The Writing Process: Pre-Write - continued

Know Your Purpose

You must make sure you understand the purpose of your communications: what is it you want to say and why.

• Are you trying to describe a process, like how to tie a shoelace? Are you giving sensory information or communicating feelings to your reader? (description)
• Are you trying to tell a story, like your most embarrassing experience? (narration)
• Are you trying to explain a complex topic, like the difference between the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament? (exposition)
• Are your trying to persuade someone of an opinion, like convincing your reader the graduated licensing program should be abolished? (persuasion)

Understanding your purpose will help you select your mode of writing: whether you will write a descriptive, narrative, expository, or persuasive piece of writing.

Know Your Audience

You also need to know your audience: for whom you are writing. Writing for your English teacher will be different from writing to your friend. Knowing your audience will help you to determine:

• What style of language you will use: formal or informal?
• How much information to provide: if your audience is unfamiliar with your topic, you may have to provide more background information.
• What type of examples to use: if you are writing a multi-paragraph composition for your English teacher, are you using examples, such as song titles or movie characters, that your teacher would know?
• What would make for interesting content?

Develop a Topic Sentence or Thesis Statement

Once you are clear as to your purpose and audience, you can formulate your topic sentence or thesis statement. A topic sentence introduces a paragraph, whereas a thesis statement introduces a multi-paragraph composition. Both topic sentences and thesis statements provide your reader with a clear sense of purpose and direction for the writing to follow. They act like a compass to keep your writing pointed at your destination. See “Paragraph Structure” or “Multi-paragraph Composition Structure” to learn more about these topics.