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Struggling with writing? Excellence in Learning at DCU
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IntroductionPlanning is a key stage in the writing process. You may have discovered in the introductory unit that you are a ‘leaper’; that you habitually start writing and see where the process takes you! (See unit, ‘Introduction: Five Writers: which one are you?’). This may be worthwhile if you are writing a novel: however, for university assignments you are usually asked to address a very particular question/topic. By taking your habitual leap you may find that you miss the mark! Actively engaging in a more considered approach will enable you to develop a salient, comprehensive response. This unit suggests a number of strategies which will ensure that you arrive at a clear interpretation of what is required in the first instance, before building an inclusive core statement or topic sentence from which you can develop an outline plan and introduction. Over time you will find a way that best suits your personal approach to writing. As outlined in the introductory unit, the writing guidelines described are general. While they specifically relate to essay writing, many of the strategies described are transferable to other types of writing. Students should be mindful of the fact that each discipline has its own specific ways of knowing, writing and organising knowledge. As you learn to write (and read) in a particular way for a particular subject you are learning how to make sense of that subject. Ideally, then, all learning skills, including writing skills, should be developed within the particular parameters of your discipline(s). Learning objectivesAt the end of this unit you will be able to:
 A pdf version of this unit (Interpreting the question: Developing a plan) is available for printing (requires Adobe Reader) |
