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Book: Plastic Viking Helmets
Coming back soon:
Virtual Adam
Introduction
Do you have green fingers? typing skills considered
Preparing the ground background research
Planting the seeds: getting ready to plan
The green shoots a plan
Feeding and watering developing the plan
Weeding working on the first go
Useful tools helpful features in the word processor
Style individualism in writing
Pests and diseases dangers and problems with word processor writing
The harvested crop an example essay
Planting the seeds
At this stage then I have a sheet of ideas which will become a plan. I have some general idea of my strategy and some thoughts about my answer to the question, based on my reading and thinking so far.
My aim with a plan is to produce a list of short phrases, or sometimes just single words, each of which captures an idea which will eventually be turned into a paragraph. So in theory, fifteen words or phrases will turn into fifteen paragraphs which is the finished essay.
It doesn't always work out like that. Sometimes a phrase becomes a couple or more paragraphs when I think about it more fully while writing. Also, sometimes when I am doing the plan an idea will form in my head which I think is well expressed, so I write a few sentences so that I don't lose it. Often these sentences will still be present in the final essay. I think it is wise to follow your instincts at this planning stage, rather than sticking rigidly to a formula.
So in my head at this moment is some idea that I have to show why I think Father Christmas does exist, and my main argument is that the alternative theories are less credible. Of course before I can write my argument I need to explain about Father Christmas and a few other things. All this is on my mind as I formulate the plan.
It would probably be worth reading the finished essay now so that you will see how the essay and plan are related, or else this plan will look fairly nonsensical. The plan is the next page to look at, and then you can explore how the two fit together by clicking bits of the plan to jump to the associated bit of the essay.