[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-41964-en":3,"doc-seo-41964-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},41964,2336464648746,"Skyler","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c",2,"Literature","Steps to Writing Well Chapter 1 Prewriting","Chapter 1 introduces prewriting strategies for composing an effective short essay. It explains why starting is often difficult and uses examples from established writers to normalize procrastination. The chapter emphasizes two essential commitments: holding valuable ideas worth sharing and communicating them clearly to readers. It also highlights common early-stage mistakes, then guides writers to draft and revise with active attention to readers’ reactions. Finally, it outlines practical steps for selecting an essay subject, including starting early, finding a productive space, and choosing topics that genuinely interest the writer.","C h a p t e r 1  \nPrewriting  \nGETTING STARTED (OR SOUP-CAN LABELS CAN BE FASCINATING)  \nFor many writers, getting started is the hardest part. You may have noticed that when it is time to begin a writing assignment, you suddenly develop an enormous desire to straighten your books, water your plants, or sharpen your pencils for the fifth time. If this situation sounds familiar, you may find it reassuring to know that many professionals undergo these same strange compulsions before they begin writing. Jean Kerr, author of Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, admits that she often finds herself in the kitchen reading soup-can labels—or anything—in order to prolong the moments before taking pen in hand. John C. Calhoun, vice president under Andrew Jackson, insisted he had to plow his fields before he could write, and Joseph Conrad, author of Lord Jim and other novels, is said to have cried on occasion from the sheer dread of sitting down to compose his stories.  \nTo spare you as much hand-wringing as possible, this chapter presents some practical suggestions on how to begin writing your short essay. Although all writers must find the methods that work best for them, you may find some of the following ideas helpful.  \nBut no matter how you actually begin putting words on paper, it is absolutely essential to maintain two basic ideas concerning your writing task. Before you write a single sentence, you should always remind yourself that  \n1. You have some valuable ideas to tell your reader, and  \n2. More than anything, you want to communicate those ideas to your reader.  \nThese reminders may seem obvious to you, but without a solid commitment to your own opinions as well as to your reader, your prose will be lifeless and boring. If you don’t care about your subject, you can’t very well expect anyone else to. Have confidence that your ideas are worthwhile and that your reader genuinely wants, or needs, to know what you think.  \nEqually important, you must also have a strong desire to tell others what you are thinking. One of the most common mistakes inexperienced writers  \n4 PART ONE-THE BASICS OF THE SHORT ESSAY  \nmake is failing to move past early stages in the writing process in which they are writing for—or writing to—themselves only. In the first stages of composing an essay, writers frequently “talk” on paper to themselves, exploring thoughts, discovering new insights, making connections, selecting examples, and so on. The ultimate goal of a finished essay, however, is to communicate your opinions to others clearly and persuasively. Whether you wish to inform your readers, change their minds, or stir them to action, you cannot accomplish your purpose by writing so that only you understand what you mean. The burden of communicating your thoughts falls on you, not the reader, who is under no obligation to struggle through confused, unclear prose, paragraphs that begin and end for no apparent reason, or sentences that come one after another with no more logic than lemmings following one another to the sea.  \nTherefore, as you move through the drafting and revising stages of your writing process, commit yourself to becoming increasingly aware of your reader’s reactions to your prose. Ask yourself as you revise your drafts,“Am I moving beyond writing just to myself? Am I making myself clear to others who may not know what I mean?” Much of your success as a writer depends on an unflagging determination to communicate clearly with your readers.  \nSELECTING A SUBJECT  \nOnce you have decided that communicating clearly with others is your ultimate goal, you are ready to select the subject of your essay. Here are some suggestions on how to begin:  \nStart early. Writing teachers since the earth’s crust cooled have been pushing this advice, and for good reason. It’s not because teachers are egoists competing for the dubious honor of having the most time-consuming course; it is because few writers, even experienced ones, can do a good job when rush","cbCaitJRhf9UPYkS","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitJRhf9UPYkS","pdf",5523207,5,1,628,"English","en",105,"# Prewriting\n## Getting Started (Or Soup-Can Labels Can Be Fascinating)\n## Selecting a Subject\n## Start Early\n## Find Your Best Space","[{\"question\":\"Why is getting started often the hardest part of writing?\",\"answer\":\"Many writers experience compulsions or habits that delay beginning. The chapter notes that even professionals may read labels, sharpen pencils, or feel dread before writing, making the struggle common.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the two basic ideas a writer should remind themselves of before writing?\",\"answer\":\"The writer should remember they have valuable ideas to share and that the primary goal is to communicate those ideas to the reader.\"},{\"question\":\"How should writers choose a subject for a short essay?\",\"answer\":\"The chapter recommends selecting something you currently have strong interest in and provides practical advice on starting early and choosing the best time and space for composing.\"}]",1783340119,967,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":28},"steps-to-writing-well-chapter-1-prewriting","",{"@graph":36,"@context":85},[37,53,68],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,47,50],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/steps-to-writing-well-chapter-1-prewriting/41964/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":41,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-17","2026-07-06",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"Why is getting started often the hardest part of writing?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"Many writers experience compulsions or habits that delay beginning. The chapter notes that even professionals may read labels, sharpen pencils, or feel dread before writing, making the struggle common.","Answer",{"name":78,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":79},"What are the two basic ideas a writer should remind themselves of before writing?",{"text":80,"@type":76},"The writer should remember they have valuable ideas to share and that the primary goal is to communicate those ideas to the reader.",{"name":82,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":83},"How should writers choose a subject for a short essay?",{"text":84,"@type":76},"The chapter recommends selecting something you currently have strong interest in and provides practical advice on starting early and choosing the best time and space for composing.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":51,"og:type":87,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":58,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":89,"canonical":51},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":92},[93,97,100,104,108,113,118,123,128,131,135],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":94,"show_sort_weight":95,"slug":96},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},80,"literature",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":130},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":133,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":134},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":136,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":137,"show_sort_weight":20,"slug":138},19,"General","general"]