Tricia Gallant’s article—the text for Roosevelt’s Faculty Brown-Bag Discussion on Wednesday, March 3—takes a surprising historical look at definitions of, and changing attitudes toward, plagiarism in U.S. colleges and universities. Join us in AUD 232 or SCH 332 from 11:30-1:00 to talk about Gallant’s ideas, and about your own strategies for encouraging ethical scholarship.
When “writing is the most irksome thing in the world”…
The discipline academic writers need in order to keep those fingers on the keyboard can be hard to learn, especially when we really don’t know what we want or need to say. But the only way to get the work done is to plug away—even when Facebook, friends, and French fries are much more compelling than the task in front of us. While some of our distractions are new, the problem we face is old. Back in 1856, Harvard professor Edward T. Channing delivered a lecture called “A Writer’s Habits,” in which he argued that
“….self-control must be a principle and a habit, that shall be equal to any temptation or opposition, and stand faithfully by him when writing is the most irksome thing in the world, when the body is exhausted and the mind listless and vacant. It will never do to put off such work as his till it invites him. It is a miserable mistake that success in original composition is hopeless unless he sets about it with all his heart, and that, when the spirit is reluctant, he may at least insist upon having a subject which is full of promise and invitation” (208).
The take-away? Don’t wait for inspiration. Sit down and just start writing.
It’s the beginning of the fall semester in Roosevelt’s Composition Program—-time to get VERBal!
Which “action words” are in your vocabulary this fall? Here are a few we like: read, write, revise, question, explore….
Tell Conscious Writer what you’re doing….wondering about…..learning. Tell us today!
National Media Museum/Kodak Museum
Which books will you be taking with you?
Now that it’s finals week, it’s a good idea to look over all the books you read in your classes this semester. Some you’ll undoubtedly sell back, but there should also be a few that you’re going to hang onto—either because you loved them, or because you need to keep thinking about them. Was there a book in one of your courses that you *hated* at the beginning of the term, but which now seems kind of important—even if you’re not sure why? Hang onto it, and open it back up in a month or two. What do you think about it now?
“ No two persons ever read the same book.
— Edmund Wilson
Photo by Zach Copley
A roadmap to simplicity
Ever get a writing assignment that asked you to do too many things? Ever drafted an argument that confused even *you*, the person who developed it? When you look over your notes or your draft, and what you’ve got feels like a jumbled mess, maybe it’s time to “map” out your work.
There are lots of ways to visualize the argument you’re making in a paper, but here are a couple that are useful in specific writing situations. If you’re taking notes or drafting passages at a computer, create a new document, and copy/paste sentences (or even just phrases) into groups of related ideas. When you’ve got, say, three groups, work on each group separately: speculate [in writing, of course!] about how two of the phrases are connected, or come up with an example that helps you explain the differences between two of your ideas. Looking at your ideas *as* ideas can help you generate material that more directly responds to the writing prompt your instructor has given to you.
Sometimes you’ve got a draft that you’re committed to—but it’s hard to navigate. In a situation like this, use transitional phrases and sentences as “signposts” that help readers see the relationships between your paragraphs. Does your argument take a major turn midway through the draft? Prepare your reader for it. Does your evidence lead you to two possible conclusions? Let your reader know that a choice is coming, and help him/her “see” why *you* argue for one interpretation over another.
“ A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Writing social justice….for money?
Students in Roosevelt’s LIBS 201 class—Writing Social Justice—sometimes ask how they can use the writing skills they develop in college in order to make a difference, *and* make a living, after they graduate. While there’s always a (small) chance that you or one of your classmates will quickly become a famous writer after graduation, don’t wait for fame to find you. Get out there and write! There are lots of non-profit organizations that need your writing and research skills. While you probably won’t get rich composing grant applications, newsletters, or website copy, the writing you do for non-profits is what connects donors and volunteers to social service organizations, or what raises community awareness about environmental and other social justice issues. Read this blog about writing for nonprofits to find out more.
