Tips for Writing About Literature

1. Tips for Writing About Literature The Writing Process From Literature: A Portable Anthology by Gardner, Lawn, Ridl, Schakel

2. Tips for Writing About Literature The most typical trouble spots are: Introductions You may want to write your introduction after drafting your essay based on your working thesis. You may also tweak your thesis to suit your argument. Weak introductions tend to speak in generalities. Get specific and get to the point right away. Conclusions Transitions

3. Tips for Writing About Literature The most typical trouble spots are: Introductions Conclusions Some writers like to use the conclusion to return to an idea, a quotation, or an image first raised in the introduction, creating a satisfying feeling of completeness and self-containment. Short and sweet is better than rehashing or reiterating to no end. Transitions

4. Tips for Writing About Literature The most typical trouble spots are: Introductions Conclusions Transitions Each paragraph is built around a different idea, and the job of the transitions is to show how these separate ideas are related to each other (your angle) and to make the juxtaposition of two paragraphs seem as logical to a reader as it is to the writer.

5. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: Don’t assume that your readers will remember (or consider important) the same ideas or incidents in the literature that you do. Use specific examples and evidence in the form of quotations, paraphrases, and short summaries to provide structure. See USING QUOTATIONS EFFECTIVELY p. 1296-1297

6. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: Do not retell the plot or story at length. You can assume that the reader (Prof.) has read the book… retelling delays the real substance of your paper.

7. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: Do not assume that quotations or summaries are self-sufficient to prove your point automatically. You need your own elaboration, and analysis of the evidence presented so your angle and thesis statement are clearly reasoned through.

8. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: It is customary to use the present tense and third person when writing an academic paper about literature.

9. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: The first time you mention an author, use his/her full name. For subsequent references the last name is sufficient. (No first names…)

10. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: Titles of poems, stories, and essays are put in quotation marks. Titles of books, plays, and periodicals are underlined or italicized (be consistent).

11. Tips for Writing About Literature Tips: Your title, lead, angle, and thesis are your first impression. First impressions count for a great deal. Remember, your name is on this paper, and the professor will form an immediate opinion about you based on his/her initial impressions. Do not simply restate the assignment. The title should be fresh and original.