My presentation about the writing process

1. Writing is like Flying
Anna Maria Carbone
June 2008

2. The Flying Stages
Planning
Taking off
Flying
Landing
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

3. Plot a Course
Key Questions
Who are the readers?
What is the subject?
What are my goals?
Anna Maria Carbone – June 2008

4. Planning the Flight
Collecting information
Having all the data
Checking the issues
Verifying the facts
Creating a logical outline
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

5. Planning – Checking the Aircraft
1. Identify the text’s features
Goal
Reader
Topic
Length
Type
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

6. Planning – Checking the Aircraft
2. Gather ideas:
What are information and ideas
of the topic which I am going to
write about?
3. List ideas in an outline:
Which clusters of ideas and concepts
can I create and what is their
logical sequence?
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

7. Taxying to the runway
Sort topics
Create the sequence
Confirm concept’s course
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

8. The perfect take-off?
Summary:
You can start with a summary that presents
the topic and why it is important.
Anecdote:
You can introduce your text with a fact, a
story, curiosity.
Short phrases:
Use journalistic language, few words having
effect.
Answers:
You can introduce your topic with a direct
answer about it.
Analogy:
You can compare your topic to another
similar one.
Quotations:
They are very effective to catch the reader’s
attention. It can be a proverb, a verse or
a famous quotation.
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

9. Taking off
Clearance, full throttle,
accelerate, take-off.
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

10. Taking off - airborne
The start
This is the first approach for readers.
You have to phrase it carefully.
It introduces the topic.
It has to capture the reader’s attention.
Anna Maria Carbone - Giugno 2008

11. A comfortable flight
Develop and separate individual topics
Use clear language
Use short sentences and phrases
Avoid jargon
Anna Maria Carbone - Giugno 2008

12. A comfortable flight: In-Flight Service
From the ship’s log of “Kansas City Star”
written by Captain Ernest Hemingway
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
3. Use vigorous English.
4. Be positive, not negative.
Anna Maria Carbone - Giugno 2008

13. A comfortable flight: In-Flight Service
From the essay “Politics and the English Language”
written in 1946 by George Orwell
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or another figure of
speech which you often see in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to remove a word, then do it.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word,
or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday
English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything
outright barbarous.
Anna Maria Carbone - Giugno 2008

14. Preparing for Landing – The Approach
The conclusion
You have to conclude your text in a clear way.
Do not leave anything unanswered.
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008

15. Preparing For Landing – Final Checks
Copy edit:
Review of topics
Clarity
Effectiveness
Grammar
Spelling
Punctuation
Anna Maria Carbone - Giugno 2008

16. Touching down
The final paragraph is a farewell from writer to readers .
It has to summarize the topics and confirm the thesis
Anna Maria Carbone - Giugno 2008

17. Thank-you for flying with us
Now our written work is completed.
If it is good
our readers will have had a good flight!
Anna Maria Carbone
www.scriverebene.it
www.scriverebene.blogspot.com
amcarbone@scriverebene.it
Anna Maria Carbone - June 2008