Building the Argument Now push further. Write in full senten…
Building the Argument Now push further. Write in full sentences and paragraphs where you can, but keep moving — this is still draft material, not a final product. Time Estimate: 20-30 minutes State your working argument in one or two sentences. This is your first attempt at a controlling idea — it can and probably will change. Consider your audience. Your reader has read the same class material as you and is somewhere in the middle, still forming an opinion. What do they need to hear to be persuaded? What can you skip because they already know it? Develop your one example. Write out what happened, in as much detail as you can, and what it shows about your argument. Try a counterpoint. Write a paragraph arguing against your own position, as fairly as you can. Then write a paragraph responding to it. This tension is often where the strongest papers come from. Try out a quote. If a specific moment from Smith or Duckworth is sticking with you, write it down along with a sentence or two on what you think it means and how it connects to your argument. Remember: no more than 2–3 quotes from class reading total in your final paper. Free write for five more minutes on whatever part of this argument still feels unresolved to you. Naming the hard part is useful — it’s often exactly what you’ll work out in your draft.