# Thinking on the Page  ## Metadata - Author: [[Martha Schulman, Gwen Hyman]] - Full Title: Thinking on the Page - Category: #books ## Highlights - writing is thinking. And real, worthwhile thinking isn’t easy ([Location 50](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=50)) - more interesting to read an essay that takes us somewhere ([Location 59](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=59)) - Effective writing isn’t just an act of reporting: It’s a series of operations involving learning, asking, investigating, and working things through on the page. ([Location 62](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=62)) - you can’t figure out what you think via a formula. ([Location 65](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=65)) - starts when you begin reading the document that you’ll eventually write about. ([Location 71](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=71)) - Analysis, not summary, ([Location 80](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=80)) - zoom in on specific passages or “ ([Location 81](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=81)) - Close reading is the essence of analytical reading ([Location 95](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=95)) - start asking the kinds of questions that don’t have definitive or “right” answers. ([Location 100](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=100)) - the act of writing that lets you explore what you don’t understand; ([Location 104](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=104)) - Good writing is messy, just like thinking is messy. ([Location 110](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=110)) - People who write for a living write lots of garbage ([Location 113](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=113)) - E.M. Forster once said, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say? ([Location 115](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=115)) - approach your essay as you would a story. ([Location 123](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=123)) - get your ideas across logically and clearly so your listener understands what you’re talking about. ([Location 125](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=125)) - Good writing, in any field or genre, carries a reader along and gets a point across by creating a compelling and logical narrative. ([Location 129](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=129)) - process of writing it is messy and nonlinear ([Location 136](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=136)) - active reading ([Location 153](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=153)) - process writing, ([Location 154](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=154)) - assessing your drafts; ([Location 154](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=154)) - doing research ([Location 154](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=154)) - editing and polishing ([Location 155](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=155)) - summaries, questions, graphs, and outlines, ([Location 155](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=155)) - There’s no point in having a new idea if others can’t understand it. ([Location 160](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=160)) - common essay-writing formula ([Location 1405](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1405)) - “the five-paragraph essay. ([Location 1405](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1405)) - In contrast, an analytical essay starts in one place and ends in another. ([Location 1412](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1412)) - well ([Location 1413](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1413)) - compelling opening. ([Location 1414](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1414)) - sets the stage ([Location 1414](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1414)) - carries the reader or listener along ([Location 1415](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1415)) - shows the implications ([Location 1415](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1415)) - winds up somewhere ([Location 1416](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1416)) - a story doesn’t end in the same place it began. ([Location 1417](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1417)) - introduce the reader to the subject ([Location 1421](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1421)) - come to a conclusion about the topic ([Location 1423](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1423)) - an essay is a very particular kind of storytelling. ([Location 1424](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1424)) - telling the story of a journey. ([Location 1425](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1425)) - Nobody wants to hear every detail of your trip. ([Location 1430](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1430)) - beginning, a middle, and an end. ([Location 1431](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1431)) - You just want to give her some sense of what this story is focusing on. To apply the metaphor to the essay, this ([Location 1442](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1442)) - offering a claim that sets a direction for your narrative. ([Location 1444](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1444)) - edited version, ([Location 1452](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1452)) - Note: An abstraction. - set the scene. ([Location 1456](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1456)) - What is it you’re investigating? ([Location 1458](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1458)) - focus on coffee in this part of your story, ([Location 1462](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1462)) - To really understand this phenomenon, you needed to know exact information. ([Location 1467](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1467)) - you’ve asked a question. ([Location 1471](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1471)) - looking closely and specifically at it, from a lot of different angles. ([Location 1472](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1472)) - you want a clear narrative your reader can follow. ([Location 1474](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1474)) - your theory, based on your observations: ([Location 1479](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1479)) - you’ll want to provide evidence that your theory holds water.) ([Location 