guidelines for writing
TRANSCRIPT
Guidelines for Writing
Trebor ScholzDepartment of Media [email protected]
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0
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Process
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Writing Process
Plan
Rough Draft (Content)
Rewrite (Argument, Consistency)
Rewrite (Sentence Level)
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Principles
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General Principles
•Be yourself.
• Be clear. Clear writing comes from clear thinking.
•Avoid fancy words.
•Specificity will raise interest.
•Have a unity of pronoun (first person, etc.), unity of tense
(past, present, future) and unity of mood.
•After every sentence, ask yourself what the reader wants
to know next.
•Interview others and weave their quotes into your writing.
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Less is more!
Cut! Cut! Cut! Find the essence.Put it away for a day or two.Look it over and cut again.
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Rules
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Q: What is a good time to write?
A: The same time.
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How do I get better at writing?
1. Know the rules of writing and learn when to break them.
Establish a schedule for writing and stick to it. Force
yourself to write regularly.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Read good writers. Writing is learned by imitation.
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Further Reading:
http://www.swarthmore.edu/x10243.xml
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Citations
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Referencing
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Recommended Books
http://dianahacker.com/pocket/Pocket Style Manual: Updated With Mla's 1999 Guidelinesby Diana Hacker (Paperback - Mar 1999)On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition:The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (On Writing Well)by William K. Zinsser
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Argumentation
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What is an argument?
http://tinyurl.com/3x6pvo
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•An argumentative paper will have a claim. A thesis is a claim that is strong. A strong claim is a claim for which you can imagine an intelligent opposition.
•You should define your central terms and definitions. But it is crucial that once you have defined a term you will stick to the meaning you have assigned it yourself.
•You should support your claims about quotations from other texts. Use actual quotes.
•You should anticipate objections to your thesis. You should anticipate problems, and criticisms and deal with them before they arise.
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~dalec/fourhabits.html
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Arguing a point
Choose a debatable issue about which you have some
knowledge—either through personal experience or
reading. Take a stand on the issue and defend your position
to a general audience of intelligent but skeptical readers.
Evaluate a source carefully before deciding to use it.
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Arguing a PointIn your opening sentences, give readers some background information about the issue you have chosen to debate; as you do this, establish your own credibility by showing that you are knowledgeable and fair-minded.
At the end of your first paragraph, state your thesis—your own stand on the debatable issue. Provide your intellectual background.
Build common ground with readers who may disagree with your position on the issue.
Attempt to refute opposing arguments—or at least to explain why they are less weighty than your own arguments.
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Grammar
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Grammar
http://tinyurl.com/yo3scl
People judge you based on your communication skills.
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Whom, Whose
Whom did Alan go out with last night?
Whom do you think you’re speaking to?
Whom you know counts more than what you
know.
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HOWEVER
FINEThe roads were almost impassable. However, we at last succeeded in reaching the camp.
BETTERThe roads were almost impassable. At last, however, we succeeded in reaching the camp.
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an houran honorary degree
a hinta hospital, a hotel
Aspiration
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i.e."I.e." stands simply for "that is""I.e." is used in place of "in other words," or "it/that is." It specifies or makes more clear.
e.g."E.g." means "for example."
It is used in expressions similar to "including," when you are not intending to list everything that is being discussed.
I.E.I'm going to the place where I work best, i.e., the coffee shop.
E.G.At the places where I work best, e.g., Starbuck's, I have none of the distractions I have at home.
i.e. or e.g.
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Samantha went to the store. She forgot to buy milk.
OR
Samantha went to the store; she forgot to buy milk.
NOT
Samantha went to the store, she forgot to buy milk.
Semicolon
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The comma goes within the quotation marks.
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The breakfast menu included ham and eggs, pancakes, omelets, and french toast.
Lists
Either way is fine but you must be consistent.
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Structure
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Ask yourself:How does each individual
paragraph serve your argument?
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One main point for one paragraph
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Active or Passive Voice
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Use the active voice unless you have a good reason for choosing the passive.
http://tinyurl.com/2674kz
Active/Passive Voice
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Analysis
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Analyzing a Reading
In the opening paragraph, mention the title of the reading and the name of the author and describe the author’s thesis and overall argumentative strategy. Then state your own thesis. Your thesis should sum up your evaluation of the author’s argument. Evaluate the evidence the author gives in support of his or her key lines of reasoning. If the author makes unproven assumptions or provides weak evidence, point out these flaws; if the author’s reasoning is largely sound, explain why you find it persuasive.
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/assignments.htm
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Writing a Research Paper
Conduct research on a debatable political or scholarly
issue. A debatable issue is one about which intelligent, well-
meaning people might disagree; it does not need to be a
highly controversial topic. Keep an open mind as you read
a variety of sources reflecting different points of view.
After weighing the evidence, form a tentative thesis that
sums up your position on the issue. Then write a seven
page paper that supports your thesis with authoritative and
properly cited evidence.
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Writing a Research Paper
Prefer sources with named authors; do not rely heavily on unsigned articles or anonymous Web site material.Map out a research strategy appropriate for your topic. For current topics, you might seek information in newspapers and magazines and on Web sites. For more historical topics, books and scholarly articles may be best.
Integrate all quoted material and most summaries and paraphrases with clear signal phrases, usually including the author’s name.
Avoid plagiarism. Enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, put summaries and paraphrases in your own words, and document sources with MLA citations.
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Judgement
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Evaluate the SourceWeb search engines often amass vast results, from memos to scholarly documents. Many of the resulting itemswill be peripheral or useless for your research
SourceAuthor/producer is identifiableAuthor/producer has expertise on the subject as indicated on a credentials page. You may need to trace back in the URL (Internet address) to view a page in a higher directory with background information sponsor/location of the site is appropriate to the material as shown in the URL
Judging Online Sources
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Content AccuracyDon't take the information presented at face valueLook for
point of viewevidence of bias
Source of the information should be clearly stated, whether original or borrowed from elsewhere
ComprehensivenessDepth of information: determine if content covers a specific time period or aspect of the topic, or strives to becomprehensive
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Conclusion
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1. Give as much thought to the last sentence as the first.
2. Don’t conclude with a summary.
3. “[Y]our readers hear the laborious sound of cranking. They notice what you aredoing and how bored you are by it. They feel the stirrings of resentment.
4. Don’t use “In conclusion,” or other derivatives.
5. “The perfect ending should take your readers slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right.
The Conclusion
http://tinyurl.com/2p4cwe
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Tools
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