OVERVIEW: Writing the Exploratory Essay (Read Chapter 21)
Assignment Overview:
Writing the Exploratory Essay PowerPointDownload Writing the Exploratory Essay PowerPoint
Write an exploratory essay that is appropriate for a magazine, website, or newsletter. The article should EXPLORE an idea specific to your major, career, hobbies, ideas or other interests. As your book says, make your focus “laser sharp” and offer fresh insights to fill a gap in the “discussion” on the subject. Include the following feature article elements:
–create a clear thesis
–use at least three credible, interesting sources (at least one primary and one secondary)
–be clear and concise
–use style and voice
Assignment Objectives:
to offer fresh insights and credible, interesting source support
to engage your audience (for a specific magazine) in the “discussion” about an idea, skill, or other area of interest to you and that specific audience
to explain the significance of your ideas, findings, and possible areas of future exploration
to develop a surprising angle on the topic to engage the reader
Assignment Requirements:
900+ words (must be in range), typed, double spaced, standard font, MLA format (see handbook); at least three sources (reliable, appropriate; at least one primary and one secondary) with clear attribution and integration; you may interview someone who is an authority on the subject as long as you give the person’s credentials in the essay.
Read Exploratory Essay assignment materials in Chapter 21
Click on link to Magazine Writer’s GuidelinesLinks to an external site. and pick a magazine for which to write (most magazines pay for articles they publish)
Click on “Find an Angle to Bring Your Subject to Life”Links to an external site.
Revising the Exploratory Essay
Click on Tutor.com on the left side of our Canvas classroom to get a writing tutor’s help on your final editing. This is a free service to our students.
Use the magazine article checklist for revising the exploratory essays (click here).
LECTURE: Writing the Exploratory Essay
Use your textbook as a step-by-step resource for understanding and developing the exploratory essay.
Your goal for this essay is to explore ideas, but where do you start? You book suggests brainstorming, freewriting, listing, and memory mapping, but before you start brainstorming, you need to understand the exploratory essay genre (characteristics of these kinds of essays).
Explore the genre
In this section, your book says the exploratory essay (genre) is usually about making a point. You will definitely be making a point (thesis), but not an argument. This is not a persuasive essay, but a thinking piece. The goal is to find a topic, hobby, skill, or other idea that you want to explore aimed at engaging a specific audience. The genre includes these elements:
Make a point about a topic that intrigues you
Thesis should be informative and engaging
Tell why your exploration should matter to a specific magazine audience
Tell a story; develop your essay structure
Make several observations about your exploration
Share details, interview conversations, reflections
Offer details
Share surprising details
Use figurative language to offer unique comparisons and descriptive language
Use a questioning, speculative tone
Focus on people
Share explorations and reflections on the people in your story
Include dialogue if appropriate
Claiming your topic
Now, it’s time to start brainstorming things (topics, hobbies, people, ideas) you want to EXPLORE. You may know something or nothing about the topic, but you want to ask questions and explore ideas and details in your essay. One of the more important things to consider is to choose a puzzling, intriguing subject, even if the only puzzling thing about it is asking if your audience will be interested.
Brainstorm
Freewrite
List
Think about your Thinking (metacognition). Ask questions.
Imagining your audience
Your audience is a group of people that read a specific magazine. If you are writing for a travel magazine, your audience already enjoys traveling, and you need to tell them something new and useful. If you’re writing for a college student magazine, then make your topic and reflection interesting to college students. If you start to tell your audience what they already know, they will stop reading.
Gathering materials
Your sources need to be primary (first-hand, original; statistics, interviews) and secondary (commentary from websites and articles). Talk to the people involved. The pandemic means your interviews will be by phone or email.
Organizing ideas (see page 278 for examples)
How to organize your essay. Give your readers directions with transitional wording. Design for easy readability with headings and “pull quotes.”
Opening with hook, introduction to subject, thesis
Body paragraphs
Observation 1 plus details and source support
Observation 2 plus details and source support
Observation 3 plus details and source support (build toward a climax)
Conclusion: end on reflection and personal insights from your exploration
Add style and voice
Use figures of speech to make memorable comparisons:
Similes
Metaphors
Analogies
Concrete, descriptive subjects
Strong, active verbs
REQUIRED RESOURCES: Writing the Exploratory Essay
Required Reading
Read Chapter 21
Click here for Writing the Exploratory Essay PowerPoint
Magazine Article Criteria ChecklistDownload Magazine Article Criteria Checklist
Student Examples:
“Teach a New Dog New Tricks”Download “Teach a New Dog New Tricks”
“Cackling Dragsters” Magazine ArticleDownload “Cackling Dragsters” Magazine Article
Other Resources
Writing with Style PowerPoint
Click here for copies of The Hilltop, Weatherford College’s magazineLinks to an external site.