1480](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1480)) - what does this ([Location 1483](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1483)) - add up to? ([Location 1483](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1483)) - implications of your analysis. ([Location 1485](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1485)) - In a short essay, this might be where you stop: You’ve noticed something, raised a question about it, investigated that question, come to a conclusion, and explained its significance. ([Location 1486](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1486)) - show how you moved from the idea you arrived at in your first section to the question you take up in your next section. ([Location 1494](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1494)) - no meaningful connection between ideas. ([Location 1496](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1496)) - creating rhetorical links where logical ones are missing. ([Location 1498](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1498)) - Tags: [[blue]] - Signposting a false transition is not the same as making a genuine connection between ideas: ([Location 1499](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1499)) - your task, so to speak, is to be here now ([Location 1501](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1501)) - building on what came before. ([Location 1503](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1503)) - applying what you’ve already figured out in order to explore something new. ([Location 1510](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1510)) - These explorations are the building blocks of your essay. ([Location 1511](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1511)) - there isn’t a set number of paragraphs for each exploration. ([Location 1514](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1514)) - What do you want her to take away from your story? ([Location 1521](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1521)) - tell your readers how what you’ve shown them can change the way they understand the text ([Location 1523](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1523)) - By building up your ideas step by step, you’ve let your readers see something they wouldn’t have seen if you hadn’t shown it to them. ([Location 1527](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1527)) - a final essay needs to follow a clear narrative ([Location 1531](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1531)) - An effective analytical essay moves in a sequence, ([Location 1532](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1532)) - Instead it’s about your idea—your claim ([Location 1536](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1536)) - Tags: [[blue]] - Remember, you’re telling a story to a reader. ([Location 1537](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1537)) - set the stage ([Location 1540](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1540)) - introduce your claim. ([Location 1540](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1540)) - A claim is your idea about the phenomenon you’re looking at. ([Location 1542](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1542)) - Tags: [[blue]] - argument, thesis, or reading ([Location 1543](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1543)) - “Something interesting is going on here, and I’m going to show you what it is and why it matters. ([Location 1544](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1544)) - a claim is: ([Location 1552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1552)) - an idea that you arrive at ([Location 1552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1552)) - an idea that reasonable people can disagree about. ([Location 1553](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1553)) - an idea that has to be demonstrated and proved ([Location 1553](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1553)) - A claim is also not the same as a statement of opinion. ([Location 1554](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1554)) - opinions can be based in facts, they don’t require facts. ([Location 1557](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1557)) - Claims, on the other hand, require both facts and analysis. ([Location 1558](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1558)) - Tags: [[blue]] - what qualifies you to make a claim about a text is the work you do to read it closely, analyze it, and draw some conclusions about it. ([Location 1563](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1563)) - announcing something without substantiating it. ([Location 1565](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1565)) - You can’t tell the whole story in the first paragraph, and you shouldn’t try. ([Location 1566](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1566)) - your claim statement shouldn’t include all the details. ([Location 1567](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1567)) - metaphors ([Location 1571](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1571)) - about the special work the first paragraph does. ([Location 1571](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1571)) - you’ll want your reader to understand what he’ll have at the end of the process. ([Location 1574](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1574)) - In an essay, ([Location 1577](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1577)) - opening paragraph of any essay does the work of the establishing shot. ([Location 1586](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1586)) - you state a claim or ask your key question in the opening paragraph, ([Location 1591](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1591)) - the recipe needs to be written in a way that lets the reader take each step in the right order. ([Location 1598](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1598)) - in the middle of your essay, you need to help your reader understand the development of your ideas ([Location 1599](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1599)) - a good lab report lets a reader successfully repeat your experiment, ([Location 1602](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1602)) - Each scene builds on the one before it; ([Location 1606](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1606)) - When you’re creating a final product for use by others—a recipe, a lab protocol, a movie—you’ll have smoothed out all of those wrinkles so that they’re invisible to the user. ([Location 