reinteractive

Chapter 4 Introduction

Drafting and Revising

Putting Your Ideas Together

A draft is the first whole version of your ideas in writing. Do the best job you can in writing a draft, but remember that you will have a chance to make changes later.

BASICS OF A GOOD DRAFT

For advice on support and more on thesis statements, see Chapter 3.

For a diagram showing the parts of an essay, see “Paragraph vs. Essay Forms,” and for a complete draft of an essay, see “Sample Student Essay: Draft.”

It has a thesis statement that presents the main point.
It has a logical organization of ideas.
It has primary support points that are stated in topic sentences that develop or explain the thesis statement.
It has supporting details that develop or explain each topic sentence.
It follows standard essay form (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion) and uses complete sentences.
The introduction captures the readers’ interest and lets them know what the essay is about.
The conclusion reinforces the main point and makes an observation.