidents
Waste disposal problems
Smells Carcinogens
Loss of property values
Increased truck traffic
Making the list helped Cathy see that she had a lot of material to cover. She realized that making an outline would help her organize her material into a more manageable shape. She looked at the list and noticed that it could be broken down into three sections--the three major effects the oil project would have on her neighborhood:
Pollution
Increased noise
Increased traffic
Now she needed to fit in the other items on major subjects:
1. Pollution
a. Air
b. Ground
c. Water
2. Increased noise
a. Babies sleeping
b. People who work at home
c. Interrupted conversations
3. Increased traffic
a. Trucks bringing in equipment
b. Trucks carrying away the oil
c. Workers arriving and leaving
Cathy could now clearly see what her subject would cover and how she could develop her ideas. She began by writing her thesis:
Increased noise. air pollution, and traffic will make life unpleasant for those of us who live near the oil-drilling project.
By "gathering up" her three major points from her outline, she was able to construct her topics and to give shape to her paragraphs.
General format of an essay
Introduction : thesis
Supporting paragraph : topic
Supporting paragraph : topic
Supporting paragraph : topic
Conclusion: restating the thesis
Here is Cathy's essay as it looked when she was finished with the pre-writing and writing stages:
The Effects of the Oil-Drilling Project
Increased noise, air pollution, and traffic will make life unpleasant for people in the vicinity of the oil-drilling project.
Drilling operations will be conducted from 8 A.M, to 7 P.M. Although many people are at work between those hours, many more are at home. Small children and babies nap during the day, as do elderly people who often do not sleep well at night. Most people leave their windows open to let in the breezes, and conducting conversations at a normal level will be impossible. And those people who earn their living by working at home will have a hard time concentrating because of the drilling noise.
Furthermore, increased truck traffic will make the streets more noisy and dangerous. Pedestrians and drivers will have to be extra cautious to avoid encounters with large tracks bringing in equipment or hauling away oil and other products. The oil workers' cars and trucks will also contribute to the increased traffic in our quiet neighborhood.
Finally, the problem of pollution will affect all those who live in the area surrounding the Project, Site preparation, drilling, and production operations will pollute the air by emitting dust, odors, and hydrocarbons. Oil spills may contaminate the ground water.
For all of these reasons, I urge the members of the City Council not to approve the oil drilling project.
You probably noticed that Cathy decided to write about pollution last instead of first, as indicated in her outline. Why do you think she decided to do it that way?
Remember, the list and the outline are there to guide you in developing your essay. They should serve as an organizing method to put your ideas together coherently. It is not necessary to follow them exactly or to include everything in your essay. You are free to rearrange the order, omit certain ideas, or add other ideas as you are writing.
Similarities between a paragraph and an essay
In some ways, an essay is like an expanded paragraph. However, its increased size allows you to say things in a deeper and more detailed way than you could in a paragraph. A paragraph is a connected group or sentences, and an essay is a connected group of paragraphs.
A paragraph has a central idea (the topic sentence) which controls the whole paragraph , and an essay has a central idea (the thesis sentence) which controls the whole essay. A paragraph has support sentences (major and minor) which develop the idea of the topic sentence, and an essay has support paragraphs (major and minor) which develop the idea of the thesis sentence.
A paragraph often begins with the topic sentence, continues with the support sentences, and ends with a repeated topic sentence. Similarly, an essay begins with an introductory paragraph which contains the thesis sentence, it continues with body paragraphs which contain support, and it ends with a concluding paragraph which normally repeats the idea of the thesis sentence.
A paragraph uses convenient patterns and signals to present clear ideas in an orderly arrangement of sentences, and an essay uses the same convenient patterns and signals to present clear ideas in an orderly arrangement of paragraphs,
Example A
PARAGRAPH Headaches
(A) At one time or another, everyone has suffered that nagging pain known as a headache. (B) Excluding severe headaches, there are two basic causes for these temporary but annoying ailments. (C) First, a headache may be caused by physical tension. (D) If you hold your body stiffly, your muscles are bound to feel the strain. (E) Second, a headache may be caused by swelling of the blood vessels. (F) When the blood vessels meet resistance from surrounding structures, they can begin to hurt. (G) Whatever the cause, the best treatment for headaches, aside from aspirin and rest, is the passage of time.
analysis
Sentence A is a lead-in sentence. Sentence B gives the main idea; it is the topic sentence. Sentences C and E are major division sentences; they name the two basic causes. Sentences D and F are minor detail sentences; they add explanations. Sentence G summarizes things and brings the paragraph to a stop.
Example B
ESSAY Headaches
(A) Headaches are a universal pain--everyone gets them. Some headaches are deadly serious. They can be triggered by a hemorrhage or by a tumor. Other headaches, such as those which accompany a sinus or migraine condition, may not be deadly, but they can be constant, relentless companions. Fortunately, most headaches are not connected with a serious condition. They clear up in a short time, and they leave no aftereffects. But if they are not signs of diseases, where do these temporary headaches come from?