Citing & Writing

Okay, so you've finished your three hundred page book and your professor recently assigned a lengthy argument-driven essay. Such is life as a college student, right? At this point, your stress level can either remain constant or rocket sky-high, depending on the steps you take. In an effort to keep your stress level at a minimum, these series of posts will explore the ins-and-outs of drawing from text in a persuasive essay.

Upon receiving an essay prompt, many students move to write a largely argument-driven draft, only returning to the heaving mass of text to grasp blindly for quotations. You should avoid this situation at all costs, as the excerpts chosen in this way are almost always repetitive or irrelevant. Don't reference the text just to make your essay longer, fulfill a prompted quota, generalize or summarize. Quotations and citations have a great deal of potential, serving a vital function in your writing.

How will you unluck their potential?

-James Morganti

Your Paper: A Great Debate

Now that you've introduced readers to your topic and thesis, it's time to delve into your analysis. Body paragraphs are critical to your paper as they support, build, and expand the scope of your thesis. Without quotes, your paper tends to lack authority. Where's the proof? Where's the evidence?

If you were to engage in a debate, you would choose a side and offer facts, legislation, arguments, research, etc. to back it up. The same can be said for writing, substituting quotes from the text as defense for your argument. If you were debating without relying on supporting research, your side could be so easily dismissed. Personal opinion is not a reputable source for an argument or an essay.

You want to sway your audience, make them see your side. Perhaps your topic is edgy, maybe it goes against the mold. Your task, therefore, is to convince readers that your thesis is valid. The best way to do that? As you would for a debate, provide ample confirming evidence.

In the coming weeks, I will be running several posts by former peer tutor James Morganti. He will further discuss strategies to consider when drawing quotations from a text. Hopefully, you will find our perspective beneficial as you construct your own great debate--your paper.

~Mary

Harvesttime Wandering

Students often come into the Writing Center intent on “getting started,” focused on achieving clear objectives like writing an introduction or listing their thesis and topic sentences. And we’re always happy to help with that – it’s what we do. But something we could all benefit from – whether we’re writing or going about our daily lives – is wandering a bit more, taking time away from the careful pursuit of mapped goals.

It’s harvest-time in Connecticut and the Farmer’s Markets are colorful with winter squashes, fresh sweet peppers, the final bulgy tomatoes of the season. The leaves are falling but it’s not yet cold enough to hurry your steps. People get out this time of year – they pick apples and admire the scarecrows in each other’s yards. We take time to notice, to appreciate, to gather, to wander.

Similarly, in writing the shortest distance between two points is not always the most useful (or enjoyable!) distance to cross. Sometimes it’s better to wander a bit – start off on an unfamiliar path, use your inner sense of direction without consulting the “map” of structured outlines and forms, close your eyes and jump without knowing where you will land. If you’re willing to take chances like this, you allow your mind to work in ways that may be richer and more complicated – if not always as easy to recognize immediately. But wandering offers you a chance to notice, appreciate, and gather ideas so that you move through the territory of your writing in a more intimate and observant fashion than you might if you had proceeded in a linear, purposefully directed approach from the beginning.

There are lots of ways to do this. You might read the assignment and take a walk while you think about it. In the Writing Center we often suggest that writers choose a part of the reading they’re working with – a quote they like or maybe one that confuses them – and use this as a starting place, doing some writing that makes use of the quote in a way that speaks to a part of the assignment – speculating, stretching, turning language around in order to approach it from different angles. Another wandering start may involve simply having a conversation exploring different points of entry into the assignment, marking up the paper and taking note of key language, drawing arrows, grouping ideas, asking “how” and “why” often. Yet another path to take might involve drawing a map or chart as you walk through your thoughts, for example listing key characters/quotes/ideas from one reading across one axis and down the other listing characters/quotes/ideas from another reading, marking points of intersection with your observations about the suggestive possibilities of these combinations.

We don’t always find it easy to value time spent wandering. It can seem “unproductive” or “inefficient,” but time spent exploring early in your writing allows you to accumulate a richer, more complicated cornucopia of material to which you can return throughout your drafting and revision process.

Happy Harvesting!

~Wendy

Opening Act

Now that you've finished the book, received the assignment sheet, and brainstormed, let's do some writing! Each week, I'm going to focus on a particular aspect of essay writing. However, by no means are these mandatory instructions or steps for writing the perfect essay (I wish I knew that one!). They are just my own thoughts and interpretations based on my tutoring and academic experience. Take from it what you will...

The Introduction

It's your moment, your first steps on stage. You may have some stage fright opening for the packed crowd. You want to impress, you want to wow, but most of all you want to rock! Now, are you going to sing in a monotone voice? Are you going to sing off key, play out of tune? No. You're going to engage that audience. You're going to get them on their feet singing along!

The same goes for writing. How do you want to open that paper? How do you want to enter the writing stage? If you bring energy and enthusiasm, then you most certainly will engage your audience. And guess what that audience wants to hear. Sure, they like the greatest hits, but they also like witnessing something new. Often times, artists will test the waters with an audience. They'll introduce songs from an upcoming album and gauge audience response. Now, although you may not be hearing a roar of applause as classmates and professors read your essay, I guarantee that you've piqued their interest. Repeating the same idea, theme, or argument is like hearing the same song on re-play. It gets old after a while!

So, when you put pen to paper and introduce the author and title of the text, just remember this...you are the opening act, you have an audience ready and waiting, and you are going to rock!

~Mary