10.1–Writing Strategies

During the writing process—while constructing your documents—we often examine sample materials that can help us consider how to make our own writing effective. Whether you are writing a research report, developing an analytical essay, creating a visual handout, crafting job application materials, or starting the next great novel, reviewing sample materials within the same mode of writing can be helpful to make decisions regarding the form and content for your text.

Although sample materials help writers, we have to be cognizant of how to use them effectively without falling into traps of basing our own work on them. When this situation occurs, writers may find themselves creating documents that are not appropriate for the intended audience, not unique to their own personal voice and style, and accidentally plagiarized by usurping someone else’s work without credit. (See “Representing the Conversation” in Chapter 9: Writing a Literary Essay: Moving from Surface to Subtext for more information). In this section, we will review a few tips and points of advice to ensure that sample materials remain helpful to develop your own documents effectively. And always remember to contact your instructor for any clarification on how they may want you to utilize sample materials if you have questions or concerns before and/or during the construction of your writing—form and content.