Writing Suggestions ARTH 344       Caravaggio, St. Matthew writing his Gospel, formerly Berlin Museum.

• Written work is a major component of this course.  If you want to be taken seriously, you must present your work  in proper form.  Expect to exert effort to produce good results. 
• Papers must be written in Standard English, word-processed, double-spaced, and PROOFREAD (by a human being, not just a spell-checker).
• Follow the format as specified.  All papers are to be stapled at the upper left hand corner with your name and a title at the top.  A title page is not required and no plastic covers, please (let’s save trees and petroleum).
• Your ideas do not exist independently of the way in which you present them: spelling, grammar, and syntax will factor into your grade.  The Writing Center is one of the great assets at GMU.  Take advantage of their kindly assistance!  You will receive one-on-one attention and it’s FREE!  Their offices are located in Robinson A 116, but it’s best to call for an appointment first: 993-1200.  Also make certain to refer to their fabulously informative website.
• All assignments must be your own work based upon your own observations, reactions, and ideas, and not what someone else has said or written.  Make certain that you are familiar with the concept of plagiarism.  This is CHEATING, a serious academic offense defined by the GMU Honor Code (http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html) as follows:

  1.      Presenting as one’s own the works, the work, or the opinion of someone else without proper acknowledgment.

  2.      Borrowing the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgment. 

You will not get into trouble with plagiarism if you follow directions for assignments, i.e. do your own work (that’s what college is for!), and cite the sources for all quotations, paraphrases, and assertions of fact or specific information (so that you reader can retrace your steps)..  However, be warned that any evidence of plagiarism on papers or tests is a matter for the Honor Committee. 

Okay, we got that over with. 

There is no better guide to writing than the venerable Strunk and White. It won't take you long to read and you'll be rewarded a hundredfold.

A few of my own tips on effective writing.

Your papers must be very specific and focused on the topic.  Such papers require you to take a position on something and argue it.  The best critical papers start with a clear statement at the outset of the main issues that you will raise, generally a thesis statement or a couple of sentences that prepare the reader for what you will present.  So, don’t expect your opening sentence to be all that you want it to be on the first draft.  You will want to refine it as your ideas coalesce. 

·        Build up your argument/s point by point.
·        Include enough ‘glue’ (transitional statements and topic sentences) so that your reader knows where you are heading.

Most good papers go through many rewrites.  The early attempts are much longer than what is required for the assignment and then, over successive drafts, they are honed and refined by condensing so that every word in the final draft contributes.  Imagine a 4-5-page draft becoming a really strong 2-3-page paper. 

Condensing hints: 

• Choose only your very best ideas for inclusion (eliminate points that really don’t contribute, even if they are interesting). 
• Strive for precision.  Eliminate excess verbiage.  Say exactly what you mean.  Choose each word carefully.  The most effective words are often the most direct and least jargony.  

More writing tips (If you don’t understand these terms, you need to work with the Writing Center on some basic grammar right away). 

• Sentences: 
  • Vary your sentence structure.  Don’t use only simple declarative sentences or start every sentence with “The.”  Learn to use relative clauses and other techniques that affect the rhythm of your prose (and keep your reader engaged). 
    
  • Avoid the “comma splice” (linking with a comma what could stand on their own as two complete sentences); you must separate them into two sentences or link them with a conjunction, colon, or semicolon, depending upon the sentence itself. 
    • Comma splice: “The lecturer spoke clearly, the topic was interesting.”
    • Correct: “The lecturer spoke clearly.  The topic was interesting.” or “The lecturer spoke clearly and the topic was interesting” or “The lecturer spoke clearly: the topic was interesting.”  Or better (?) “The lecturer spoke clearly on this interesting topic.” 
      
  • Passive voice.  Avoid the passive voice (e.g. “It was seen that …”) and constructions using the verb “to be” in its various forms (e.g. is, was).  These tend to weaken the impact of your ideas and you want your writing to present them in a strong and forceful manner.  Learn how to rearrange sentences to avoid the passive.  Here’s an example. 
    • Passive:  This website is enlivened by the use of strong design elements (uh, awkward)
    • Active:  Strong design elements enliven this website (wow, forceful!)
      
• The ITS problem.  Learn this now, please, and do NOT make this mistake any longer. 
  • It’s = it is   A contraction. “It’s a girl!”
  • Its = of it   Possessive.   “Its color is yellow” (a singular example of the possessive NOT requiring an apostrophe)
  • Its’ does not exist. 

When you master these four items, your writing will be much more effective! 

Abbreviations used in the margins and their meaning