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

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!

It’s fast approaching that time in the semester when the “end of the semester” research paper is becoming a concrete reality rather than an abstract idea. So here are a few helpful hints to help integrate outside information into your paper as you begin writing…

• First, as Eric’s post on thesis statements suggests, your paper needs to have a thesis which states your opinion on the topic. This thesis should be used to guide the kinds of quotes, paraphrases, summaries, and facts used in your paper. If a quote is really cool, but doesn’t quite make your point or fit in with your argument, it’s better to leave it out and find one that does.
• Make sure your paper flows well by framing outside information with your own words; don’t just use the author’s phrasing. Break apart larger block quotes into smaller phrases that can be integrated into your own sentences.
• Also, be sure to explain your outside information and its relation to the paper. Don’t just drop a quote or a statistic into your paper; it doesn’t add anything to your argument, it just makes your paper longer (longer isn’t always better!).
• CITE YOUR SOURCES!!! Even if it’s a paraphrase or summary, it still needs to be cited. (For help on citation styles, check out the Citation, bib, & Plagiarism link at the top of the list on the right side of our blog)

You can always ask one of the friendly Writing Center consultants for assistance or check out one of the many books we have at the Writing Center (I like Robert Perrin’s Handbook for College Research).

Brianne McClelland
Writing Center Consultant

The conclusion of a paper is always hardest for me to write. I’ve already said everything–what more is there to do?

Well, this is the opportunity to wrap everything up. It is best to restate your thesis at the beginning of your conclusion, just to bring the reader back to your main point. But don’t use the exact same sentence as in your intro. A slight variation will keep your from sounding redundant.

It is also important not to put any new facts in your conclusions. All those should be in the body of your paper. This is where many students have trouble. It is difficult not to sound redundant when you can’t put in any new facts. Here perhaps you can apply your argument to the bigger picture. How does this apply to life? Or, why is your argument important? What effect does your argument have in your life, or in your reader’s life? Have you reached any startling revelation through your argument?

These are some questions you can ask yourself at the end of your paper to perhaps shed some new light on what you have already talked about in the body. Does anyone else have other ideas?

Students often think that they have to agree with the writer in order to write a paper about the writer’s ideas. Some of the best papers, however, come from arguing against a writer’s points. Think about–people usually get the most excited and passionate when they disagree with something, and the best papers are the ones that make a strong argument. If you have the facts to back up your point of view, go for it! Just make sure you are being logical and not blindly attacking for the sake of arguing, and you could end up with a really strong paper!

How 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.

When 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