1610](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1610)) - this is your conclusion. ([Location 1615](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1615)) - presented, explored, and substantiated your claim. ([Location 1617](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1617)) - You can think of the conclusion as the place where the claim pays off ([Location 1618](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1618)) - We call this the “so what?” factor ([Location 1619](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1619)) - How do I see your subject differently, now that I know all of this? ([Location 1620](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1620)) - Once you’re at the product stage, the person doing the discovering is your reader. ([Location 1625](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1625)) - And the only way to discover something about a text is to ask questions. ([Location 1629](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1629)) - asking questions also generates ideas. ([Location 1633](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1633)) - plot or central ideas—are the train, ([Location 1639](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1639)) - words of the text are the tracks ([Location 1639](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1639)) - the piece creates emotional engagement ([Location 1699](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1699)) - It’s often pleasurable to sit back and let the text take you ([Location 1704](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1704)) - dialogic journal ([Location 1821](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1821)) - dialogic journal is a chart ([Location 1821](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1821)) - Dialogic means to be in dialogue or conversation with something or someone. In this case, the goal is to put you—or your ideas and questions—in conversation with the language of the text you’re analyzing. ([Location 1824](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1824)) - Another reason the dialogic journal is effective is that it’s a focusing device. ([Location 1828](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1828)) - ensure that you’re working with smaller chunks of text ([Location 1832](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1832)) - the journal is a dialogue between you and your moment, ([Location 1841](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1841)) - frame your thoughts in the dialogic journal as questions whenever possible ([Location 1849](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1849)) - Another common pitfall in dialogic journaling is forgetting what you know. ([Location 1972](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=1972)) - free-association drawing can be a useful tool. ([Location 2039](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2039)) - generating questions ([Location 2075](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2075)) - Before you start responding to your questions, you need to take stock of them. ([Location 2079](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2079)) - use a visual structure to reorganize your questions, ([Location 2081](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2081)) - We call these ([Location 2081](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2081)) - question groupings idea threads ([Location 2081](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2081)) - mark ideas and questions that relate to each ([Location 2086](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2086)) - other. ([Location 2086](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2086)) - Group each set of related ideas on a new page, ([Location 2087](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2087)) - more questions. ([Location 2089](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2089)) - other question-generating method ([Location 2099](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2099)) - connect your questions with the language they come from. ([Location 2103](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2103)) - Giving each topic a heading or name will help you see how the questions are connected, and that’s important because if you don’t have a focus, you won’t have anywhere to start. ([Location 2136](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2136)) - If your categories are too broad, you haven’t made any decisions: You’re still looking at everything. ([Location 2139](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2139)) - when you’re generating material, you should turn off the editing function of your brain. ([Location 2144](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2144)) - mining your dialogic journal for idea threads, ([Location 2146](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2146)) - learn how to recognize these dead ([Location 2147](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2147)) - you don’t have much of interest to say because you haven’t generated enough material yet. ([Location 2192](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2192)) - use the idea thread you choose to generate more material. ([Location 2197](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2197)) - using the focus of your idea thread as a lens. ([Location 2197](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2197)) - freewriting, a wheel-and-spoke drawing, a mind map, or a question-and-response setup to generate more questions. ([Location 2218](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2218)) - LOOKING AT YOUR PASSAGE WITH NEW EYES ([Location 2257](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2257)) - The process of creating and expanding your idea threads is all about generating a lot of questions. ([Location 2274](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2274)) - Productive questions: ([Location 2278](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2278)) - keep an eye out for questions that begin with why ([Location 2294](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2294)) - idea ([Location 2346](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2346)) - discover, through writing, ([Location 2349](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2349)) - In a discovery draft, you begin to create the narrative of your essay ([Location 2353](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2353)) - The discovery draft is still a form of process writing. ([Location 2359](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2359)) - Process