Getting Started

Learning Objectives

  • Explain strategies to help begin your essay

Drafting

At this stage, you’ve gathered notes, sources, and ideas, which may feel scattered—that’s normal! You likely have an outline, whether it’s formal, informal, or visual, that organizes your sections and their order.

Now, it’s time to expand that outline into a full draft.

Key Takeaway: Drafting

Drafting involves prewriting, editing, and reviewing. Start by getting your general ideas down; adding details and quotations now will make later revisions easier. Write down all ideas—it’s easier to cut unnecessary content than to add missing material. The key is to start writing as soon as possible. Your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to exist so you can refine it.

There are different drafting approaches:

  • Fast Drafting – Write quickly to get ideas down, using brackets for placeholders where research or details are needed.
  • Slow Drafting – Focus more on structure and detail from the start, though you’ll still go through multiple revisions.[1]

They Say, I Say

Looking at structured writing templates can help you get started. They Say/I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein[2] provides templates for forming arguments. The book’s premise is that writing is like joining a conversation: you acknowledge what others have said (“They say”) and add your perspective (“I say”).

For example, you might introduce an argument with:

  • “X argues that…”
  • “X claims that…”
  • “X demonstrates that…”

Or structure your argument like this:
“In discussions of ____, one controversial issue has been ____. On one hand, ____ argues ____. On the other hand, ____ opposes ____. Others believe ____. My view is ____.”

To improve clarity, use phrases that guide your reader:

  • To contrast with other views: “Many believe…, but I disagree.”
  • To introduce supporting evidence: “Now let’s examine the research.”
  • To summarize a resource: “The main point is…”
  • To acknowledge counterarguments: “Some may argue that…, but…”

Using templates like these removes the guesswork of structuring an argument, and helps your reader understand why you are making certain points or presenting certain information.

Link to LEarning

For more, check out They Say/I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein at your library or visit the They Say/I Say blog for a moment and read part of at least one of the readings to see how it can be helpful to you the next time you have to make a written argument.

Try It

  1. University of Maryland, Baltimore. Writing Resources. www.umaryland.edu/writing/writing-resources/. ↵
  2. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 3rd edition. New York: Norton, 2014. ↵