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Writing & Communication : Planning Your Writing
Planning Your Writing (Module 1 of 3)
Planning is the first stage in writing. Your plan is the foundation that your writing is built on. Planning your writing involves first understanding the assignment, then brainstorming ideas, and finally, organizing your thoughts in a structured form.
Top Tips
- Be clear about what the assignment requires. Carefully read the assignment before you start writing.
- Underline the keywords in the assignment.Make sure you are not missing a key part of what you are being asked to do.
- Make sure you understand the directions you are given.Be sure that you can distinguish between the command words that are used. For example, ‘discuss’ is different from ‘analyze’.
- Give yourself sufficient time.You will need time to think, organize, write, and edit.
- Let your ideas flow and record them.Don't worry about whether they are good or not at first.
- Group ideas together. Read your ideas and find the major categories or themes.
- Identify a point.Try to identify a point that you want to make with your ideas.
- Ask and answer ‘why?’Your reader may be asking why when you are writing, so make sure you are also thinking of “why” you are making this point or giving this piece of information.
- Organize your ideas.Create an organizer that captures your ideas in a form that works for you and makes sense to the reader.
Additional Resources
- Brainstorming Tips Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet to improve your brainstorming.
- Essay Planner Opens in a new windowUse this outline template to plan your essay.
- Graphic Organizers Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet for help deciding which graphic organizer best suits your needs.
- Key Terms and Structures - Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet to think about how you will structure your writing.
- Key Terms in Written Assignments Opens in a new windowUse this tip sheet as a reference to help you understand the key terms in your written assignments.