Don’t worry if your first draft of an essay or term paper in any discipline is less than spectacular. In fact, the novel you are reading for your class, the text book you are using for homework, and the article that your professor puts on e-reserves, isn’t a first draft. It probably isn’t even a … Continue reading »
“Mother Doesn’t Know Best” by Thomas L. Conn
My father was the fixer and my mother was the intellectual one. Or so she thought. Whenever Eric or I needed help with our homework (me more so than my brother), we always went to her. Maybe it was the way she sweated confidence or her stubborn German heritage, but when she said something, we … Continue reading »
“Why We Read” by Thomas L. Conn
Any good writer needs to be a good reader. Like any profession, you need to train, practice, and learn from what others have done. Janet Burroway Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Ned Stuckey-French, in Writing Fiction, wants you to ask the questions, “Why did s/he make this choice of imagery, setting, ending? What gives this scene its … Continue reading »
Highlighters are Your New Best Friend by Ben Feintech
I like highlighters. For Moby-Dick, I’m using blue. Scholarly journals and research articles get orange, while short story anthologies are awash in yellow. Hot pink is reserved for my geology textbook. Using different colors for different subjects and resources provides a way for me to separate and compartmentalize a diverse array of literature. If I … Continue reading »
I [Less Than 3] Writing and Culture by Rachael Larsh
I love writing and culture. A lot of people don’t see the connection between the two, or even think that such a connection exists. It does, trust me. Look at my title: “I [Less Than 3] Writing and Culture. What the heck is “Less Than 3”? Chances are that if you were born into American … Continue reading »
“I’ll Sing You a Song” by Thomas L. Conn
So on my way to work today, I was listening to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. This is one of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke nights because it fits most atmospheres. What troubles me is how high the song gets. I have a lower voice (okay, a really low voice) and the song … Continue reading »
“So, You Think You’re Done, Eh?” by Thomas L. Conn
Let me tell you the story about the worst story I have ever written. It was for one of my fiction classes and it was the first short story assignment of the semester. At the time there was a lot of political unrest, with the 24-hour news networks spewing hate and fear instead of reporting, … Continue reading »
“Writing a Conclusion – Part 2″ by Rachael Larsh
Howdy! Yesterday we talked about what a conclusion is for your paper, how to write a strong conclusion, and examined the similarities between a conclusion and introduction. Today I will post a sample conclusion and point out the “key ingredients” that make it strong. I think the best way to tackle this is to post … Continue reading »
“This is the End, My Friend” by Thomas L. Conn
Everything needs a good conclusion. We want life to hand us a timely and adequate conclusion (after we’ve completed our bucket list, of course). Written works aren’t much different. What does every good conclusion need, however? Yes, it needs to wrap up what we’ve just read, but it also needs to make us care about … Continue reading »
“Writing a Conclusion – Part 1″ by Rachael Larsh
Hey everyone! Guess what? We made it to the END of the writing process! Woot! We’ve talked about pre-writing and planning, how to write a thesis, and how to write an introduction. Today we will discuss the “last” step of the writing process: writing a conclusion. I say “last” because a true writer knows that … Continue reading »
