Thoughts on Drafting

When creating a draft of a paper, it can often be overwhelming and intimidating to know where even to begin. Luckily, "A Student's Guide To First Year Writing" is here to help! In the "Drafting" section, the book explains in detail several helpful tips to create a solid, well-developed first draft that can be applied to a Quick Reference Guide in several ways.

The reading's section on thesis statements is very useful and it poses several important questions to consider such as how precise, specific, interesting, and accurate the these is in regards to the text. The "PIE" structure, for paragraph breakdowns is also an effective strategy to make sure all points made are supported and clearly related to the thesis. The tips on introduction and conclusion writing I found especially helpful as I personally struggle writing an engaging introduction paragraph and often fall into "certain traps". Finally, the organization section shared good ideas on how to connect different aspects of the topic into a coherent essay.

On the other hand, however, some tips do not apply to our Quick Reference Guide due to its unique organization and qualities. Because of the formatting of a QRG, often times different paragraphs will not directly relate to each other, or transition fluidly into different sections. Furthermore, while there is still a thesis, a QRG aims to educate, not to persuade and therefore must take a more objective stance on the issues.

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