A rough draft is "a late stage in the writing process".1
It assumes that you have adequate information and understanding,
and are near
or at the end of gathering research.
What you need:
- Adequate time period for focus
- Clear study area
to eliminate distractions, whether other school projects or friends'
demands,
in order to concentrate on the task at hand
- Preparation and research
with as much current and historical data and viewpoints as necessary
- Target audience
or a clear idea for whom you are writing:
your professor, an age group, a friend, a profession, etc.
- Prewriting exercises
and notes on ideas from your research
- Review
all the above.
Don't "study" it; just refresh yourself on the
main concepts for now
What you will not need:
- Title or introduction:
derive these from your prewriting exercise
- Reference works, print-outs, quotes, etc.
Rely on your notes, and don't overwhelm yourself with facts.
Details can be added; you now want to focus on developing your argument
- Edits!
Do not revise as you write, or correct spelling, punctuation, etc.
Just write, write, write.
This is the first draft, so what you put down will be revised and
organized "after"
Take a break!
Refresh yourself
- Review the ideas, topics, themes, questions
you have come up with in your prewriting exercise. Try reading
the prewriting text out loud ( a type of self-mediation). Listen for
patterns that seem most interesting and/or important. Summarize
them.
- Evaluate the ideas, topics, themes, questions
whether by scoring, prioritizing, or whatever method seems best.
Keep this list in case your first choice(s) don't work
- Sequence what you have prioritized as in outlining, above.
Continue
to this link for writing the first draft
See also:
Rough drafts:
Academic Resource Center, Sweet Briar College, Tips
for Writing Rough Drafts
http://www.arc.sbc.edu/roughdraft.html, November 15, 2000.
Free writing:
Elbow, Peter, Writing Without Teachers,
Oxford University Press, 1975 (on Free writing)
Brainstorming:
JPB Creative, The Step-by-Step Guide to Brainstorming,
http://www.jpb.com/creative/brainstorming.html, November 15, 2000.
Mind mapping:
Landsberger, Joe, Concept- or
mind-mapping for learning,
http://www.studygs.net/mapping.htm, November 16, 2000
Outlines:
Dr. Bruce R. Thompson, Milwaukee School of Engineering,
Creating An Outline,
http://www.msoe.edu/~thompson/outlines.htm, November 16, 2000.
Price, Jonathan, Outlining Goes Electronic,
Ablex, 1999, as seen at The Communication Circle,
http://www.theprices.com/3bookOGE.htm, November 16, 2000.
Price, Jonathan, How Electronic Outlining Can Help
You Create Online Materials, as seen at The Communication Circle,,
http://www.theprices.com/4artTW5.htm, November 16, 2000.
Purdue University Online Writing Lab, Developing an
Outline,
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlin.html,
November 16, 2000.
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