Tài liệu cho sinh viên thực hành cần thiết để tiếp cận viết tiểu luận và xây dựng với sự tự tin. Với hướng dẫn chính xác của Wyrick và mẫu chuyên nghiệp của cuốn sách của nhà văn cả hai nổi tiếng cổ điển và đương đại, BƯỚC ĐỂ VIẾT TỐT, phiên bản thứ mười một, bộ sinh viên trên một con đường vững chắc để viết thành công. | Chapter 1 Prewriting GETTING STARTED OR SOUP-CAN LABELS CAN BE FASCINATING For 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. To 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. But 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 1. You have some valuable ideas to tell your reader and 2. More than anything you want to communicate those ideas to your reader. These 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. Equally important you must also have a strong desire to tell others what you are thinking. One of .