Would you like to consider working at the Writing Center as a peer consultant? If you write well, like to talk about writing, and are friendly, being a writing consultant may appeal to you. Our consultants come from all majors and levels at VU and have recommendations from faculty about their suitability for this work.

If you would like to apply for an interview, fill out the WC application and send to writing.center@valpo.edu. Interviews will begin in about two weeks.

In this clip recorded with the Snowball mic, a writer whose first language is Arabic and three writing consultants ponder use of figurative language.

This version of the clip was enhanced with Audacity to equalize the volumes.

This is the unenhanced clip; speakers were at various distances from the Snowball mic.

 

 Original Volume Recording with the SnowBall: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Enhanced Recording with the SnowBall: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Most obviously because we have a blue light on the peer consultant desk. When it’s on, we’re on, and you can be on! But what other blue lights are there? . . .A blue light special at K-Mart means you’ll get a bargain, maybe something you didn’t know you needed. . .Blue light on stage hints at romance or mystery. . .A study shows exposure to blue light at night prevents drowsiness. . .At the Blue Light Live in Lubbock’s Historic Deport district, you can gather and hear great music. . .Your dentist may use a blue light to harden your new filling. . .The Little Blue Light web site provides literature and poetry study guides. SO whether it’s inspiration, a wake-up, a bargain, a place to gather, and maybe mystery (and romance?) you need, stop by THE BLUE LIGHT at the Christopher Center first floor, or here online.

What blue lights do you know about?

Good questions will elicit detail useful for the paper and make the interview lively and fun for both of you. Plan out questions ahead of time. Try some of these:

Describe a typical day at your workplace.

How did you arrive in this field or job? Would you choose it again? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I read an article that said one of the challenges in your field is [ . . . ]. How does this issue impact you?

People have this impression [ . . . ] about your career. In what ways is this accurate or inaccurate?

What is something people don’t generally know or realize about your field?

I’ve been thinking about/hearing about [ . . .] in your field. What can you tell me about that?

How do publications or organizations help you in your field?

Before your interview, write out specific questions related to the theme or direction you plan to take in the paper. When you make arrangements, let your candidate know how much time you think you will need, and at the end of the interview, ask if you can contact him or her again in case you need more detail.

We’d be happy to help you write out questions before spring break! Or check out this handout of other suggestions. How to Interview for the Worker Profile

-So, my professor says that I should quote more, but I just don’t know how.
-I use quotes in every paper. I quote all the time. Practically every sentence has a quote or a paraphrase. Why doesn’t my professor like it?
-I quote well, but my professor thinks I should ‘integrate’ them more. What does she mean?

All of these concerns and questions are good ones to have because they give us a place to begin. The answer for each is surprisingly similar because it involves how we think about quotes.

So here are some questions to get you thinking.

1. Why would someone use a quote?
2. If you want to use a quote, why use it? Does it illustrate better than you are able? Will it promote your argument? Show a hole in it with which you can wrestle?
3. Why quote right there?
4. Have you summarized, analyzed, and synthesized it into your paragraph?

“BUT that’s just how to think about it! How do I actually go about it?”

That’s also a good question because that depends on context. I like to introduce the author of the quote earlier in my summary of what the quote says and use the name in a phrase just prior to the quote. That looks a bit like:

In his text concerning the great influence the water bottle has had on the college campus, author J. Doe promotes investigating the contents of water bottles in every classroom. Doe writes, “Water bottles are certainly important for hydration, but they are also locations of contamination! Therefore, students who not properly trained in sanitation techniques will become ill or make others ill unless administrations crack down on water bottle use” (45). Concerned with the…

There are other ways of incorporating quotes that can also be very effective. This is just a starting point. When your own paper still stumps you, bring it in and we’ll take a look at it together. That is the best kind of help for me!

Two pairs of eyes is better than one.

CC CC Freshmen party on with writing consultants at the Writing Center. Check out this iMovie to see our facilities.

Stop by the Writing Center so we can wish you Happy New Year! Or better yet, add your New Year’s Writing Resolution right here.

Here’s one from us:

From Joyce–I resolve to try to maintain a consistent point of view as I write. I’m going to watch for point-of-view as I read.

Send us a writing resolution! Early posters RECEIVE A $5 CULVERS’ COUPON! Send your resolution (at least 2 sentences) to writing.center@valpo.edu . (We’ll publish first names only or pseudonyms you provide; open to VU students only.)

