March,+2014

March Class Notes: MCAS Long Composition
**Writing the Long Composition—Tips and Techniques** **(see my website: contienglish7.weebly.com)** **Go to the Writing Tips tab and select “writing craft”** **http://writingcraft.wikispaces.com/**

//**READ THE PROMPT CAREFULLY AND UNDERLINE KEY WORDS.**// //**START WITH A PLAN--WHAT SUPPORT CAN YOU USE FOR THE TOPIC? DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!!**//

1) Write what you know!
 * share your experiences in your writing
 * it’s okay to stretch the truth a bit

2) Incorporate “show not tell” techniques throughout the essay:
 * use sensory details
 * use strong nouns
 * use verbs
 * limit adjectives and adverbs

3) Start with a great lead
 * hook your reader – get him/her to read on…..
 * types: tell a story, describe a situation, dialogue, etc.

4) Give lots of detail:
 * use examples
 * use anecdotes (short stories to illustrate a point)
 * use explanations – explain why
 * use quotations & dialogue

5) Transitional words help your reader
 * Use transitional words to help your reader navigate through your piece
 * if you can, try to be subtle in your organization
 * see our handout on transitional phrases

6) Editing:
 * “killing your darlings” – is that clever phrase really necessary?
 * capitalization – nationalities/cities/book titles/
 * spelling—sound out as best as you can, syllable by syllable – use dictionary
 * punctuation—periods, commas, quotation marks
 * proofread each sentence carefully, make changes