What are you arguing in your research? Have you planned out and made valid points?

The beginning of chapter four of Envision deals with constructing a research log. The first thing you need to do is write freely on various topics ideas that interest you. Clippings and images from newspapers or magazine articles help to recreate the image you are writing about. Next, you need to write down the reactions that come to you after reading about different topics. Tracking down preliminary searches on your internet browser can help bring up topics from the past that you have forgotten about. After coming up with the topic you want to write about, you need to develop a research plan and vent the anxieties that get brought up when discussing your topic. There are few questions you need to ask yourself before settling down with one topic. Am I interested in this topic? Can I argue a position on this topic? Will I be able to find enough research material on this topic? Does this sort of research appeal to me? These research questions will guide your work and lead you to your final arguement. Once you decide on your topic you can begin your prewriting. Prewriting is writing that precedes the official drafting of the paper and brings your topic to a focus. Brainstorming is a type of prewriting where you jot down a series of related words and phrases on your topic into a more visible process. The hardest part, narrowing down your topic, includes many steps. You need to write down your topic, analyze your topic, refine your topic, revise your narrowed topic and be more specific, identify significant aspects to explore your topic, and focus in on your topic with all of the information that you came up with. Writing your paper is the next step in the writing process. The three-paragraph model should be the basis for most papers. The first paragraph should announce your topic and state your preliminary thesis. The second paragraph should identify the sources you plan to use to investigate your topic. The third paragraph should explain the obstacles and problems you may have encountered. Some papers will be more lengthy and inclue five paragraphs, but the basis for most first drafts is a three-paragraph model.