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Writing Handouts
Brainstorming
Brainstorming
simply means to churn out ideas
for writing. There are two common methods; the first is called clustering.
To cluster, write possible topics in the middle of a piece of paper or on your computer monitor. As ideas related to each topic occur to you, place them randomly around the topic. Let one subject lead you to another. Examine the related ideas and see what kinds of connections you can find among them. You will often be surprised to discover unexpected relationships between ideas.
The second method is called freewriting. Set yourself a time limit of, say, ten minutes and write down anything that comes to mind during that time. No restrictions need apply as far as content in concerned. Don't worry about misspelling words or using correct grammar. Your writing can digress from the subject, or even make no sense! The only rule is that you keep writing or typing for whole ten minutes (or how long you decide is appropriate). DON'T STOP!
Thesis Statement
The thesis
statement of a paper declares
the writer's main point. It does not simply announce the subject -- it
specifies the writer's argument.
A thesis should:
1. identify a limited
subject
2. make clear your attitude toward the subject
3.
focus the reader's attention on specific features of the subject, e.g., what you
find:
a.
true
b.
interesting
c. valuable
For example,
The topic: the
corruption of pro sports
The
thesis: Although proponents of legalized gambling
argue that organized crime cannot make inroads into professional sports, the way
in which underworld figures compromised the 1919 World Series suggests the
opposite.
VAGUE: Summer is an
interesting season.
SPECIFIC: Summer is the best
season for losing weight.
ASK YOURSELF:
Does my sentence make an
assertion about the topic?
Is my assertion limited to one idea?
Is
my assertion specific and
significant?
Does my sentence convey my purpose and opinion?
Keep in
mind that the thesis you develop as you plan your essay is tentative: don't
hesitate to change your thesis if you find an alternate path you with to
pursue.
MLA Paper Format
MLA dictates that
papers in the humanities be set up in a certain way. The below example is
the front page of an MLA-formatted paper:
EN 101-01
Dr. Jones
March 3, 2002
"What's in a
name?":
Symbolism in Romeo and Juliet
The text of the paper begins here.
In the following pages of the paper, the student's last name and the page number appear in the upper right hand corner. Using Microsoft Word, click "insert" and then "page number." Clicking on the page number itself will open a text box in which a writer can type his/her last name before the number.