MY PRE-WRITING PROCESS OF MY ESSAY

• Objective : Gather and organize ideas.

In the pre-writing stage, for my essay topic (the impact of plastic use on the environment) and the type of essay (argumentative). This step involved brainstorming ideas, researching facts and data to support your argument, and organizing those thoughts. For instance, I decided to argue why plastic use should be curbed, which became the central thesis.

• Research : Research data on plastic pollution in oceans, or studies showing the long-term environmental impact of plastic waste.
• Brainstorm : pollution, harm to wildlife, health risks, and alternative materials.
• Questions : "Why is plastic use harmful to the environment?", "How does plastic affect marine life?" and "What are the alternatives to plastic?" 
• Outlining : Introduction (Explain plastic's environmental impact.), Body 1 (Plastic pollution and its effects on ecosystems.), Body 2 (Harm to marine and terrestrial animals.), Body 3 (Alternatives to plastic and their benefits.) and Conclusion (Summarize the need to curb plastic use.)

Expanded Outline :

• What it is : An expanded outline is a more detailed version of a basic outline. It goes beyond just listing the main points by fleshing them out with supporting details, examples, and transitions between ideas. There’s a logical flow from one section to the next.
• Example : Main Point (Plastic pollution harms marine life), Subpoint (Plastic bags and waste are mistaken as food by sea animals - Turtles and seabirds suffer from ingestion and entanglement - Statistics : Over 1 million marine animals die annually due to plastic.)

Descriptive Outline :

• What it is :  A descriptive outline focuses on the content and purpose of each section and paragraph of the essay. It describes not only the main points but also the function of each paragraph—what each part aims to accomplish in relation to the whole essay.
• Example : Paragraph (Plastic pollution harms marine life through ingestion and entanglement), Purpose (This paragraph provides evidence on the direct impact of plastic waste on wildlife and supports the argument for curbing plastic use by highlighting its harm.)

Dialogue :

• What it is : Dialogue drafting is a technique where you write the draft as though you are having a conversation — either with yourself or with an imagined reader. It helps you clarify your ideas by explaining them out loud in a conversational tone before refining them for the formal essay.
• Example : “Plastic pollution is dangerous for marine life.” says Fahim. Readers asks "Why is that?”. “Because animals like sea turtles mistake plastic for food. When they eat it, it blocks their digestive system and can cause death.” replied Fahim.

Clarity :

• Ensure that each idea is expressed clearly and is easy to understand.
• Check for any confusing sentences or vague language.
• Make sure the argument is logically structured and that each paragraph supports the main thesis.

Conciseness :

• Remove any unnecessary words, phrases, or repetitive sentences.
• Aim to express ideas in the simplest, most direct way possible.
• Eliminate filler words that do not add value to the sentence (e.g., "basically," "in order to," etc.).

Sentence Structure:

• Vary sentence lengths to improve the flow and avoid monotony.
• Ensure each sentence is grammatically correct and well-constructed.
• Fix run-on sentences or sentence fragments to improve readability.
• Improve transitions between sentences and paragraphs to maintain smooth flow of ideas.

Proofreading :

• Check for spelling mistakes, typos, and grammar errors.
• Ensure correct punctuation, such as commas, periods, and quotation marks.
• Look out for consistency in capitalization and abbreviations.

Style :

• Review sentence structure for variety, avoiding repetitive patterns.
• Maintain a consistent tone appropriate to the essay (e.g., formal or informal).
• Ensure word choice is precise and not overly complex or vague.

Clarity :

• Simplify complex sentences or jargon to make the text easy to understand.
• Eliminate redundant words or phrases that don't add value.
• Ensure that each sentence directly supports the main idea of the paragraph.

Online Platform :

• Blogger : I've created my blog to share my writing and connect with other environmental lover's.
• Social Media : I've shared my writing on platform likes Instagram, Twitter (X) and Facebook.
• Environment Website : Submit my writing to etablished environment websites like Ellen MacArthur Foundations.