1. What is the general, abstract area you are going to write about?
problems of the homeless.

2. What areas, more specifically, will you address?
shelter availability, or physical health.

3. How will you limit and focus your topic?
discuss our city specifically.

4. What question will your paper answer?
Does our city have adequate shelter for the homeless population?

So when you write about the availability of shelters for Eureka’s homeless, you may work with any of the writing genres—poems or letters, descriptive or narrative essays—or with an expository essay in any of the specific modes—analysis, cause / effect, et cetera.

This material comes from Marlene’s Masters Project.