Ideas and Content

We don’t want [the writer] to describe every ride at Disneyland, or tell us that the Grand Canyon is awesome…If one of the rides at Disneyland got stuck, or if somebody fell into the awesome Grand Canyon, that would be worth hearing about.

- William Zinsser

Ideas and Content is what you have to say – the reason for writing your paper. Everything about your writing begins with that message. If you can choose your own topic, pick something important to you, that you know a lot about. If someone picks the topic for you, look for a way to connect it to your own experience. That way, you can use what you know.

This is one of the secrets ~ keep it small. If you topic is too big (like “Animals of Africa”) you’ll wind up trying to tell too much and not be able to focus on any one idea long enough to make it clear. Skinny it down (“Why Lions Hunt in Pairs”) so you can handle it. Put in the kind of details to show you pay attention to the world and notice how it works.

Surprise your reader with what you know. Don’t spend time on things that anyone else could write. Don’t say “Cooking in a restaurant can be hard work.” Even people who don’t cook can figure that out. Instead, tell what goes on in the kitchen if an angry customer sent the food back. That would be an interesting insight!

One more hint: Make your ideas crystal clear. Avoid general statements like “Our trip was exciting.” Exciting how? Instead say, “I chased two very hungry black bears away from our camping supplies.” Specific details that help the reader picture what is happening can make or break your writing.

Human being have a great need to represent their evperience through writing. We need to make our truths beautiful.

- Lucy McCormick Calkins

Ideas and Content

5.    Paper-Focused, Clear, and Specific

My writing if full of all kinds of details that keep the reader’s attention and show what is really important about my topic.

•    I know a lot about this topic, and when someone else reads it, they’ll find out some new or little-know information.

•    I made sure to show what was happening (‘The wildly spiraling tornado aimed straight for our barn’) rather than telling what happened (‘It was scary’).

•    I filled my paper with interesting tidbits that make reading it fun and lively.

•    I made sure my topic was small enough to handle. “All about Baseball” was too big – I change it to “How to Steal a Base”.

•    I could easily answer the question, “What is the point of this paper/story?”

3.    Paper-Some Really Good Parts, Some Not There Yet

The reader usually knows what I mean. Some parts will be better when I tell just a little more about what is important.

•    Some of the things I said are new, but other things everyone knows already.

•    Some details I have used are pretty general, like: “Her hat was nice,” or “It was a sunny day.”

•    I think my topic might be too big and I got bogged down trying to tell a little about a lot instead of a lot about a little.

•    Sometimes I was very clear about what I meant, but at other times, it was still fuzzy.

1.    Paper-Just Beginning to Figure Out What I Want to Say

When someone else reads my paper, it will be hard for them to understand what I mean or what it is all about.

•    I haven’t shared much information. I guess I don’t know enough yet about this topic to write about it.

•    My details are so vague it is hard to picture anything.

•    I’m still thinking aloud on paper. I’m looking for a good idea.

•    Maybe I’ll write about this, but then, maybe I’ll write about that…

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