Exploring Writing - Gary Robert Muschla 2011
Exercise 1.6 Basic Organization for Nonfiction
Organizing Ideas
Part 1. Finding and Developing Ideas for Writing
In their enthusiasm to complete their writing, many students take their ideas and want to begin writing immediately. The result is almost always the same: the writers finish pieces that are disorganized. Even worse, the pieces require so much revision that the writers do not know where to start. As a result, they do not do much revision, are unhappy with their work, and become convinced that they are poor writers.
Organization helps you clarify and order ideas and makes writing easier. A basic structure includes an opening, body, and closing.
Exercise 1.6 Basic Organization for Nonfiction
Think about this simple form for structure.
✵ Opening: One or two paragraphs
✵ Body: One, two, three, or more paragraphs
✵ Closing: One paragraph
The opening should introduce the topic and the problem or situation the writing is about. The body, which may be one paragraph, several paragraphs, or several pages
long, provides information, examples, and details. The closing includes a final point, or a brief summary of the main ideas expressed in the body.
Find an example of this form in your reading book, social studies book, or science text. It is best to use an article for this activity, as the structure for fiction may not be as clear.
Identify the opening of the article; then the body, including the paragraphs that make it up; and finally, the closing. Most nonfiction follows this format. Look for this form in the articles you read.
Worksheets
The following worksheets are prewriting activities. They can help you to develop basic ideas for writing. The one hundred worksheets are divided into seven sections:
✵ Personally Speaking
✵ Among Friends
✵ School Days
✵ Near and Far
✵ Leisure Time
✵ Recreation
✵ Weird, Strange, and Unbelievable
The themes of the worksheets in each category are loosely based on the title of the category. For example, the worksheets contained in “Personally Speaking” focus on the author in some way. The worksheets in “Recreation” focus on sports or some type of recreation.
While most of the worksheets are to be developed as articles, narratives, or persuasive pieces, several fiction topics are included throughout the categories. The most fiction appears in the final category, “Weird, Strange, and Unbelievable.”
Each worksheet is designed to help you find and develop ideas for writing. Most of the topics tie into personal experiences, making it easier for you to generate material for writing. Because the topics are general, you have much freedom to develop your ideas. For example, with Worksheet 1.4, “The Future Me,” you are given the general idea of considering what you might be like in the future. You can pick a time a year from now, a few years from now, or many years from now. Answering the questions on the worksheet will stimulate your imagination and present possibilities for writing. From that point, you can develop the piece in your own way. For example, you may expand the material through brainstorming and word webbing. In some cases, to fully develop your ideas, you may find it helpful to conduct research via print sources or the Internet.
You are to complete the worksheet, using the back of the sheet or an extra sheet of paper if you need more space to answer the questions. After completing the
worksheet, expand your ideas and add more details if necessary. Remember that the worksheets are guides. You may find that not all the information you supply in response to the questions on the worksheets will wind up in your writing. Sometimes information not related to the questions will. You may choose a new title that more accurately reflects your writing. Organize your ideas before writing and follow a basic plan of opening, body, and closing.
The purpose of any prewriting activity is to engage your mind with the writing to be done. Once the process is begun, the only limits are your imagination and enthusiasm.