1. Karen S. Wright

2. The
Writing
Triangl Purpose
e
Topic
Voice
Audience

3. Ask the Right
Questions Before
You Begin to
Write
•What am I trying
to say?
•What effect do I
hope to achieve?
•What main point
do I want to make?
•What form/type of
writing will I use?
•What is my
purpose?

4. Your strategy (the way you write) becomes
the purpose and the goal you wish to reach
with your paper.
Description Narration
Compare/Contrast Process
Argument

5. A descriptive essay will
put into words what you
want your reader to see
in his or her mind.
Using concrete examples
are very important in a
descriptive essay.

6. A Narrative tells a
personal story essay is told
The narrative
from first (use “I”) or third
person (use “you”) point-of-
view
It’s important to follow
a clear sequence of
events.

7. Process
A process essay says what is to be
done and in what order.
The process essay will include
the steps necessary to reach the
final product.

8. Compare/contrast
essays can present
one side at a time or
it can present point
by point.
If you were writing an
essay comparing city
traffic to small town
traffic, you begin with a
general statement; then
compare one type of
traffic to the other or
present it point by point.

9. •All of our lives we have tried to
persuade someone to do
something or to think like we
do…that is the beginning of an
argument paper.
•Your reader won’t believe you,
just because you say something
is true.
•The argument requires
research to support your
thinking.

10. When you consider
the purpose of your
essay, consider the
following:
1. What
problem is suggested
by the topic?
2. What are your
writing goals?

11. Voice is the identity the
writer adopts and his/her
credibility as an authority.

12. Do you want to
sound
•objective and fair;
•heated and
passionate;
• sincere and
persuasive;
•informative and

13. A piece of writing is
often judged by how
effectively it reaches its
intended audience.

14. Here are some questions to
consider about audience:
1. Who are
your readers (age, sex, income,
belief systems, potential
biases)?
2. Are your readers
novices or experts on the
subject?
3. What are your
readers likely to know

15. The writing process involves the way you
define and combine the various components
of the writing situation: your purpose for
writing, your voice or how you wish to come
across to your readers, and your audience.