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Tag Archives: writer’s toolbox
William Safire’s Great Rules of Writing
Do not put statements in the negative form. And don’t start sentences with a conjunction. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. Never use … Continue reading
Essay Writing as Communication
Essays are the primary, if not the only, means by which students communicate their thoughts and analyses to professors. In some ways, essay-writing is a performative art. Similar to a one-night-only concert, you only get one shot (unless you have … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections on Writing
Tagged editing, what professors are looking for, writer's toolbox
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Detangle the Dangle: How to Avoid Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers
In editing my own work and in looking over many essays by other students, I have noticed that misplaced and dangling modifiers are among the most pervasive of grammar errors. This post will provide an uncomplicated guide to staying away … Continue reading
Posted in Lessons and Guides
Tagged editing, grammar, writer's toolbox, writing workshop
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Use What You Know: Applying College Survival Skills to the GREs
In these early weeks of summer, many of us are begining the unpleasant process of planning for the future… As a recent Wesleyan graduate with future graduate school ambitions, I read over the Princeton Review study guide for the GREs … Continue reading
Writing Clearly and Comprehensibly
The eroticization of post-capitalist hegemony is, and yet is not, the discourse of pedagogical institutions.i I used the University of Chicago’s academic sentence generator to create this wonderful sentence. This website, courtesy of U Chicago’s Writing Program, is an entertaining … Continue reading
Reading as Hunting: Chase, Don’t Search, for Prey!
Imagine two different scenarios: In the first, it’s a stormy afternoon and you decide to spend the day with a nonfiction book. You pick one up that looks appealing, curl up in one of the Olin armchairs, and begin reading, … Continue reading
Posted in Lessons and Guides
Tagged books, outlining, reading, writer's toolbox, writing at the last minute
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A Screenwriting Thesis (Statement)
“Ultimately, I will investigate how this strategy allows Hitchcock to manipulate his second audience more precisely, having learned to give viewers their clues directly from his control of sound and image, rather than filtering his communication through the less easily … Continue reading
Journals: Practice Without Pressure
When you write a piece you intend to show other people–a paper for a class, or a story you want to publish, for example–you are subtly aware of the criticisms and judgments that your readers may have. This is not … Continue reading
Posted in Tips and Advice
Tagged for fun, inspiration, journals, outlining, writer's toolbox
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How to Get Started When You Don’t Know What to Write
The hardest part of writing is getting started. In fact, the blank computer screen might be one of the most intimidating things a college student has to face. Here’s two ways that I begin academic assignments without ever becoming overwhelmed … Continue reading
Posted in Tips and Advice, Writing Workshop
Tagged inspiration, outlining, research, writer's toolbox, writing, writing workshop
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The Second Time Around
“Dude, it was way better the second time.” Whether you’re into movies, poems, music, or Kant, I can pretty much guarantee you’ve said this, or something like it, at some point. Though second viewings can sometimes detract from your original … Continue reading