Writing Skills

Brainstorming is all about knowing what you're going to write about before you start writing.

Yes, writing an academic paper is stressful! This is because you are tasked with organizing complex subject matter into well-organized points that show your deep thinking.

Brainstorming is a way to get your ideas out early. With the ideas generated, you can then focus on adding supporting details.  

What is Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a process to help you think up and organize ideas. You may be given a topic to write about and come up blank and start feeling stressed about where you can even start. Here brainstorming kickstarts the creative process and gets you inspired. Maybe you've got too much. Sometimes a topic which relates to your interests creates so much chaos in your mind that you need a way to organize and prioritize your ideas. Here brainstorming enables you to organize your thoughts.  

The Brainstorming Process

You brainstorm by informally writing out your topic, listing any related ideas that come to mind, linking them together, and editing out the best ideas.

Some students use visual circles and connecting lines — Mindmapping. 

Other students prefer to write lists of words and phrases and then group them into categories — Listing.

While other students prefer to write sentences about whatever comes to mind. Later they reread these sentences and pull the good ideas into an ideas sheet — Freewriting    

When to brainstorm

Once you are confident that you fully understand the assignment question you are ready to start brainstorming. Return to your brainstorm as you learn from any research you do. Finally, after selecting your best ideas from your brainstorm, reread your assignment question to make sure you are on topic.

 

Example Brainstorm Using a Mindmap.

Here the topic is written in red and placed in the center of the page. 

Think of an outline as you plan for your paper. With a good outline, you can efficiently write your essay.

There are no strict rules to follow to write an outline although, some students find it helpful to follow a temple such as the one below. However you decide to construct your outline, it should contain

• paper title
• thesis statement
• major points/arguments each paragraph will address
• support for your major points

You develop your outline as you research. The research process may widen your thinking or develop your interest in other areas, so expect your outline to change too.

Once you have finished your outline, check to see if it answers the essay question assigned to you. If not, you can change your ideas before you begin your essay.

Now you’re ready to start writing your essay.  

 

Essay Outline Template Title: Thesis statement (This will become the last line of your introduction)   Main Body Paragraph 1 Topic Sentence (details the main idea of your paragraph)   Supporting Point 1   Supporting Point 2   Supporting Point 3   Main Body Paragraph 2 Topic Sentence (details the main idea of your paragraph):   Supporting Point 1   Supporting Point 2   Supporting Point 3   Main Body Paragraph 3 Topic Sentence (details the main idea of your paragraph)   Supporting Point 1   Supporting Point 2   Supporting Point 3

The Introduction is made up of three parts: the hook, transitional sentences, and the thesis statement.

Part 1: The Hook – One or two sentences

The hook’s job is to make the reader interested in reading your essay. It is also called “The Attention Grabber”. The Hook should be both interesting and relevant to the focus of your essay.

It can be

• one short but interesting fact about your topic;
• an interesting anecdote (personal story) related to your topic;
• a summary of your topic – a general description of your topic and its importance;
• a relevant quote from a respected member in the area of your field;
• a dialogue – a short transcript of a spoken exchange that highlights a point relevant to your topic;
• statistical information about your topic; or
• a question that encourages your reader to think about your topic.

An example of a hook that could be used for an essay describing the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices could be

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” (Jim Rohn, n.d.)

Part 2: Transitional Sentences – One to four sentences

These sentences lead the reader from your hook to your thesis statement.

They are all about context and background. What does the reader need to know before reading your essay? Be careful that you are not providing evidence or trying to prove your argument in the introduction.

Part 3: Thesis Statement – One sentence (two sentences max)

This is the most important sentence in your essay. It is the point of your essay or what your essay is trying to do. And, it is almost always placed at the end of your introduction paragraph.

A common way to start this sentence is with the words: “This paper describes/explores/outlines/argues...” However, some instructors do not allow this formulaic beginning to a thesis statement. 

An example thesis statement for an essay describing a local organization may look like this:

The Association Advocating for Women and Community (AAWC) is a vital part of the community in Prince George because it serves the needs of homeless women.

Your thesis statement should align with the type of essay you are writing. Have you been asked to describe, persuade, discuss, argue, reflect, respond, review compare, or analyze? See CNC’s English Composition Guides for details about how to align your thesis statement to your assignment question.  

Example of an Introduction for an Argumentative Essay

 

As a child, I sold lemonade on the street to the neighbourhood kids. I learned the value of money and the calculations needed to ensure I made enough pocket money to buy the toy I wanted. Although I learned valuable lessons, my current financial decisions are far more complicated. Today, for most of us, knowing how much you can afford to spend and what product you should ultimately buy involves many calculations and estimations of your current and future earnings, debt load, and expenditures. Coupled with this, companies invest heavily in marketing, pressuring customers to spend ever more on their products. In this essay, I will argue that making realistic financial decisions today is a complicated process that involves managing debt, knowing interest rates, estimating paychecks, paying taxes, balancing expenses, detailed budgeting, and avoiding marketing traps.

