"Things you should have learned in high school, had you been paying attention," but probably shouldn't have.
Contributed by Christopher Williams on 10 September 2006 at 22:25So. Welcome to SAGES! If you're new to SAGES, I hope that you'll find the seminar setting to be a pleasant change from your other classes. If you're returning, I'm glad to have you back.
If you are a newcomer to our program, I suspect that you will soon find that college writing is different from what you experienced in high school. You will likely assume that what I mean by "different" is "harder." This may be true. You may have to proofread better, cite resources more consistently, construct cleaner arguments, incorporate more quotes, and write longer papers than before. But "different" may also mean "freer."
Many of the rules you learned about writing in high school, rules that you may have been told were set in stone, are loosened here.
1. The "five-paragraph-method" is not the only way to write a paper. Instead of having an introduction, a conclusion, and three discrete body paragraphs, you can let a paper flow freely and use whatever structure you feel is appropriate.
2. You can use "you." And "I." And contractions. And even (although rarely advisable) profanity. You just have to make sure that the words you use fit the tone of your paper. And be consistent - don't jump around in your style unless you have good reason to do so.
3. You can start a sentence with any word you want - "and," "because," "so," "but," or whatever else you need to use to get your point across.
4. Your "thesis sentence" doesn't have to be just one sentence. If doing so makes the thesis clearer, go ahead and break it up into a couple different sentences. One boldly-worded sentence may catch the eye, but it may not be enough to explain your idea, unless you follow it with a full sentence of explanation.
5. You do not have to write "In conclusion" in your conclusion. In general, do not have your paper refer to itself.
6. A college research paper is NOT a report and NOT an argumentative essay. You do need an opinion, and regurgitating facts will get you nowhere, but offering your thoughts without some factual support will do no better.
All of this advice leads up to one new rule, a rule that has become my constant mantra over the last few years: "What is RIGHT is what is EFFECTIVE." The purpose of writing is communication. If doing something helps your paper communicate your idea, then doing it is okay. Similarly, the only thing that is wrong to do is something that reduces the effectiveness of your writing. In the end, this is the only rule you need.
Of course, the requirement of effectiveness leads to one caveat concerning the advice above. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! The expectations of your audience have a tremendous impact on what is effective in communicating with them. If the use of "you" drives your instructor to distraction, then don't use it. It's no longer effective to that communication.
So, while you are "freer" to express yourself in whatever ways make sense, a responsibility to make effective choices comes with that freedom. I will write more about effective writing over the semester, if you will indulge me. This weblog will update each weekend with some new thought or other from me or another Crew member. Tune in next week, and I'll tell you a bad joke, too. Until then, good luck writing.
-CW
Nicole said
On 10 September 2006 at 23:23I'm glad to see the blog getting some use. I've always felt bad that I didn't post more in it.