Page 51 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

bottom to top. Then she asked a member of her writing group to look
over the final draft for any mistakes she might have overlooked.

The steps that Carla goes through are the same steps that you will

take as you learn the writing process. You will also share some of her

frustrations. But like Carla, you will probably find that what seems

difficult at first is attainable, one step at a time.

Carla’s Assignment

Carla’s instructor handed out a list of three essay topics. Carla chose

to write on this one:

Write an essay about one of your roles in life and the emotions it makes you feel. Discuss

positive aspects, negative aspects, or both, but be sure to tie your discussion to specific
emotional reactions.

Carla’s instructor suggested that the students try one or more forms of

prewriting and then make an outline to discuss with their writing group.

Then each student would write a rough draft to bring to an individual

writing conference with the instructor.

Carla’s Prewriting

Working on a computer, Carla turned off the monitor and typed

whatever came to mind. (For more information on Carla’s strategy,

called “invisible writing,” and other forms of prewriting, see Chapter