Intro to "Crossing Over to an Efficient Future"

The first major writing assignment for English 98 was a compare and contrast paper. We were to choose a topic to compare and contrast, showing our ability to write persuasively and to write effectively. I chose to compare and contrast sports utility vehicles to crossover utility vehicles. This paper “Crossing Over to an Efficient Future” shows my ability to take a piece of writing through the writing process. My thesis “A crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is an energy-efficient alternative to a sports utility vehicle and offers improved design and luxury features as well as superior performance and handling” guides the direction of my paper. This thesis was revised many times throughout the writing process and finally after my paper was organized sufficiently, I was able to form a thesis that tied in with the rest of the writing.

Of all our major writing assignments, this one needed the most revision throughout the writing process. I had an easier time with my prewrite and had many ideas to share in my writing piece, but the organization of my piece was much more difficult. I first tried to organize in a block format, but realized there was way too much information shared about SUVs before I could share my counterarguments about CUVs. Finally, I decided on a point-by-point format, which I think is easier for the reader to follow. Even after I organized my writing in a point-by-point, I still used feedback from my professor and classmates to include transitions between my ideas, which is still proving to be an area of needed improvement for me. Conclusions have proven to be the hardest part of writing a paper for me, but in this paper my conclusion does an excellent job of reiterating my points from the paper and concluding the writing. The conclusion was strong because of the work I did revising my writing.