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 an 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’re 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
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
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 | DownloadCORE Worker Profile: Good Interview–Good Project February 22, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Essay Planning, Content, CORE, Uncategorized , comments closedGood 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
Integrating Quotes February 20, 2008
Posted by arussell in : Style, CORE , comments closed-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 Writers at the Writing Center January 18, 2008
Posted by jhicks in : Uncategorized , comments closedCC CC Freshmen party on with writing consultants at the Writing Center. Check out this iMovie to see our facilities.
Planning Your Essay November 15, 2007
Posted by egutierrez in : Getting started, Essay Planning, CORE, Uncategorized , comments closedSo 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
Making the Most of Your Sentences October 31, 2007
Posted by arussell in : Style , comments closedOnce you have a strong idea for your paper, think about the way you are presenting that idea. One way to make a paper sound more interesting is to mix up the types of sentences you are using. Don’t use all simple sentences or all compound or complex sentences. Placing short sentences between longer ones give the shorter sentences a punch–they stand out more.
Here are some other sentence types to consider:
A loose sentence is the type of sentence that is most common. At the beginning of the sentence is the main idea (subject and verb) and then all the other less important information follows. For example: “I left the restaurant feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach as all my surroundings swirled before my eyes.” In this case the subject (I) and the verb (left) are at the beginning of the sentence.
A periodic sentence is not as common and must be used with care. With this type, there is a build-up to the main idea. For example: “Looking at the rose, at its soft petals and thin folds, I saw beauty.” Here, the main idea (I saw beauty) is at the end of the sentence and all the other details lead up to this idea. If used sparingly, this can help your sentences to not all sound the same and give them some flair.
Writing that Research Paper October 30, 2007
Posted by brianne09 in : Content, Style, Citation & bibliography , comments closedIt’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