Planning to Write
Before beginning to write, it is important to make a plan.
| Begin by asking yourself, "What genre, or type, of writing is appropriate for my topic, purpose, and audience?" |
| Two writing prompts may be about the same general topic, but call for different genres of writing. |
| Writing Prompt #1: |
| For her English class, Cleo was assigned to write about BIRDS. Specifically, her assignment stated, “Write an imaginative story about birds.” |
| Writing Prompt #2: |
| For his science class, Theo was assigned to write about BIRDS. Specifically, his assignment stated, “Write a report about a North American bird of prey of your choice.”
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These two assignments have the same general topic — birds — but the purposes and audiences for each are quite different.
Cleo’s assignment is for a fictional STORY. She is writing an imaginative story for her English class.
Theo’s assignment is for a REPORT. He is writing a fact-based, informational report for science class.
| After deciding what genre of writing is appropriate for your topic, audience, and purpose, a good way to begin planning is to ASK QUESTIONS. The type of writing assignment will guide your questions. |
Will my story be realistic fiction or fantasy?
Who will my characters be?
What are the events, or plot, of my story?
What is the setting of my story?
What will the theme, or message, of my story be?
What birds of prey live in North America?
Where can I find factual, reliable information about my
chosen bird?
Where exactly does this bird live in North America?
Is this bird endangered or plentiful?
What is special or especially interesting about this bird?
What does this bird look like?
What does my chosen bird eat?
| There are many different types, or genres, of writing that will require different sets of questions. Some examples include — |
| Persuasive, or argumentative, essays or letters, which require that you take a stand, or position, and support it with relevant and convincing evidence. |
| Informative essays that may require you to analyze a piece of literature or your own ideas about a certain subject and explain your analysis or thoughts to the reader.
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| Informative reports that involve research to gather and report factual information about a specific topic.
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| Fictional stories, which require you to create imaginative stories using genre characteristics, such as setting, character, plot, and theme.
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| Poems, which require you to create imaginative pieces of writing using chosen poetic devices such as meter, rhyme, line breaks, etc.
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| Personal narratives, which require you to tell a true story of a specific and important moment in your own life.
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| After using your questions to make an initial pre-writing plan, it may be necessary to ask yourself more questions to fill in gaps, clarify points, or eliminate irrelevant facts and details. Your teacher may also ask questions to help you revise your writing plan. |
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| Let's go to the next page to look at a brief example. |
8th Grade Writing - Pre-Writing: Planning and Organizing Lesson