Click here for example article from the TCU MagazineLinks to an external site.
Extra Credit Magazine Article TemplateDownload Extra Credit Magazine Article Template
Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) MLA Citation FormatLinks to an external site.
How to use Academic Search Complete to find sources
Source Attribution and Integration PowerPointDownload Source Attribution and Integration PowerPoint
DISCUSSION: Exploring Topics for the Exploratory Essay
Post your topic for your exploratory essay (magazine feature article).
Pick a magazine that would publish your article (italicize magazine titles in your writing)
Tell me what magazine you might be writing for and what you think the audience would most want to know about your topic. Click here for a list of magazines organized by categories. Links to an external site.
Knowing your audience focuses your article. If you’re writing for a college student magazine, your article would be different than writing for a business magazine or a parent magazine.
Guidelines and Grading for Discussion Postings
To get credit for discussion postings, please proofread your answers carefully for Standard English spelling, grammar, and punctuation. While typing in Canvas, you will see red lines under misspelled words (if not, check to see if you’re in Chrome), so you can easily make corrections. Your answers must be completely original.
Example Post (use the highlighted prompts and add your 3 section headings as a triplet of examples):
I’m thinking about writing an article about my son’s kayak fishing adventures with the angle on photography products for Paddling Magazine.Links to an external site. My audience includes other kayak enthusiasts, so I want to be technical and engaging. I’ve looked at their articles, and they link to products to help sell their ad space, so I would include the names of the products my son uses to film his kayak fishing adventures. I will interview my son (who has been kayak fishing for 5 years and has won tournaments) to have at least 3 strong quotations for my article, and then add other secondary sources about filming from a kayak. I will also use some of his photos in my article. I think readers will find filming techniques, reviewing products, and catching exciting moments interesting and engaging.
DISCUSSION: Exploratory Essay Outline
I do not expect anyone to actually send this letter/email to the magazine, but, in the future, you could make a career out of freelance journalism, and many magazines pay good money (hundreds to thousands of dollars) for articles they publish. This assignment helps you come up with your essay title, thesis, sources, and outline for your essay. I want you to follow the instructions exactly (4 short paragraphs with specific information for your article; see instructions below). Please use the model below as your guide. The model query letter includes the student’s title, thesis, outline, and two interviews for primary sources and one article for the secondary source.
You can do in-person or email interviews. You can send 3-5 questions in an email to someone you know who is an expert on the topic you’re covering, and then use their quotations in the paper to support your thesis.
Writing Steps:
Read Chapter 21 and example explorations in the textbook, on Canvas, and in the magazine you chose
Read the assignment OVERVIEW, LECTURE, AND REQUIRED RESOURCES
Read the article: “How to Write the Best Query Letter”Links to an external site.
Look at the student examples of query letters
Post your query letter to this discussion thread
Example Format
Magazine Name
Magazine’s Address
Dear Editor,
Paragraph 1: Open with a hook or angle about the article topic and your article title.
Paragraph 2: Outline your article and name specific primary and secondary sources.
Paragraph 3: Thesis (what plus so what) and triplet of examples or say “will surprise the readers by . . .”
Paragraph 4: Introduce yourself. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Student Example:
Clear Run Magazine
17 Industrial Drive South,
Hadley, MA 01075
22 October 2018
Dear Editor,
The lack of young adults in dog sports is worth exploring because they make up the future of agility. Eventually, if young adults don’t get involved with agility, the sport will die out. My article,” You Can Teach a New Dog New Tricks,” discusses this topic.
I have divided my article into three sections about observations, causes, and effects to help readers understand the topic. I will include pictures of handlers, dogs, and trials. I will interview two trainers, Dresden Graff and Robin Barber, and quote an interesting article about agility handlers. This will interest readers because it will inspire them to reignite the fire in young handlers.
I have found an interesting study called “What Motivates People to Participate with their Dogs in Sporting Events” in the journal Anthrozoos. This study is significant to your audience because it shows who participates in dog sports and why. This article will state statistics on participation in dog sports, discuss what causes the low rates of young handlers, and explain how this could affect the sport in the long term. It will enlighten and interest your readers to motivate junior and young adult handlers to participate in agility in order to keep the sport alive.
I am an aspiring dog trainer and would like to see agility grow as a sport and see more handlers my age participating. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