writing requires you to make a mess as you try things out, ([Location 2361](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2361)) - letting go of the final product and doing process writing is crucial. ([Location 2365](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2365)) - multiple outlines; ([Location 2368](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2368)) - A discovery draft starts by asking a question, not by stating a claim. ([Location 2374](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2374)) - for a discovery draft to actually discover something, it can’t yet have a claim ([Location 2377](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2377)) - explore, not answer ([Location 2380](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2380)) - starting with what you don’t know. ([Location 2385](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2385)) - “Here’s what I want to understand. ([Location 2386](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2386)) - draft does have a basic shape or sequence. ([Location 2396](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2396)) - writing ([Location 2415](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2415)) - as process ([Location 2415](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2415)) - writing is a form of thinking. ([Location 2416](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2416)) - When you think on the page, ideas happen, connections occur to you, and confused ideas or half-formed thoughts become clearer. ([Location 2419](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2419)) - start by writing. ([Location 2423](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2423)) - what you’re writing is just a draft. ([Location 2423](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2423)) - you’re the only reader of what you produce at this stage. ([Location 2425](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2425)) - choose one idea, open it up, think about it ([Location 2433](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2433)) - Freewriting ([Location 2435](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2435)) - talking to yourself on the page, ([Location 2437](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2437)) - Begin by asking yourself a question. ([Location 2448](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2448)) - list of phrases or words. ([Location 2450](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2450)) - Start with the piece or question that interests you most, ([Location 2451](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2451)) - Instead of giving yourself a page limit ([Location 2453](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2453)) - give yourself a time limit. ([Location 2454](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2454)) - some of your writing will look like garbage. ([Location 2459](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2459)) - TAKING BREAKS ([Location 2524](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2524)) - Associative writers ([Location 2533](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2533)) - Tags: [[blue]] - jump from idea to idea, ([Location 2533](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2533)) - Associative writers are lucky because they tend to have a lot of ([Location 2537](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2537)) - difficulty creating hierarchies of ideas ([Location 2538](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2538)) - so many ideas that they become paralyzed and ([Location 2541](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2541)) - can’t produce anything at all. ([Location 2541](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2541)) - Self-critical writers ([Location 2541](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2541)) - Tags: [[blue]] - Some writers who are generally associative, for example, can become self-critical ([Location 2550](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2550)) - A self-critical writer may find that it’s really helpful to create an outline before she starts drafting. ([Location 2559](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2559)) - forward, giving you something to go back to when you get stuck. If you’re an associative writer, outlining and other highly formal organizing structures may not make a lot of sense to you. ([Location 2562](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2562)) - don’t feel obligated to outline. We’ll talk later in this chapter about some other methods that can be helpful in getting your discovery draft going. ([Location 2565](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2565)) - flow chart. ([Location 2601](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2601)) - Grouping ([Location 2638](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2638)) - Grouping is a useful technique because it lets you get everything in one place. Since associative writers can generate a lot of ideas, it’s easy for them to lose track of what they’ve done. ([Location 2638](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2638)) - Storyboarding ([Location 2647](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2647)) - A storyboard can be a solution for people who hate outlines. ([Location 2649](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2649)) - You should never start with an introduction in a discovery draft. You’ll write that last, ([Location 2677](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2677)) - the term module to mean a piece of the essay in which you point out the phenomenon you want to explore, ([Location 2682](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2682)) - not thinking too much about connecting the different modules yet; for one thing, they may not end up in the order they’re in now. ([Location 2713](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2713)) - Print out your draft. This is super important. You can’t see your whole paper at once on a computer screen, ([Location 2757](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2757)) - if you find that you don’t yet have questions in your discovery draft, now is a good time to go back and try to figure out what you’re asking in each module. ([Location 2766](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2766)) - figure out the topic for each module. ([Location 2769](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2769)) - Overall Topic Once you’ve identified your questions and your topics for each module, you