WELCOME July 3, 2008
Posted by arussell in : Consulting with us, International Students , comments closedWelcome to Valparaiso University’s Writing Center. This summer we’ll be embarking on a common project with students in China who are studying to be students at Valpo this coming school year. We’re so excited and happy to meet you and look forward to getting to know you and your writing.
Cheers!
Writing a Thesis Statement July 2, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Uncategorized , comments closedYou’ve probably heard time and again how important it is to have a thesis statement in your essay. But what exactly is a thesis statement, and where in your essay should you put your thesis once you’ve come up with it?
Its helpful to think of your thesis as a one-sentence summary of your essay topic and your attitude or opinion of your topic. In essence your essay will explain and elaborate on your thesis in much greater detail.
For example, let’s say you find yourself writing about the following topic
the Internet and its effect on college life
and you decide that your thesis statement should be
“The Internet has an impact on college life.”
then writing an essay describing the fact that the Internet does have an effect on college life would be to make a general observation. You wouldn’t be engaged in an analytical discussion about a topic because you fail to explain how this topic is significant. Instead, as one of my old profs would say, you’d be writing a “duh” paper. It’s clear that the Internet has an impact on college life. So what?
In order to write an effective essay about the Internet and its effect on college life, you would have to include your take on this matter; that is, how this topic is significant in your eyes. Is the Internet beneficial for students? How so? Or do you feel that the Internet (and all the time spent on Facebook and Myspace) is too much of a distraction for college students? How so? Remember also that you should choose a side and stick with it. To say that the Internet has both positive and negative aspects would be “straddling the fence,” and you never want to do that. Instead, argue a particular side but acknowledge briefly the opposing viewpoint – what they believe, why they believe it, and what makes their belief wrong in your eyes.
Thus an effective thesis statement, which will be argued throughout the rest of the essay, will include a topic and your opinion of the topic . But where in your essay should you insert the thesis statement? Generally your thesis should be placed at the end of your introduction paragraph. Because the thesis lets your reader know exactly what the essay will cover, it should be placed in your intro after your attention-grabbing sentence(s). This way the reader will know exactly what you’re arguing and will be able to follow along as you explain and prove your thesis.
Eric Gutierrez
Writing Center Consultant
Developing Your Own Voice July 2, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Style, Editing , comments closedWhen you sit down to write your papers, you probably have a couple goals in mind:
1) getting the paper done by the deadline (which might be very soon),
2) answering the prompt in such a way as to obtain an “A” or at least a passing grade, and 3) providing evidence and support for that prompt from either the text that you’re discussing (CORE or CC) or from various bibliographic sources (for your history, economic, business classes). Thinking about how your writing style, word choice, thesis and argument affects the strength and personality of your writing voice…probably not on your radar, especially not at 3:00 am the day before your paper is due.
BUT I would like to argue that thinking about your writing voice is one of the most important things you can do to develop good writing (and good grades) both when you are taking some time to improve your writing skills and when you’re staring down the gauntlet at the paper due date.
A few reasons why:
–If you assert a weak thesis and argument in a strong manner, your paper still may be better than a paper with a strong thesis that is clouded by and unclear paper structure, poor word choice, and long, complicated sentences. And conversely even if you assert a strong thesis, if your voice is weak then your paper will be weak.
–A paper with a confident tone and clear ideas is more enjoyable to read from a professor’s (and writing consultant’s) standpoint.
–Writing is more fun when you feel confident in what you’re saying and you have the tools to know how to say what you want well.
–Being aware of your style and writing habits (both bad and good) can tell you what mistakes to look for in earlier drafts, what to focus on in your writing, and how much time and effort you’ll need to put into different aspects of your writing. [For example, if you’re great at using imagery and making your voice unique and accessible, you’ll probably have little problem writing narrative essays, but you might have more difficulty confining yourself to a thesis and a more formulaic writing prompt].
So, given these reasons what are a few things you can do to develop your writing voice?
–Save your first drafts and your early papers, wait a few weeks and then look for your own bad writing habits - are my sentences simple or complex? do I use a lot of prepositional phrases and extra clauses? do i focus on my thesis and refer back to it throughout my paper or do i find my thesis after writing a draft? (You could set up an appointment at the writing center and have a consultant go through these with you!)
