Writing Prompt - Expository

You probably have read many interesting books or watched an exceptional TV show recently. It probably stands out in your mind for many reasons. It is the kind of show that many people really enjoyed and would not mind watching again. Maybe it was a painless way to learn, perhaps it dealt with a subject that you particularly enjoy. Maybe it stimulated the imagination. Whatever the reasons, you know that many people found it interesting.

Use a planner.

Think back and pick out a show or book that you remember well. List the things that were really important about the show or book. These might well be the main ideas of your paragraphs. Write down those ideas.

Look at the information. What is the most important idea or feeling that unites these ideas? This will be the basis of your opening sentence. Remember that you are not trying to persuade someone to read it or watch it. You are just explaining why you thought it was interesting.

Write it down.

Think about each of the subtopics. What are the things that made those subtopics important? Be sure that you are relating specific information. Those are the supporting facts that you will be using in your paragraph. Using statements like, "It was funny. Or "It showed a lot of interesting things about…" are meaningless unless you explain what elements made it that way.

When you are finished, give some thought to how you will originally restructure your opening sentence. How will you summarize the most important three ideas that you developed? The summary ending is important to refocus the reader on the main and most important points of the essay.

Now that you are organized, write the essay. Take a moment to think each sentence through so that you are writing with strong verbs and you are varying your sentence structure. Review the planner and try to form the sentences in your mind before they go down on paper. Think about the flow of thoughts from one sentence to the next. Planning and evaluating as you go really cuts down on the need for rewriting

Be sure to include important transitions so that one paragraph flows easily into the next. Remember that they can either be at the end of one paragraph or the beginning. But they must be there.

When you are finished, go back and check for errors. Spelling, punctuation, and paragraphing should be perfect. If not, fix the mistakes. As you are rereading, did you vary the sentence structure or do you have a boring list of reasons supporting each idea? If so, try to change some to increase the interest and the power of the essay. Be sure that the summary is not simply just a copy of the first paragraph. It should have the same thoughts, but it should be originally written.