Student's guide to writing college papers, Fourth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2010

Picture your readers asking friendly questions
Drafting your paper
Writing your paper

We said this before, but it's important enough to say again: You will write better and more easily if you picture yourself talking with a group of friendly readers who have lots of questions. Before you start drafting, imagine the specific readers you hope to address (not your teacher!). Imagine their questions, and build your draft around your answers. For now, think of those readers as friendly and supportive: Why do you say that? I think I see where you are going, but I'm not sure: can you explain it a little more? That's interesting: what's your evidence for it? While you are drafting, imagine readers whose questions help you move along, who want to agree with you if only you will give them the information they need.

Especially if you draft quickly, you need to quiet your own internal censor while you draft. Your goal is to get your ideas down as fully and freely as you can. You'll have time and (in chapters 12—14) lots of help to get them right in revision. But if you worry over every little detail, you'll spend more time in responding to that voice in your head than in discovering what you think about what you have learned. So let your imagined friendly readers dominate as you draft.

Later on you'll imagine skeptical, even nasty questions so that you can know where you have to improve your completed draft. But for now, banish the skeptics.

WORKING IN GROUPS

Avoid Negative Responses

There will come a time when you will want your writing group to be as hard on your paper as you can: better to find out what the problems are before you turn it in. But when you are drafting is not that time. When you meet during the drafting stage, make it a rule that everyone will avoid all but the most obvious criticisms and concentrate on positive suggestions. Too many negative thoughts will only stop up the flow of your writing.