Objective
In this lesson, you'll learn how to narrow the field of possibilities
and choose a topic for a writing assignment.
Introduction
How do you feel when your teacher says, "This time, you get to choose the
assignment"? Maybe he gives you some loose guidelines and a general area
on which to focus, but that's it. For some students, this is liberating. It
presents the opportunity to select and write about subjects they want to explore.
Other students might feel intimidated by the prospect of narrowing a very general
subject area down to a specific focus. The whole process of choosing a topic
can sometimes become a nerve-wracking experience, because so much seems to be
riding on that choice. You want a good grade, so you want your topic to demonstrate
your competence in writing, but you don't want to choose something that is too
difficult for you to understand and adequately discuss. You also want to learn
something about your topic so that it has value for you, but you don't want
to choose a topic that may be so challenging that you have trouble learning
anything. At the same time, you don't want your topic to sound too elementary.
On top of that, you want to choose a topic about which you actually have something
to say. This lesson will introduce you to some useful ways in which to go about
choosing a topic.
What You'll Need to Know Before You Select a Topic
So, you're sitting in the library or in front of a computer in some computer
lab and wondering: how should I choose a topic (especially when there are so
many things to pick from)?
The first step in the process of choosing a topic is to look carefully at the
information your instructor has given you. Even when the specific assignment
is not defined, the assignment sheet or instructions will often give you general
cues that will help you decide how to choose your topic and what kind of topic
to choose.
- Purpose The first step it to make sure you understand the purpose
of the piece you will be writing. What does your assignment ask you to do?
Look carefully at your assignment sheet. Does it include any of the following
words: describe, evaluate, analyze, argue, discuss, identify, define, compare/contrast,
or explain? These words are clues as to how you approach your topic,
and they help identify your overall purpose for writing. For example, let's
say you're supposed to write about something that has to do with the environment,
and you've been told you need to "describe," this paper will be
very different than one whose purpose is to "argue." A descriptive
paper might describe the pollution problem in a particular city; an argument
essay on the same general topic might argue for the importance of public transportation
as a means of reducing pollution.
So, look for those key, instructive words in your assignment. If they are
not there, and you're not sure what your "purpose" is, ask your
instructor to provide more information.
- Audience In order to choose a topic, you'll also need to understand
who your audience is. Does your assignment sheet indicate a particular audience,
such as your fellow classmates, readers of the local newspaper, or a state
representative? If your assignment does not specify your audience (sometimes
it won't), you have to figure out who you are writing for based on components
of the assignment. For example, if you are writing an argumentative essay
about your solution to an on-campus parking problem, you may want to tailor
your writing to administrators who make decisions about parking. Or, you may
want to convince your peers to campaign for this solution in order to initiate
change in the current parking situation. Either way, thinking about to whom
you're writing will help you as you choose your topic.
Being aware of your audience and what they need to keep them reading is
important as you write an introduction that grabs their attention, a body
that keeps them interested, and a conclusion that makes clear your purpose
in writing-whether it be teaching a lesson or moral, sending a message,
or simply entertaining your audience.
- Parameters Next, you need to decide if your topic is too broad or
too narrow for the assignment specifications. Let's assume you are asked to
write a 2-3 page informative essay, and you are interested in basketball.
You decide to write an essay that explains how the game is played. Because
this explanation is such a broad topic, you would not be able to cover the
material adequately in 2-3 pages. (Entire books are written on this topic.)
Likewise, if you choose to write about the current use of the jump ball in
high school basketball, you may not have enough material to talk about in
2-3 pages, because your topic is too narrow. To make this fit the assignment
specifications, you can expand the jump ball topic by exploring the changes
in its use. Providing a "history of the jump ball" could give your
readers information about its original use and the decisions and rule changes
that have been made through the years, bringing the readers to the jump ball's
current use. Depending on how much information you have and the length requirement
for the essay, you can limit this discussion to high school basketball only
or expand it to include college and even professional basketball.
- Interest Finally, and often most importantly, you should find a
topic that interests you but also falls into the expectations for the assignment.
When Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden, he stated, "I should not
talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.
Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience."
Just like Thoreau, your experiences and your interests are things you know
best. If you choose a topic that interests you, you will be more personally
invested in the topic, and you will more likely write a better paper because
you actually care about the topic.
How to Select A Topic
Once you've carefully studied the assignment and understand the basic guidelines,
you'll need to find a way to move from general to specific.
Research If you only have a general assignment, one way to narrow
it down is to research and learn more about the general topic. You can use
both the Internet and the library in order to find out more about your topic
and narrow your field. (For more information about research, please see Lessons
10-13 in this Handbook: "Research for Academic and Nonacademic
Audiences"; "Using the Library Wisely";
"Conducting Field Research" and "Using
the Internet Wisely.") You can also discuss your general topic with
other people, in order too get ideas and to think about issues you might not
have thought about on your own.
Example
Your instructor has told you to write anything, as long as it is descriptive
and has to do with architecture. You don't know much about architecture,
but you know you usually like modern things, so you decide to go to the
Internet and see what you can find. You go to a search engine and do a keyword
search for "modern architecture." You find hundreds of web pages
that match your search, and you decide to look at the top twenty. You see
something about the architect Frank Lloyd Wright that interests you, and
then you see a photograph of a house he designed. In order to further narrow
your topic, you might want to go to the library (even an art or architecture
library) and use other library resources to get information. Then, since
you know you are supposed to describe, and you know you're going to be writing
about Frank Lloyd Wright, you might want to look for one of Wright's designs
or houses that you could describe. In this way, research can help you get
a better idea of the general field you will be working in and lead you to
a specific topic.
Brainstorming
You can use brainstorming in order to help you narrow your topic and find
a focus. This technique works particularly well when you're writing an essay
that's based on your own experience. Brainstorming is an "invention method";
when you brainstorm, you use your imagine and think freely in order to generate
ideas. (For more information about brainstorming, please see Chapter
3, Lesson 3, Section 1: Brainstorming.)
Example
Your instructor has asked you to write about a "memorable experience."
Your first thought is: I have some experiences that seem big to me, but
I don't know if they're that important or memorable. In order to
explore the memories you do have, give yourself ten minutes to brainstorm.
Start with a blank sheet of paper, and write your general topic at the top
of the page. Then, without censoring yourself, write every expedience that
comes to mind. Once you've run out of steam, look back at your list and
choose the memory on the list about which you have the most to say. Then,
begin brainstorming again-- this time with that memory at the top of your
page. The memory can become the topic, and the details on your second list
can become some of the points you introduce or details you use in your essay.
If your assignment doesn't give you anything you go on (in other words, if
you don't have a "purpose" or any key words to begin with), you'll
have to get more creative. For example, your teacher might simply say: write
750 words about something you care about. If you're given this kind of very
general topic, you'll need to look around you. Become an observer of what is
both distant and up close. Look in newspapers, magazines, on Internet sites;
talk to friends and family.
If you still have difficulty zeroing in on a topic, try some of the prewriting
methods such as freewriting, brainstorming, listing, idea mapping, or reading
and research to get your ideas flowing. Even just talking to a friend or family
member about an assignment can spark ideas.
Summary
This lesson has provided information about how to select a topic for a writing
project. As we've explained, it's important to look for key words and to make
sure you understand the assignment before you actually select your topic. Then,
once you understand the purpose, know the audience and the parameters, you can
work on choosing the topic.
  
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