See It in Practice

In order to help you have a better idea about how a strong writing process will help you as you write your own essay, for each section of The Writing Process area of the Excelsior OWL, you’ll see a demonstration of how a student might approach each step. In this first section, you’ll see the student’s assignment sheet and hear a discussion of the key things she must consider for her assignment.

Then, for each of the other sections of The Writing Process—Prewriting Strategies, Audience Awareness, Voice, Introductions & Conclusions, Parts of a Thesis Sentence, Paragraphing, Essay Writing, and Revising & Editing, you’ll see how the student approaches these steps given her specific assignment. As you watch each step, you’ll want to think about how you might apply each step to your own assignment, as you’ll be given a chance to engage in each step with your own writing assignment.

Video Transcript
Student says:

Before I begin my writing assignment, it is important for me to spend some time looking at the requirements closely. I want to make sure I am doing what my professor is asking me to do.

First, I notice that my assignment is to explore another culture, and since my professor is using the term “alien territory,” I know I need to choose some culture or some place that feels really foreign to me.

[points to middle section]

I also notice the directions mention using a lot of detail, and my professor asks questions about what things look like and smell like. I know I will need to be descriptive in my writing, so I will definitely review the “Descriptive Essay” section in the Essay Zone of the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab.

[points to bottom section]

Finally, I see a list of the basic requirements for length, formatting, and source requirements. I see my paper should be 4 to 6 pages, formatted according to APA guidelines, and must include three outside sources, plus one interview. This is a lot to keep in mind, but these are the things I will need to keep in mind as I begin my writing process for my paper.

NOTE: Essay Zone is now Rhetorical Styles.

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