Congratulations to all freshmen on finishing your first CORE semester. Good luck tonight, if you are putting on finishing touches on your portfolio. We enjoyed talking with many of you as you worked on your final revisions.

Probably the phrase we used most often this week is “Topic Sentence”! Begin most paragraphs with a sentence that names a position the paragraph supports. You’ll find the paragraph is  easy to write. A paragraph that begins with a fact will be harder to guide to be a support for your thesis.

Secondly, use key phrases from your thesis statement as you write your paragraphs. This will help the reader recognize your arguments.

We will be open days next week, but not evenings or Sunday, Dec. 15. See you daytimes!

So you have just received your essay assignment, and now you want to get started. But where should you begin? Should you just start writing, hoping that it will all make coherent sense in the end? Obviously, you don’t want to start writing without a plan, for it is easy to deviate from a specific topic and start talking about something else. So how should you get organized and get your essay started?

The first thing you need to do is analyze the essay prompt. Within a set of instructions given to you by your professor, you need to figure out exactly what he or she is asking of you and what your essay topic should be about. For example, say you are given the following prompt:

“Describe the events leading up to the American Revolution, and analyze the effects of Great Britain’s new taxation policy on the colonists’ need to revolt. Was ‘taxation without representation’ the biggest issue for the colonists?”

This prompt tells you exactly what you need to focus your essay on. Firstly, you need to describe the events leading up to the American Revolution. In this part of your essay, you would simply tell your reader what happened, leaving your own personal opinion out of the discussion. In the second portion of your essay, you would analyze the effects of Great Britain’s new taxation policy on the colonists’ need to revolt. This will require you to move beyond a mere description of this taxation policy and towards a more in-depth look at how this change in policy affected the colonists’ need for independence and self-determination. The third part of the prompt is asking for your educated opinion: was this policy change the biggest issue for the colonists? Here you would either argue in favor of this view or against it, giving supporting evidence from the course texts and lectures to back up your claim.

Now if your prompt is not as specific as the one mentioned above - say if your professor asks you to write a 10-page paper on some aspect of the American Revolution, then you might need to brainstorm for ideas, keeping in mind that your topic needs to be focused and specific. Writing a 10-page paper on the entire revolution would be too general and superficial (there are whole books committed to the American Revolution!). Instead you need to narrow your topic to a specific aspect of the revolution. “Women and the American Revolution” and “warfare technology of the American Revolution” are narrowed topics, but even these will need to be narrowed further. “How women helped further a sense of patriotism during the American Revolution” and “how new military tactics and technology influenced the American Revolution” are good examples of narrowed, focused topics.

Now that you’ve analyzed the prompt and what your professor expects of you, it’s time to formulate a thesis statement and plan your essay. Some people come up with the thesis first and then plan out the essay; others wait until after they have established a conceptual framework to write a good thesis. The best method is, of course, whichever way works for you. In coming up with a thesis statement, make sure it describes your essay topic and your opinion of it (see the section on Writing your Thesis Statement for more information).

Planning your essay requires that you outline which topics you plan to discuss. You need to outline your essay from start to finish, whether you find it more helpful to come up with a very detailed outline of everything you plan to discuss in each paragraph of your essay or whether you find it easier to briefly note what will be discussed in each paragraph. In our above example, you would start with an introduction (that includes your thesis statement), then you would (using as many paragraphs as you need) describe the events leading up to the American Revolution, analyze the effects of Britain’s new taxation policy, and then give your educated opinion as to whether this policy change was the biggest issue for the American colonists. You would finish your essay with a conclusion that not only restates your thesis but also, and more importantly, states how your essay topic is significant.

Now that you’ve planned your essay, you can begin writing it. The essay pre-writing stage is indeed very important because it allows you to look at not only what you’ll be writing but, more importantly, how and in what way you’ll be getting your point across. Write more coherent and thought-provoking essays - and make the writing process itself easier - by taking time to thoughtfully plan your essay.

Eric Gutierrez
Writing Center Consultant

Hi! Thanks for visiting our blog that represents the whole community of writers at VU–that means YOU, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. As incentive for entering a comment, we’ll provide a $5 gift card to Culvers to the first 4 people who enter a response to a post made in October or November. Your post should include advice for other writers.

We’ll watch our blog! Post an entry and you’ll be enjoying a free burger or ice cream sundae!