Writing in English requires some basic guidelines in order to write effectively. The following are some universal guidelines to help you achieve your goals in writing

LESSON 1


For writing effectively, following a series of actions like these are useful

1- Exploring idea
a- Considering subject
b- Considering purpose
c- considering audience

2- Prewriting. using one or more of these methods
a- Brain storming
b- Clustering
c- Free writing

3- Organizing
a- Selecting
b- Outlining

4-Writing the first draft
a- writing quickly to capture ideas
b inserting notes and new ideas in the margins

5- Revising the draft
a- Reviewing
b- reading a loud
c- Predicting

6- Producing the final copy
a- Editing
b- Copying over
c- Proofreading and coping over again

EXPLORING IDEA

Remember that writing is like speech. So before you sit down to write let your mind freely. Thoughts will occur to you at odd time and in odd place - while walking or traveling to work or stretching out on the couch. When inspiration happens, capture it by writing on the paper. As in speaking, ask yourself three
questions:

What is my subject?

What is my purpose?

What is my audience
?
PREWRITING
The second step of writing process involves capturing your thoughts on papers. Do not worry about spelling or punctuation or exact meaning, because you will probably change your mind and your phrasing later any way.

Brainstorming

Listing thoughts as they come to you is one way to capture your thoughts.


Clustering

In clustering, you put your topic in a circle in the middle of the page and then add related ideas as they occur to you. These related ideas are also called branches. You can then add more branches as more ideas occur to you.


FREE WRITING

Another way to get started is free writing. You simply write about the subject without worrying about the sentences structure, spelling, logic and grammar. Write it as you would speak it. Do not think of your free writing as disorganized. It is just a way to get your creative juices flowing and put idea into words.


ORGANIZING.

1. Underline or highlight the most promising ideas in your brainstorming list. Then
   rewrite the list, putting related ideas together.
2. Circle or highlight the most promising parts of your free writing. Focus more narrowly on your
   subject and add more details.

SELECTING
Once you have narrowed your focus and generated more ideas, you can choose the one that fit your purpose and audience.


OUTLINING
After deciding to focus on specific ideas you can make a rough outline. It may conclude about three examples and details in categories according to your ideas.

WRITING A FIRST DRAFT
You have done some pre writing, selected your best ideas, and arranged them in some reasonable order. New ideas will come to you, and you may discover a different and better arrangement of ideas. So write fast as you were speaking your words aloud Circle words or sentences that you want to revised later. If a new idea occur to you, make a note about it in the margin. .

REVISING THE DRAFT
After completing your first draft , set it aside. Give yourself a chance to see it later with fresh eyes. It is hard to think about changing and correcting your work immediately after you finish a draft.

REVIEWING

When you come back to your writing. study its organization, word choice, , and details. Rearrange sections , and improve your word choice.

All
paragraph share several other traits:

• It begins with the first line
  indented ( usually about a half- inch or about five spaces on a
  typewriter)
• Each sentence is related to and
  develops the topic idea.
• Each idea related logically and
  clearly into the next.

Exploring and planing
Remember that the first step in writing is to explore ideas and choose a topic. For example, suppose you chose
the topic" the influence of television" for a one paragraph essay You could discuss television quiz show, talk show, cop shows, documentaries soap operas, news broadcast, sports events or commercials. And you could
discuss the influence of any of these on preschoolers, older children teenagers, adults, or the elderly.

You therefore need to narrow the topic. Make a list of
smaller topics, like this:
A- Soap opera
B- Saturday morning cartoons
C- Documentaries

Then select one topic, perhaps soap opera". Consider your attitude toward this topic and
write it as a question to answer in your paragraph:

Are soap opera is good or bad?
Your attitude will help you determine your purpose. Therefore, you can construct a full topic idea Notice the key terms in the topic idea:Soap opera , relationships. They are the ones to explore in the next step _ prewriting _ through brainstorming, clustering, or free writing.

WRITING THE TOPIC SENTENCES


Each paragraph often contains one key sentence- usually but always, at or near the beginning of the paragraph_ that presents the main point and suggests how the remaining sentences will develop that point. This is called the topic sentence.

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC STATEMENTS

A topic sentence is usually the most general statement in the paragraph, and each of the other sentences develops it specifically. For example. which of these two sentences is probably the topic sentences
:
1- Stan Harris, the drummer in the rock group The Moving Violation, is incredibly talented.
2- He plays the cymbals well.

The first sentences leads logically into explanations and examples of the drummer's talent . The second _ a more specific sentence _ is not a good topic sentence because it is too difficult to develop.

MAKING A POINT

The topic of the paragraph is different from its topic sentence. The topic is what the paragraph is "about". But the topic sentence, make a point about the topic. The topic sentence, and the whole paragraph that develops it, should answer the question, "So what? ". Compare these sentences

No point:
A- Mr. Williams teaches chemistry. ( So what?)

Point:
B- Mr Williams is an excellent chemistry teacher. ( The paragraph can explain why he is excellent)


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TIPS FOR TESTING TOPIC SENTENCES

Test your topic sentence by disagreeing whit it. If you can not easily disagree whit the topic, revise the sentence to express an attitude.