Q: May I change my thesis/focus?
A. Yes. Writing to learn often involves "finding your way" to your topic through the process of researching, writing about the research you are doing, researching some more, and so on.
Q: I'm not sure how to get started with my essay. I've already brainstormed my topic, but just don't know where to start. What would you recommend?
A: Here's some advice: just write. It's perfectly fine to start writing anything (like our writing prompts) to "get your motor running," so to speak. You could start by writing about why you chose your topic or landed on the thesis you have (if you have one). You could also start writing about why you think your brainstorming subtopics are important or interesting.
Q: Is this a formal essay or am I just writing like in my journal?
A: This is a formal, academic piece of writing. However, if you are having trouble getting started, it might help to just write in a conversational tone, as if you were telling someone about this crazy assignment your ancient English teacher gave you. You can always go back later and revise for tone.
Q: I read the requirements and think that maybe this assignment is just free range writing on my topic using creativity while meeting the requirements? Is this true?
A. Yes and no. You are writing a formal essay and you must adhere to the requirements, but this essay also requires that you be flexible of mind.
Q: Can I go anywhere with my essay?
A. That depends on whether or not you need to go "anywhere" with your essay. As the writer, that is your decision to make. Your reader, on the other hand, will make the final determination of whether or not your essay makes sense and is logical. Don't forget about your reader!
Q: For the draft I am working on, do we need to have a solid conclusion or is it okay if I've just reached the page requirement in my essay since I assume I will continue writing more in future drafts.
A: You definitely need to have a conclusion for each draft. Although we call it a "draft," it should be as complete as possible. There is also the possibility that I will end the assignment once all the drafts are in. We could do only one draft or we could do two or three or more. Always be prepared for the project to end.
Also, it is important to remember that we are practicing to be better writers. If you don't practice, you won't get any better.
Q: I've written everything there is to say about my topic, but I still have four more pages to write. What should I write about next?
A: As we have discussed in class, we are not writing to learn instead of writing to show. This means that if you have exhausted what you know about a topic in your writing, then you need to learn MORE about your topic. Go do some research and then you will have more to write about. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE URLS FOR THE WEBSITES WHERE YOU GET INFORMATION. You will need those for your reference citations.
Q: Is it required that I have outside sources in my essay or can I write about my own experience with this topic?
A: Although some drafts might not have formal requirements for sources, you should consider A) your age, B) your expertise with the material, and C) your audience and what possible expertise that person might have with the material.
If you are, say, a 17 or 18-year-old high school student who has never managed a professional basketball team or even coached a high school soccer team but you are writing for an audience who is, say, 74 years old and has coached professionally before, then you might want some expert sources to back up your claims so your reader takes you seriously.
Q: How do I know if a source is good or not?
A: Sources that you should always avoid using are, most frequently, websites, particularly those selling themselves as "news" sources when they are mostly opinion or propaganda sources, that espouse opinion over confirmable information or expert analysis. Use this chart to determine if the news media source you are thinking of using is appropriate. Only media sources from the top three rows may be used and their location on the left/right spectrum should be incorporated into your introduction of the source.
Use websites that end in .edu for legitimate academic knowledge.