–Name three ways that make your writing different from the writing of your peers (perhaps after you do a peer review). For example, perhaps you are most comfortable with short, clear sentences or maybe you’re great at using metaphors. In your next paper, focus on those strengths and begin to intentionally work on strengthening your writing gifts in those areas. When you’re confident in how you structure your ideas, your writing voice will take on a new tone of authority, and that’s the goal!
–Pick up one of your favorite authors or borrow a classmate’s paper (preferably someone who got an A!) and notice how they use their language. Why is it that you pay attention to what they are saying? Anything noticeable about the way they present their ideas? Interesting word choice? Sentence structure? Think about ways you can synthesize some of these ideas into your own voice and make it into your own.
Easy Tidbits for you last-minute writers (give yourself 20 minutes to work on voice stuff):
–Scratch all passive sentences and change them to active voice wherever possible.
–Use active verbs and descriptive adjectives.
–Scratch ALL COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE! Do not dumb down your prose! If it sounds like something you wouldn’t say when you’re dressed up in a suit and giving a formal presentation in front of the peers you respect the most…it shouldn’t be in your paper either.
–Look at your introduction and conclusion: make sure they are concise and not broad but focus on getting your reader to your thesis/subject of the paper and then provide a way of tying up loose ends in your conclusion and answering the question “why I read this.” If you structure your ideas well at the beginning and end it will at least structure and frame any madness that is in the body of your paper. 
Good Luck! And come in and talk to me on Thursday and Friday afternoons if you’d like to really make your voice come through strong on paper!
Your friendly writing center consultant,
Hannah Cartwright
Show More, Tell Less . . . July 2, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Style, Editing, CORE , comments closedHow many times have you heard this writing advice: Show us, don’t tell us. Readers prefer action over narrative so they can picture events as they may have happened. But how do you carry out this advice? You have already used adjectives and adverbs and told what happened . . .but this still may be telling, not showing.
With a few additions, you can easily revamp a passage to show.
(1) Add dialogue: Let people talk to show their feelings and motives.
(2) Add movement: Let people move around to show what’s happening and what they’re thinking. You can imply many complex ideas with through people’s actions.
(3) Add examples that show: Give readers more than one example. In fact, this might be where you can add the dialogue and action.
(4) Replace “is/are” verbs with verbs that show action: grabbed, argued, flung, considered, extolled, worried, announced, etc.
Compare these two paragraphs in this pdf–it will show you the idea, rather than our just telling you the steps! how-to-show-more-tell-less.pdf
CORE tip: Apply these techniques to revisions of your creation paper. Maybe showing more will bring it to life even more.
How to Cite from a Multivolume Work July 2, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Citation & bibliography , comments closedOne of my favorite questions I’ve ever had as a Writing Consultant was how to cite a piece written by Martin Luther, within a collection of sermons, now combined with other pieces of his writing within a multivolumous work. There were multiple publication dates, editors and translators; the challenging task attracted three participants, two writing style manuals and a website. It was fun!
Citation, format and bibliography are important elements of your paper, and oftentimes the most confusing. MLA, APA or Chicago—ask your professor which style you should choose. Then ask for more detail. Is the professor expecting footnotes, or citations within the text? How many online resources are you allowed to use? Would the professor like you to incorporate figures, pictures and lengthy quotes within the rest of the text, or should you use an appendix? As you brainstorm and plan your paper, think of any unique situations that might arise because of your resources, and ask your professor. Sometimes we even have faculty and staff ask us questions about tricky citations.
I’m a student, too. I realize that sometimes papers are compiled last-minute, especially citations and bibliographies. Unfortunately, leaving such things until the very end results in little energy for them. Sloppy citations, inconsistent format and bibliographies missing important components can degrade an otherwise magnificent paper that contains great thinking. On the other hand, proper and consistent citation shine well upon even the simplest of writing assignments, demonstrating the efforts of an involved student.
To help you lean towards the latter description, here are common hints and advice dealt out by the Writing Center:
1. The period comes out of the quote.
Both MLA and APA often use intext citations. When using direct quotations, the final period of the statement is taken out of the quotation and placed at the end of the citation.
MLA Example: “Notice that the period follows the parenthetical citation” (Hacker 129).
