H.I.P.F.W.E.

[This is an aside from the strand in  the current blog that I am writing. However, recently, I have been asked if I can give advice about writing an essay. What follows is a slightly potted version of the course I used to give my English students on this topic.. I hope it may prove helpful still.]


                      Holliday's Infallible Plan For Writing Essays..................H.I.P.F.W.E.

1.     An essay is a piece of writing which clearly and logically conveys the writer's ideas and thoughts to the reader. Most people will remember from their schooldays that they were told that before starting  an essay they should make a plan of what they want to say. If they are honest, they will remember that what they actually were advised to do was to start by making some notes. Usually  , this consisted of a few phrases which sort of referred to some ideas floating around in their head on the subject that they had been set. Having spent a few minutes doing  that,  they then remember that their teacher had told them that there were three sections to an essay: 1) An opening paragraph that explains what the essay is to be about (usually a rehash of the essay's title)  2) The middle bit in which they put down what they thought was the required answer, and 3) A final bit where they summed up their conclusion (This part usually started with the words "Thus we can see that.....") . Following this "plan", they then wrote the essay (probably the night before it was due) and , if they were conscientious pupils, checked it for spelling, copied it out neatly, drew a line under it at the end (often with a little Smiley) and handed it in.

                 This is exactly what should NOT be done if the aim is to write a planned essay
                                                which will achieve a passing grade.

What follows will show you how to produce a planned essay which will achieve  a higher grade because it is clear, logical and consists of several paragraphs, each of which  contains a Topic Sentence and supporting sentences which illustrate, develop, clarify the topic sentence of that paragraph. Each paragraph will link logically from the preceding paragraph and  to the following paragraph. The first paragraph will not be introductory ("In this essay, I am going to explain...") but will go straight into the first topic you wish to discuss. The last paragraph will not be a repeat of he points you have made in the preceding paragraphs but will be the final point you wish to make written in such a manner that the reader feels that your argument has concluded

Think of the essay as a stream that has to be forded by  using a series of stepping stones that lead you from one bank to the other. Each stepping stone is a paragraph and the reader moves from one paragraph to the next just as the walker moves from one stepping stone to the next until the end of the crossing is achieved.

2.    What is a paragraph?
        A paragraph consists of a group of sentences that are concerned with a particular topic. One of these sentences is the topic sentence. The other sentences in the paragraph will support the topic sentence through illustration, development  through explanation and expansion, clarification of the idea in the topic sentence.  When you scan an essay, you should be able to pick out the topic sentence of each paragraph and, by noting these, be able to follow the argument that is developed throughout the essay. These topic sentences give the reader the bones of the essay's argument: they provide the structure of the essay. The reader may not agree with the argument of your essay, but,  at least,  he or she can take on board what  you think. In this way, the essence of writing has been achieved; the essence of all writing is communication. If you can achieve that, then  you are a writer. How good a writer you are in the eyes of others will depend on things like tone, appropriate vocabulary, intelligence: we cannot all reach the power of Shakespeare, the wit of Wilde, the force of Shaw; but we can make our views clear through the planning of our essay.

H.I.P.F.W.E
(When you start to use  this method of planning your essay, please remember that
    a) you cannot write the essay overnight using this method: the planning of anything takes time. [I used to tell my students to take the stages day by day throughout a week (which was usually the length of time they had to produce an essay for homework)]
   b)If you consistently use  this method, you will discover that the standard of your essays is rising. You will even find that, as you become familiar with this method, certain stages take less and less time to complete; Eventually, you will be planning your essays automatically, until you reach a point in time when you never remember where or how you learned to write an essay: you just have no moire trepidation about doing it!)


stage 1
Provide yourself with no distraction: no tv, no cellphone, no facebook, no -what are they called?- "i-somethings" (it's a culture that utterly confuses me!)
Concentrate on the title or subject of your essay. Then, on a piece of foolscap, jot down anything that comes into your head that is prompted by the subject of your task, no matter how irrelevant it might at first seem. Do not write sentences: put down phrases, odd words that come into your mind, a snatch of song, a phrase of poetry, anything; but, above all, DETAILS. Do not make generalisations: just as a painter or a photographer or a cinéaste (film maker) observes closely what he is recording, so you must notice the little things; Jot down odd phrases and words from different languages (like cinéaste!), idioms, etc and let your mind follow these paths. Do not stop until the entire sheet of foolscap is completely covered.
Now you may pause, make a coffee, turn on the cellphone, play music, whatever. The first stage is over and you leave the essay alone for a few hours - or the next day!

