Writing A Good Paper

In order to be writing a good paper, one needs to think of writing as a process. Anyone can just write down sentences and claim that a paper was written. It is clearly obvious; however, that just sentences are not enough to constitute a well written paper. Each of us can learn to become a better writer simply by following the process that will be described below.

The first place a person needs to start in writing a good paper would be planning and shaping. When someone can find a focus that fits the audience of the paper and fulfills the purpose of why the paper is being written, that would be considered a good start. Gather some ideas from different resources and jot them down in a journal. This makes it easy to come back to these ideas later to decide what the best option is.

What is being done above is essentially brainstorming for ideas. A person can brainstorm by either jotting down simple lists of ideas or just free writing different ideas. Those are the two simple ways to brainstorm, but there are other techniques. Another great idea is to use mind mapping, which is also known as an idea tree. This strategy helps writers quickly relate a central word or concept. The mind forms associations almost instantaneously and mind mapping allows a person to write down some ideas quicker, using only words or phrases. The essential piece of brainstorming is that ideas are thought up. When ideas are brainstormed, a paper will start to take shape.

Shaping a paper is a topic that is overlooked by most writers. One should ask themselves what the purpose of the paper is. The best thing to help shape a paper is to use what is known as the five W's. Who, What, When, Where, and Why? The five W's help provide a focus for writing a good paper. Most people want to know who, what, when, where, and why. The five W's represent question words, or words that need answers written for them. When these questions can be answered for a particular topic, the paper will take shape and have a defined purpose.

Before the author of a paper should sit down and just start writing, an outline should be made. Almost everyone skips this part, and it is a critical piece of writing a good paper. Outlining a paper is a continuation of shaping it. The answers from the five W's can be used to outline the paper and give it a general direction. When one is confident that the paper has a defined shape and purpose, then the next step can be executed.

Is everyone excited? The fun part of writing a good paper is upon us. This has to do with drafting the paper. Most people would consider this writing the paper, but it really needs to be considered a draft. When the entire paper is completed, it can be classified as being written. Anyhow, the ideas need to be placed into a general form. Prioritize ideas from the most important to the least important. Be sure to write complete sentences. When one is done drafting all of the ideas for the paper, the need to divide the sentences into paragraphs will arise. The paragraphs should be organized into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Now we are at the final crossroads of writing a good paper. The paper needs to be edited critically and changes will need to be made. Every great paper will have changes made to it. No one can write a perfect paper in the drafting stage, it is just not feasible. The major part of editing needs to focus on large scale changes. This would involve adding additional text, removing or replacing words and phrases, and rearranging of certain aspects of the paper. After the format of the paper is satisfied, the grammar should be checked. Spelling, punctuation, and mechanics should be a main focus for grammar correctness. Lastly, proofread the paper for any typos that might have been made.

After this is done, the paper should be edited by a few others to ensure that mistakes were not missed by the original writer. The paper will be considered written at this point. A lot of hard work is put into writing a good paper, but the benefits are worth the price paid. A well planned and composed paper is a paper that will be enjoyed by everyone.

Jason Kaminski is the web administrator for Healthy Planets. Since he believes that learning how to write is a healthy experience, he has decided to post this article. If you wish to find out more information about what he considers to be healthy, visit his website below.

Healthy Planets - Your Body: Your Choice [http://www.healthyplanets.com]

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