Writing is thinking! The idea of idea structuring is to break down some of the initial thinking and research so the writer has a solid plan. Instead of waiting for the night before a due date and for fear to kick in and get you going, why not organize your ideas more carefully earlier? Last minute writing is not fun to do and it often fails to succeed. Planning and thinking about how your ideas will fit together allows you to consider your ideas and research more powerfully before you spend a lot of time writing the actual pages of your essay. To complete a successful idea structure, write a paragraph of thesis thinking, a paragraph of concluding thinking and ask yourself how they appear as beginning and ending thoughts for your paper. (Sometimes, initial ideas for conclusions make better introductions, but in any case, seeing these two key paragraphs as an idea unit will help you see your whole paper more powerfully.) After you have an idea of the beginning and ending of the essay, try to "flesh out" as many ideas and as much research as possible in an outline. Consider how you may use research. Even if you haven't found it yet, you can imagine where researched support may come in handy. Consider also how to include required sources in your outline. Try to make your outline as detailed as possible. Sometimes writers forget good ideas and the purpose of the outline is to quickly capture as many ideas as possible. Finally, list your possible sources and list them in MLA style. This will enable you to quickly compose your Works Cited list because you have already checked MLA style, and more important, listing your sources will help you see how much research you can use or may need to do. Idea structures must be word processed and given substantial time and effort.
The following explanations of thesis, conclusion, outline, and sources should guide you through this initial writing stage. Please use the links for further explanation and guidance.
When considering a research thesis, it makes sense to call it a ³working thesis² or "research question" because you may learn something from your research and critical thinking that makes you able to develop and revise your original thesis. A thesis states your main topic idea and lets readers know how you will shape your thinking about the topic. A good thesis statement articulates a carefully worded, focused, idea. Read http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_thesis.html for more insights about thesis composing. When considering theses in today¹s idea structures, try to use the following critical questions.
Has the writer written a complete sentence that does more than announce a topic? Can you suggest active verbs to improve the sentence?
Does the thesis generate interest? Can you tell the writer what you found interesting and why?
Does the thesis make you want to know more? Can you tell the writer in what direction your curiosity is going?
Does the thesis begin to specify what you may learn from reading more? Can you tell the writer what specific details the thesis suggests that the writer will probably cover?
Is the thesis too broad or too narrow for a 4-6 page college essay? Can you suggest helpful and creative ways to shift the emphasis of the thesis?
CONCLUSION
A good conclusion should do more than repeat thesis
thinking‹it must answer a thesis and attempt to send the reader out of the
essay thinking about the essay¹s key ideas. Simply repeating thesis thinking
stops readers‹why should they read an entire essay to get to the point they
began with? Offering final insights, issuing ongoing challenges, reconsidering
key concerns in a changed light, or arguing for continuing study are active ways to think about finding good concluding ideas.
Although your conclusion in the idea structure may change, the idea of writing
a possible conclusion is all about tentatively predicting how your ideas may be
written. For a helpful link on
thesis writing, concluding, and structuring your academic ideas, go to http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/endings.htm
Does the conclusion do more than repeat the thesis? Can your readers critically and creatively understand how your conclusion answers your thesis and continues the thinking you started?
Are there ³holes² in the logic of your conclusion that show you need to do more idea structuring to come up with a valid answer to your thesis?
Have you set up a clear concluding paragraph and have you phrased your conclusion strongly?
An online source that will explain more about conclusions can be found at:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/endings.htm
OUTLINE
When starting an essay or at some point in your early drafts, it makes sense to organize possible thinking in an outline because you will have to manage a number of ideas. Try to stay open to creatively arranging ideas in your outline, as well as seeking more specific points to explore in support of your ideas. Going to a helpful instructional page like http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlin.html can give you some more insights about outlining your ideas. When considering outlines in your idea structures, try to use the following questions.
How has the writer organized the outline? Can you tell the writer if you see a pattern of ideas developing from the thesis?
How do the main points in the outline relate to the thesis idea? Can you tell the writer if you see irrelevant ideas?
How do ideas in the outline progress? Do you see any ³holes² in the ideas that need better transitions or additional ideas to make better sense of the essay?
As you review the outline, can you see if any important ideas are missing? Can you suggest other ideas that could support the thesis?
An online source that will explain more about outlining as part of your drafting process can be found at: http://www.izeon.com/writers/drft-lin.htm
POSSIBLE SOURCES LISTED IN MLA STYLE
Part of any good essay writing includes research. Often, students wait until the body of an essay is completed to go back and cite sources and compose their MLA Works Cited List. This is not a wise writing process to use. Instead, try to list sources as you find them, and try to list them exactly as you would in your MLA style Works Cited List. Click on http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ and then click on Humanites "Finding Sources" and "Documenting Sources" for MLA guidance.