stage 2
When you return to your page of jottings and look at it again, you may find more ideas  flowing and you should add them to your list. When you are ready to start on Stage 2, look through your list. You will see that certain items you have jotted down are associated one with another. Group these things together in separate lists.  Some of these lists might be quite lengthy: some may only consist of one or two things. With the latter, see if you can think of other details that could be added to them; but, if none occur to you, then put them to one side as "not to be used this time".
Now, take each of your other lists in turn and, for each list, write a  simple sentence* that encapsulates what that group is about.  At this stage, it does not matter how banal this sentence is ( Something as straightforward and obvious as "The sun was shining" is quite good enough!), for each of these is going to be developed, eventually, into the topic sentence  for that group.
Take each group in turn and turn  every item in that group into a simple sentence. So, if you had thirteen items in that group, you will now have  fourteen simple sentences (because you also have the topic sentence that you created for that group)
When you have done this for every group, you have completed stage 2.

[If you are having trouble with the terms in bold print, I will include a glossary either at the end of this post or in a separate post that will follow.]


stage  3
This is the central stage of HIPFWE. It is also the most demanding and takes the most time to complete. This is where you transfrom each of the groups of simple sentences into a paragraph.

Take one of your groups. You have a series of simple sentences, one of which is the topic sentence. First, put the sentences into what you think is the most logical order. Having done this, see which of these sentences can be combined, either into various forms of complex sentences; or, possibly, double or multiple sentences. Try and create a variety of sentence construction a) to involve the reader's attention or b) to create a build-up of tension or to reflect he complexity of the situation you are creating.
 Decide where you will place the Topic Sentence. Sometimes it is good (for example in an explanatory or informational essay) to place it as the opening sentence of the pragraph; sometimes (in narrative essays, for example), it can be placed at the end of the paragraph to effect. But it can go anywhere that you think is most suitable in the paragraph.
Look at the vocabulary you are using. Choice of words affects the tone of a passage. Do not use repetitive vocabulary,but, at the same time, do not feel you have to show off your grasp of a wide vocabulary; Remember, always, that you are trying to communicate clearly with, and involve . your reader .
Check your use of punctuation : remember that punctuation is there to help the reader find his or her way though the sentences, so don't just put in a comma every time you take a breath. There are rules that govern punctuation and, despite living in the age of computer speak, we should obey those rules ........unless we really do not want to communicate!

When you are satisfied that you have transformed the group of simple sentences into a paragraph, turn to the next group and perform the same routine. Repeat for each of your groups.
Then, take a breath, pat yourself on the back  and relax for a while; You have not finished yet, but you are approaching the final stages!

stage 4

You now find yourself with a series of paragraphs. Now you need to decide which is the most logival order in which to place them. Once you have done this, read through all that you have written. You will probably find that whilst the thought line throughout what you have written is logical, the paragraphs seem a tad isolated from one another. You need to look at the final sentence of one paragraph and the first line of the following paragraph and make adjustments so that the one leads logically and smoothly to the next point you are making. Once this has been done, make a fair copy of your essay and leave it on your desk until tomorrow.

stage 5

Read your essay through with a fresh and critical eye. Check spelling and legibility (if anyone still hand-writes essays any more), for nothing is more infuriating for the reader than to have difficulty in deciphering handwriting. Make any small adjustments you feel are necessary. Is the tone  suitable? i.e. You are not using colloquial language (Language as we use it in speaking to one another) for a serious discoursive or informative piece.

And if you are satisfied: voilà, you're finished.!

If you use this method routinely for every essay that you write , then you will find that a) the time  you take to get through certain stages will diminish as you establish your routine; and b)the fluency of your thought and expression will gradually improve and your writing will always be clearly expressed and logical in its development of ideas.

Finally:

At the end of the sessions covering HIPFWE, I used to require the students to write the following in their notebooks:
"I promise that, from this moment on, I shall use HIPFWE for all my essays, no matter for what subject the essay is required."
This was followed by their signature and the signature of their witness (who sat at the next desk). I wanted them to write  and sign in blood, but Matron objected and I settled for red ink.
I hope this helps.