College Writing

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College Writing

• In almost every course you will take in college,
  you are going to be asked to present your
  understanding of the course using the written
  word in tests, essays etc.
• It is of paramount importance to your success at
  college that you master the skill of effective
  writing

Master the pen, it will serve you well.
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Writing A Basic Skill That . . .

• allows you to get ideas on paper, even if you
  dont think you know the concepts.
• enables you to see relationships between ideas.
• requires you to organize your thoughts.
• inspires creativity.
• enables you to share your ideas.

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Five Steps to Better Writing

• Pre-write to generate ideas.
• Brainstorm, listing, free-writing
• Organize your ideas in an outline or essay map
• Write or draft to develop a structure for your
  ideas as you put them on paper.
• Rewrite or revise to polish your work.
• Proofread for errors, then submit it.
• Use your campus Writing Center or
• English lab for help with final drafts.

Process those words!
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Habits of Effective Writers

• Being ready
• Getting started
• Selecting a topic
• Crafting a thesis
• Developing your ideas
• Organizing your argument

• Creating the right tone
• Following the rules
• Drafting and revising
• Consulting
• Finishing touches
• Learning from feedback

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Prepare Before You Write

• Know clarify your goal
• Define your purpose
• Know your audience
• Select a topic
• Narrow your topic
• Develop a working thesis
• Support your thesis

Preparedness is paramount!
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Define Your Purpose
Know Your Goal

• Are you writing an essay, research paper, etc. ?

• To explain an idea or provide information
  (expository).
• To persuade or argue a point.
• To describe an experiment or process or report on
  lab results.
• To classify, illustrate or demonstrate.
• To tell a story

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Who is your audience?

• Probably your instructor, but personally?
  Academically? As a critic? As an expert?

What is your topic?
What I want you to write about is

• Is your topic (subject)
• An assignment ?
• Your choice ?
• Something completely out of the blue?

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Develop a Working Thesis

• It reduces the topic to a single idea, opinion,
  or key message.
• It presents your position clearly and concisely
  in the active voice.
• Its a statement that can be supported by
  statistics, examples, quotes, and references.

• It creates interest in the topic.
• It establishes the purpose of the paper.
• It establishes the approach or pattern of
  organization.
• Each paragraph should develop a point that
  supports your thesis.

Support your thesis with specific, coherent
details.
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Are you doing research?Then you need to gather
sources

• Sometimes instructors will specify how many
  sources you should include in your paper, and
  sometimes they wont.
• Plan to look at more materials than you will
  ultimately refer to in your work.
• Sometimes you wont get a clear idea about what
  will help you until youve done some research.
• Quality of evidence is more impressive than
  quantity.
• Find some sources that argue against your
  assertions.
• Be sure and write down the complete reference for
  each source as you go. This will make it much
  easier to compile a bibliography or works cited
  page.

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Master the Library

• Become familiar with your librarys resources so
  you can locate information quickly.
• Take a tour with a librarian, and get to know
  someone who can help you find what you need.
• Your assignment may or may not specify which
  types of sources you can use.
• Most instructors prefer that you read original
  sources to support your ideas.
• They are also more impressed by journal articles
  that are peer reviewed critically analyzed by
  experts in the field.

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Use the Internet

• Make use of the Internet for your research
  projects with caution.
• Dont assume Internet sources will be acceptable.
  Look for
• Articles written by a recognized authority in the
  field.
• A site that is supported by a reputable host
  group.
• Articles that are peer reviewed.
• Most instructors still favor library research
  that will help you locate printed publications
  and peer-reviewed sources.
• If you use an internet site, be sure to cite the
  URL and date you visited it.
• Online databases such as JSTOR are acceptable
  because they feature articles that first appeared
  in print in journals and periodicals.
• Be especially wary of articles on personal
  websites or other sites that are not affiliated
  with an institution of learning or research.
• Do not plagiarize a website! A simple Google
  search will give you away.
• Do not cite Wikipedia!

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Refine Your Style

• Write with an active voice, using action verbs.
• Use descriptive language that draws on the
  senses.
• Add more words only when it will enhance your
  impact.
• Dont use big words just to impress.
• Remove words to clarify your meaning.
• Replace words that dont seem right.
• Shorten sentences to make writing crisper.
• Rearrange sentences so that each paragraph starts
  with
• its main idea.
• Write in the present tense.
• Use dependent clauses to add complexity.

