What is YOUR best trifecta of writing?

My friend, Prof. Mike Sweeney, posted this on his FB wall April 19, 2011. It is reproduced here with permission:

Watched stunning performance of Neil Young in 1971 BBC show last night. He reportedly wrote Cinnamon Girl, Cowgirl in the Sand, and Down by the River on the SAME DAY. Best trifecta of my writing: book chapter, snide email, grocery list.

What is the best writing trifecta today? Yesterday? Ever?

Me, today: Congratulatory note to former student, note allowing 14-year-old to read "Kite Runner" in honors English and this. I think I have some work to do.

hgw

Solid advice

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
—Mark Twain (1835-1910), whose advice is usually good

Final project ENG101

ENG102

Research paper instructions

Spring 2011

Prof. Weible

You have spent the past several weeks exploring the topic of your final research paper. It is time to put your paper together and use the skills you have honed through your assignments. Remember, the paper will NOT include you opinion and is considered a solid attempt at scholarly writing. This means you will cite your sources carefully, following the guidelines we have explored both in the textbook and through online exercises at dianahacker.com. Remember, there are three ways to cite: summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting. Review chs. 19 and 20 in the text before you sit down to write. Pay attention to transitional words, signal phrases, proper spelling, punctuation and grammar along with in-text citations using APA style. Refer to the textbook, dianahacker.com or the Owl website for guidance.

The project, typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt font, will be double-spaced with 1-inch margins on sides, top and bottom. It is due at the time set aside for our final exam, Tuesday, May 3 at 10:15 a.m. Because papers are due at the time of our final exam, there is no time to accept late papers.

Remember:

-Use Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced with 1-inch margins on sides, top and bottom.

-You will produce about 12-15 pages of solid writing.

-You must use 12-15 sources and all but 3-5 will be scholarly. One source, perhaps the most important, is the interview with the expert you located.Without the expert source, your paper and grade will suffer significantly.

-Use APA style. Please do not guess how to cite something. Rather, look it up in the Hacker book or at the OWL online.

NOTE: Instructions for using APA style to cite an interview are not in the Hacker book. Cite your interview (personal communication) like this when it is in the text of your paper:

(H. Weible, personal communication, March 1, 2011)

And like this on your reference page:

Weible, H.G.(personal communication, e-mail, March 15, 2011) weible5@marshall.edu, 435-754-4287.

-Title page and citation pages DO NOT count towards the number of written pages. Please do your page count BEFORE adding charts and graphs.

-You will hand your paper to me in both paper and electronic forms. To submit your paper electronically, go to MUonline, click on our class and follow the instructions on the Final Research Paper icon. Do not email papers. If you are not able to deliver the printed paper in person, send it to class with someone you trust.

-No late papers.

-NO LATE PAPERS.

-Papers are due Tuesday, May 3 at 10:15 a.m., the time set aside for our final exam.

Confounded by compound words?

Some of you are struggling with compound words and when and where to use hyphens.

Take a look at this website and take the quiz at the end and see how you did.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm

Meet Tillie Olsen and the topic of your close reading assignment

The sun is shining, the creek has quit rising and with any luck you are all enjoying spring break. When you return to class, you will begin work on a close reading of Tillie Olsen's short story "I Stand Here Ironing" which can be found by following this link:

http://members.multimania.co.uk/shortstories/olsenironing.html

In a close reading, you choose a passage (usually a few paragraphs) and analyze it as if you are looking at it through a magnifying glass. Before you can choose a passage, you must actively read the work several times and decide which part of it jumps out at you for analysis. Active reading involves printing the essay and reading it with a pencil and highlighters in hand. Mark it up. Make notes in the margins about every thought you have while you are reading then look at the piece again and choose a passage to study. Once you decide on a passage, ask yourself why it jumped out at you. What do you notice about the writing? Does it create a certain mood?

You will get an assignment sheet in class with more instructions. For now, print, read and think about the short story.

Olsen's body of work is small and she didn't start publishing until she was 50 years old, which may or may not interest you in a contextual sense.

If you follow this link, you will find examples of close reading assignments from students who were working with a different piece of Olsen's work.

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/olsen/north.htm

Enjoy!

Everyone has a story. Yeah, write!

spring 2011 ENG101

The group offered up interesting profiles including stories about an organ recipient, a veteran of the Vietnam war, a Tupperware hostess with a thriving business and a true renaissance man.

To hear the stories, go to http://hgroutageweigble.com/ and follow the link under my name on the left.

ENG101 final presentation grading rubric

Appropriate dress, professional presentation style: 25 points

Introduction, organization of slides, clear conclusion: 25 points

New information, chart or graph: 15 points

Correct grammar, mechanics: 20 points

Jan. 3 preparation: 15 points