APA Example: “Readers need to move from your own words to the words of a source without feeling a jolt” (Hacker, 2004, p. 161).
2. Alternate between single and double quotation marks when your quote contains quotation marks.
MLA Example: “When a writer’s or a speaker’s quoted words appear in a source written by someone else, begin the citation with the abbreviation ‘qtd. in’” (Hacker 132).
3. Double-space your bibliography in MLA and APA. I know it looks strange,but it is correct. Chicago format calls for single space within entries, and double space between entries.
4. Use page-breaks (InsertàBreakàPage Break) between title pages and text, and between text and bibliographies to avoid formatting problems. Also, rather than trying to figure it out with tabs, use the markers at the top of word documents to set indents in your bibliographies.
5. Where to find help:
-Ask your professor.
-Ask a writing consultant.
-Instant message a writing consultant at VUWCafterhours (AIM, Yahoo! MSN)
-Use a style manual. We have quite a few available on our table or bookcase for in-library use.
-Check dianahacker.com/pocket, particularly for questions concerning electronic resources.
If you’re still unsure, the best advice we can give you is BE CONSISTENT. Nothing is more distracting than inconsistent formatting of citations.
As always, good luck and good writing. Look for our blue light at the Writing Center. We’d love to talk with you.
Cathrine Jackson, VUWC Writing Consultant
Read Aloud for Better Proofreading July 2, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Correctness, Editing , comments closedWe’ve all come to that point in the essay-writing process when we finish our paper and proofread for errors. So the essay is finished, right? Unfortunately, by focusing on correcting typos, we may overlook other issues having to do with sentence structure. Even though your paper might appear to be grammatically sound, it might not have a nice flow to it due to problems with sentence structure.
The best advice I can give to fellow writers is to always, always read your essay out loud at least once before handing it in. This way you will hear your essay being read out loud. Even though you’ve read your essay to yourself in writing and proofreading it, hearing it spoken allows you to immediately notice disruptions of flow that result from sentence fragments, comma splices, sentences that are too long, sentences that are too short, choppy sentence structure, inadequate transitions between paragraphs, etc. You will find that reading your papers out loud will draw your attention to sentences (and potentially whole paragraphs) that need revising. By proofreading and making sure your paper has a good flow to it, your professors will be more interested in reading through your essay and might be inclined to give you a better grade for it.
Eric Gutierrez
Writing Center Consultant
Summer Reading and Writing June 27, 2008
Posted by arussell in : Creative writing, International Students, CORE , add a commentThere are two things I do every summer:
1) I ride my bike
2) I read
So for the rainy days, what is your reading list? A friend of mine who is doing a Fulbright recently emailed me his reading list which included a large variety of texts. There was everything from biographies and histories to science and theology to novels. Why not give it a try? Look through the sections of the library and pick out a variety of books that are fun, challenging, perhaps a bit unusual or out of your normal field.
Together, my sister and I will be reading a book in Spanish this summer to help us keep in touch and keep in touch with our language skills while we’re out of classes.
But what happens to our writing during the summer? Mine tends to get a little rusty as I don’t work on essays or formal arguments for 3 months. I’m inspired by a friend of mine who is working to compile a history for a summer writing project. He found a topic of interest that was also important to his family and has started to gather the materials for a research project.
Perhaps try a hand at writing short papers after each of your summer readings. Here’s the assignment:
In one to two pages, write a short seminar on the text. Here are some questions to get you started
What was the author’s thesis? How did he/she support that thesis? Did the author use evidence well/poorly? Are you convinced by the author? Why or why not?
If you want someone to look at your seminar and give you feedback, send it in or ask a friend who has been reading with you.
ENJOY
Summer Hours May 19, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Consulting with us, International Students, Uncategorized , add a commentAre you in summer school? The Writing Center will be open this summer, weekdays, with a few exceptions here and there. You can either reach us through writing.center@valpo.edu, or stop by the Christopher Center for on-the-spot help or to to sign-up for an appointment.
Check out our blog pages or our categories–you will find a lot of help on many topics.
Use of Figurative Language in Arabic and English–A clip March 25, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : International Students, Multimedia , comments closedIn 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 | DownloadWhy “The Blue Light”? March 10, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Consulting with us , 3comments
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?