Writing Tips

Editing/Writing Guidelines:

Understand the Assignment

 

Plan, Draft and Write your paper/blog

–Make sure your piece is well organized.  You might have brilliant points and ideas, but you will not convey them without using organizational threads or clues to guide the reader.

Think about the following:

-Overall organization:

How do the points relate to each other and to the thesis?

Are there transitions between your paragraphs or thoughts?

-Sentence structure and style

Do you have sentence variety?

Are your sentences linked logically?

How do most of your sentences begin?

Can make a complex point with fewer words?

Remember, it is much harder to write two pages than it is to write five pages.  Omit needless words.

 

-Paragraph structure

Do the sentences in the paragraph follow a logical order?

Does the paragraph begin with a sentence that suggests the topic or with a sentence or helps the transition

The beginning of each paragraph is a signal to the reader that a new step in the   development of the subject has been reached

 

Proofread and Revise

Pay Attention to Form 

Just because you are writing a blog, rather than an academic paper, it doesn’t mean that general rules of writing fly out the window.

 

For Academic Papers (including extra credit assignment B)

Think Critically

Make an assertion and formulate a strong thesis/argument.

Think of good evidence to support the thesis.

Write a strong introduction that entices the reader and an even better conclusion that summarizes your argument, but perhaps leaves the reader with important questions.

 

Documentation

Did you correctly cite your sources with endnotes, footnotes, lists of works cited?