A.   Preparing the first draft

Before sitting down for the first draft, make sure you have done the first following things:

◇    You have arrived a thesis

◇    You have gone over the note cards, picked out those cards relevant to the thesis, and set aside all others. Bear in mind: you are very likely to have more notes than you can use.

◇    You have shuffled the cards until they are organized in the order in which they will be used.

◇    You have sketched an outline of the paper, breaking down the thesis into an ordered listing of topics.

  Once you have formulated the thesis, sorted the cards in their proper sequence, and drafted the outline, you are ready to begin writing the first draft. Work from the outline and note cards. Triple space the first draft to allow room for penciling in afterthoughts or scribbling paragraph so that additional ideas, words or phrases that occur to you can be tacked on to the paragraphs without creating an unreadable jumble.

B. Incorporating notes into the flow of a paper

All notes should be blended smoothly into the natural flow of the paper – this is the prime rule for writing the first draft. Summaries and personal comments should be edited for smoothness. Quotations of course have to be used word for word. Transitions between ideas should be logical and smooth. The paper should not seem a patch word of cut-and-paste, which is often seen in the writings of the Chinese students. When you start writing, follow these simple steps to make your paper better:

◇    a rough version, concentrating on the flow of thought;

◇    a first version, reorganizing the paper, if necessary, and improving the style;

◇    a second version, eliminating all mechanical errors.