 

The body paragraphs are all the paragraphs that come between the introduction and the conclusion. They explain, describe, or argue the topic of your essay, and they all follow the same basic structure:

• Topic Sentence
• Supporting Details Sentences
• Concluding or Lead In Sentence

The Topic Sentence

Usually comes at the start of each paragraph. It lets the reader know what to expect by highlighting the main point or argument of your paragraph.

Ask yourself: “What is my paragraph about?”

The topic sentence is constructed using the following formula.

            Topic + Statement (this is your major point or ‘controlling idea’)

                        A bad example: Topic sentence without Statement:

                        ✘ I am going to talk about the benefits of healthy eating.

                        A good example: Topic + Statement:

                        ✔ Healthy eating can positively benefit every area of your life.

Make sure that your topic sentence is focused.

            Too broad

            ✘ The battle of Vimy Ridge in the First World War is a well-known battle in Canada.

            Just right

✔ The Canadian Corps’ victory at the battle of Vimy during the First World War became a defining moment symbolizing Canadian pride and awareness.     

Supporting Details Sentences

Explain your topic sentence in detail, give an example, or give evidence to prove your topic sentence.

This is where most of your citations from journals, books, and websites will be situated.

Concluding/Lead-in Sentence

Explain how the paragraph is important to the essay as a whole / Discuss the significance of your paragraph. 

Or link your topic to the next paragraph.  

Example of a Body Paragraph

Many of the traditions associated with Halloween today stem from medieval Europe’s appropriation of the pagan celebration into the Christian church. Partying in costume is likely to have stemmed from the tradition of churches displaying relics of martyred saints during the ‘Allhallowtide’. The poorer churches that were unable to obtain relics allowed parishioners to dress up as saints instead (Bannatyne, 1998). Additionally, the gruesome themes we associate with Halloween today could have originated from the European belief that on Halloween the dead in the churchyard cemeteries rose up for a dark celebration known as the “danse macabr”. The scene was re-enacted in public performances which enabled it to evolve into a popular celebration (Pulliam & Fonseca, 2016). Additionally, the origins of the jack-o-lantern can be traced to the practice of “souling” where Christians would carry lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips (Pulliam & Fonseca, 2016). Fire in medieval times served as a guide to returning souls who wanted to return to visit their families and to ward off demons (Howard & Arbuckle, 1998). The traditions of Halloween eventually made their way to the Americas where they evolved into the family celebration that we know today.

 

The Conclusion is one paragraph that is made up of three parts:

 

Answer – Restatement of the thesis statement in a different way.  

Summary – Main points or highlights from the body paragraphs stated differently. 

Significance – Relevance and implications of your essay to the wider field. this answers the question "So What?"

 

Note: No new information that is directly about your topic should be introduced in your conclusion.

 

Example of a Conclusion

In summary, because what happens on social media encompasses high school children’s lives both in and out of school, policies need to be developed in conjunction with parents and guardians. Teachers need to inform themselves about the dangers of social media to young minds and then educate parents and guardians. Parents and guardians can be informed through handouts, informal discussions, and community meetings. Additionally, teachers will need to maintain a continuous dialogue with students, parents, and guardians about children participating in social media. For better or worse social media is part of our children's lives, so we have a duty to ensure that they can navigate this new world safely.

To ensure your paper represents your knowledge and thoughts best you need to put yourself in the mind of your reader as you clean up and polish your paper. 

This is done by following the 3 step editing process - Revising, Editing, and Proofreading.

Revising

Read your assignment question again then ask yourself these questions:

• Has your paper answered all parts of the question?
• Has it stayed on topic?
• Does your thesis statement clearly answer all parts of the question?
• Does each paragraph contain a clear topic sentence?
• Does each paragraph support your thesis statement? 
• Do your paragraphs follow logical order? 

 Editing

Now you check each paragraph for clarity, conciseness, flow, and academic tone and style. 

• Make sure your sentences flow together logically using transitional words, such as 'however' or 'additionally' where needed.
• Check your sentences are not awkward or incomplete.
• Ensure each sentence is limited to one point. 

Proofreading

Finally, you can check for the smaller things such as grammar and punctuation. Fortunately, Microsoft Word and apps such as Grammarly can help with much of this process.  

• Check each sentence for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Ensure any lists are parallel and follow the correct formatting. 
• Make sure you have cited all paraphrases and quotes
• Make sure your reference page is correctly formatted and in alphabetical order.
• If you have included any graphs or tables, ensure that they are correctly formatted.