Now you are ready to write your first draft. Using your outline as a guide, set aside ample time to write your rough draft in one sitting. Try to use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation as much as possible, but do not let language rules slow you down; you will have opportunities later to look up proper mechanics and to correct mistakes. For your first draft, your goal is get down all the language of your paper in one sitting in a way that allows the words to flow easily. After you have all of the paragraphs of your paper written, you can go back and fix any errors that you made.

It is a good idea to refer frequently to your outline as you draft your paper. When you go back to review your first draft, keep in mind the other information presented in this topic to make sure that your writing is coherent and transitions smoothly. You should also cite your sources using MLA style, and you will need to put together your Works Cited page. If you need assistance, visit the Developmental Module for information on citing resources.

Before you begin, review the First Draft Checklist to make sure that you include all of the items required for full credit.

Once you have completed your first draft and Works Cited page, please submit your work to the dropbox.