HOW TO CHOOSE A TOPIC

HOW TO CHOOSE A TOPIC : 

HOW TO CHOOSE A TOPIC A Short Guide to Help you Begin Generating and Limiting Your Topics…

GENERATING A TOPIC : 

GENERATING A TOPIC First, think about your project: are you following an assignment on a specific subject or are you supposed to pick a topic on your own? Second, how broad or narrow is your topic supposed to be? Third, is your topic selection supposed to be on something you already know about?

ON GENERATING THAT TOPIC… : 

ON GENERATING THAT TOPIC… If you get to choose your own topic, do you want to explore something new or stick with a subject you already know? If your instructor has assigned a topic, what do you already know about it? Answer these questions first! Think of starting BIG and then narrowing your focus and topic!

HAVE AN IDEA FOR A TOPIC? : 

HAVE AN IDEA FOR A TOPIC? Good! Now think about what points you want to cover or discuss. Make a list of those points, but keep it short, like 3 or 4 ideas, not more than that! Under each of those points, what else can you think of that might be interesting or important to discuss? Remember, this planning will make writing easier!

WHAT ABOUT THE ORDER? : 

WHAT ABOUT THE ORDER? OK, so now you have some ideas for your assignment (paragraph or essay). It is time to think about the order you want to write about those ideas. Consider going from BIGGEST idea to narrowest. Or consider going from the first to the most recent idea.

HOW ABOUT AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE MEAN? : 

HOW ABOUT AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE MEAN? Your instructor has assigned you to write on a movie you’ve seen… First, you need to choose a movie (Step One) Second, you need to think about what elements or parts of the movies you want to discuss. (Step Two) Third, you need to decide on the order you want to discuss those elements. (Step Three)

SO YOUR PLAN WOULD LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS…. : 

SO YOUR PLAN WOULD LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS…. Movie choice: Avatar Discuss: plot, characters, its virtual animation. Stay with that order because you want to end with the most important (to you) subject: the animation. For plot: summarize, but don’t tell everything. For characters: describe and comment on their importance. For the animation: discuss what you think about it! Did you like it? What, specifically, did you think of it?

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS! : 

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS! You’ve done it! You’ve generated, focused, and limited your topic! Now you can start writing a good paragraph or essay that reflects what YOU want to say! If you begin by planning out your topic, all the rest of your writing will fall into place. But if you don’t plan first, your writing will wander all over the place and no one will be happy!