Okay, lets clean it up!
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Follow the Rules

• Good grammar and spelling are the essential
  elements of a successful paper.
• Instructors vary in how much they care about
  whether you follow specific guidelines (such as
  those of the MLA or APA). Be wary of your
  instructors particular foibles about writing.
• Keep in mind that mistakes in spelling, grammar,
  and punctuation weaken the quality of formal
  writing.
• Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Your
  goal is
• always to say what you mean simply and
  clearly.
• A writing handbook is indispensable at all stages
  of the
• writing process.
• Do not rely on spelling and grammar checking
  programs.
• Students most common errors result from
  relying on these
• tools!

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Learn From Feedback

• Read feedback from your instructor carefully so
  you can learn things that will help you in future
  assignments.
• If youre faced with lots of red ink
• take some time to recover before trying to learn
• allow yourself to be disappointed
• return to it with the intention of learning
• If you only receive a grade, ask for more
  feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your
  paper.
• If you dont understand something, ask questions.
• There is no failure but the failure to improve!

Develop a need to know more...
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Stay on Course

• Consider your project as a series of small tasks
  that must be accomplished once over the course of
  a particular period of time.
• Identifying a topic
• Exploring sources of information
• Collecting research materials
• Reading materials and noting useful evidence
• Mapping out the presentation of information
• Writing your rough draft
• Revising, proofreading, and finalizing your paper
• Reward yourself for completing each step.

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Be Creative!

• Think outside the box.
• Do something other than the typical approach.
• Create an engaging title.
• Use a thesaurus to expand your word choice.
• Add interesting quotations.
• Do for writing what George Lucas did for the
  movies!

May the Force be with you!
Push the envelope!
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Tips for Becoming a Better Writer (and Thinker!)

• Keep a journal. Write something every day.
• Write about what you really like.
• Dig for ideas and reject nothing at first. Be
  eclectic!
• Read good writing. This is essential!
• Practice, practice, practice!

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Understand Avoid Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is presenting someone elses words or
  ideas as your own.
• It is a serious academic offense.
• Instructors are very adept at noticing
  plagiarism, both intentional or careless.
• Always make a conscious effort to translate
  information into your own words and describe it
  based on your understanding.
• Also, many instructors frown on being given a
  paper you wrote for an assignment in a different
  class.

If it's somebody else's idea, just remember to
cite it in a footnote!
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Public Speaking Opportunities

• Addressing a class formally
• Delivering a carefully researched position
• Giving an extemporaneous speech about a topic you
  are handed just moments before
• Expressive reading through the dramatic works of
  others
• Group speaking projects panel discussions or
  debate
• Asking questions in class

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Fearless Public Speaking
I wont be scared!I wont! I wont! I wont!

• Keep in mind
• Anxiety usually decreases when you begin
  speaking.
• Your listeners generally arent aware of your
  anxiety.
• Some anxiety can be beneficial.
• Practice makes perfect.
• Dont think about it, just jump into it!

Think about something really scary, like being
stopped by a traffic cop!
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Six Steps to Successful Speaking
Be thankful you arent speaking with a mouthful
of stones.

• Step 1 Clarify your objective.
• Step 2 Analyze your audience.
• Step 3 Collect and organize your information.
• Step 4 Choose your visual aids.
• Step 5 Prepare your notes.
• Step 6 Practice your delivery.

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Using Your Voice and Body Language

• Dont hide behind the lectern or your notes.
• Make eye contact.
• Make gestures for emphasis.
• Pay attention to volume, pitch and speed of your
  voice
• Enunciate clearly
• Consider your appearance dress for success.

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Speaking on the Spotwhen its extemporaneous!
Okay, here goes! No notes and working without a
net!

• Use PREParation
• P Point of view.
• R Reasons.
• E Evidence of examples.
• P Point of view restated.

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And Remember

• The number one reason for writing and speaking is

• So make your work
• Clear
• Concise
• Understandable
• Interesting

Effective Communication
Brevity is the soul of wit.