Drafting

Use Drafting to Make Drafts Better
Figure 1, Image created by: 



Drafting Analogy
The cultural bumper stick states, “I’m not tailgating…I’m drafting,” as the surge of NASCAR enthusiasts spread from the southern states and continue to creep farther and farther North.
When we speak of drafting in English courses, is this the same terminology?  Are we talking about minimizing air resistance to increase the speed of two vehicles (figure 2)?  While the obvious answer is “No,” we can use this term to help think about the functions of essay drafts and how the paragraphs work together to keep the reader engaged and how they propel the argument forward at a pace that rapid fires support and detail to convince all who read the essay.
Figure 2
Image available through https://thescienceclassroom.wikispaces.com/file/view/drafting.png/225476104/drafting.png

If you’ve ever written a 5-paragraph essay, you should be able to use that layout of 5 separate paragraphs to think through this analogy of drafting terms as 5 separate vehicles. 
Lead Car—Introduction Paragraph
If the yellow car—in figure 2—is your introduction paragraph, it serves to take the lead and set the pace of the writing. 
2nd Car—Body Paragraph 1
The next car (your first body paragraph) would come right behind that lead car (introduction) and as it fills in the gap, the two cars (paragraphs) work in tandem to minimize the resistance (in this case, of the reader’s views on the topic). 
Cars 3 and 4—Additional Body Paragraphs
If done well, car after car (or body paragraph after body paragraph) can come in and minimize even more air resistance (or reader resistance). 
End Car—Conclusion Paragraph
When the last car (paragraph) slides in (the conclusion paragraph), the ‘drag’ is increased behind that last one, assisting in slowing down the reader as he exits the piece of writing.
Yup!  That’s quite a stretch of an analogy, but somehow, I think it works.  To learn more about drafting an English essay, see the links below.

Drafting Your Essay






Links above create by J. Dick for Liberty University and Florida Gateway College students.

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