can use these pieces to build the framework for your draft. ([Location 2778](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2778)) - Overall Question Every discovery draft needs an overall question: a question that synthesizes the questions you ask in each module. ([Location 2788](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2788)) - The job of the first paragraph is to introduce your reader to the material you’re going to address in your paper. ([Location 2800](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2800)) - conclusion in a discovery draft is just an opportunity to synthesize your ideas, ([Location 2815](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2815)) - A conclusion, even a preliminary one, isn’t just an act of restating: It’s a chance to think about what you can see that you couldn’t see before, now that you’ve done all of this work. ([Location 2816](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2816)) - If you know what’s there, you can do something about it. And if you don’t, it’s tough to find and develop your most interesting ideas. ([Location 2872](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2872)) - Søren Kierkegaard puts it pretty well: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards ([Location 2874](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2874)) - everyone who writes will inevitably write some garbage, ([Location 2878](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2878)) - It’s always easier to read your work and see it clearly if you’ve taken some time between writing and reading. ([Location 2880](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2880)) - see the essay’s overall structure and main moves without getting caught up in looking at specific phrases or word choices and missing the big picture. ([Location 2893](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2893)) - “says/does” inventory: ([Location 2897](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=2897)) - Your “says/does” outline gives you a better sense of what’s going on in your draft—and what you’re really interested in. ([Location 3022](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3022)) - blue for material that’s working for her, yellow for material that could work, and red for material that she’ll definitely cut. ([Location 3029](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3029)) - either cut or develop. ([Location 3084](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3084)) - that happens, this useless material is standing in for analysis, and you need to cut it. When you do that, you open up space to develop the interesting ([Location 3086](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3086)) - you started with. Here are some examples. Making Logical Leaps Woolf says, “In those days—the last of Queen ([Location 3087](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3087)) - Here the student notices that the text is connecting money with killing the Angel, but she doesn’t address that connection. ([Location 3107](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3107)) - The most important thing about a revision plan is that you make one—and that you use it to keep moving forward. ([Location 3168](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3168)) - A claim is the point that your paper is making: ([Location 3207](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3207)) - this is different from the topic of your paper, which describes what your paper is about. ([Location 3208](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3208)) - The claim encapsulates what the paper is saying about the ([Location 3211](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3211)) - narrative aimed at convincing your reader of something. ([Location 3214](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3214)) - When your claim comes out of a process of questioning and exploring, it takes up something you’ve figured out, not just something you’ve observed, so it will necessarily be more complex and more interesting ([Location 3218](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3218)) - When an author is asked to summarize her paper, she often provides what we call the overall claim. The overall claim presents the point your paper is making and why it matters. ([Location 3225](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3225)) - The overall claim is the whole story of the paper. ([Location 3246](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3246)) - The overall claim, however, never appears in this form in the essay. Instead it’s divided into two parts: the opening claim and the conclusion. ([Location 3247](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3247)) - you don’t include the overall claim is that you don’t want to give away the whole game in your first paragraph. ([Location 3254](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3254)) - she hasn’t given everything away up front. ([Location 3263](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3263)) - building a claim is through a process of addition. ([Location 3269](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3269)) - your essay is made up of a series of modules. ([Location 3269](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3269)) - mini-claim about each module. ([Location 3271](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3271)) - where your paper as a whole has an overall claim broken up into an opening claim and a conclusion, each module has a mini-claim broken up into an establishing claim and a set of consequences we’re going to refer to as the “so what? ([Location 3280](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3280)) - In the establishing claim, you boldly state your idea. The job of the rest of the module is to provide evidence for that idea. ([Location 3284](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3284)) - The “so what?” is highlighted in blue. ([Location 3310](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3310)) - try connecting the mini-claims so that they look like a story. The key to this process is using connection words like and, then, and thus ([Location 3353](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3353)) - To get to an opening claim, you’ll need to look at your overall claim and do some division and refocusing. ([Location 3449](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3449)) - the job of the opening claim is different from the job of the overall claim. ([Location 3470](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00UMBOBTI&location=3470))