Welcome to CM 107 Unit 2: Seminar with Nick Pincumbe  Feel free to chat and get acquainted until you hear my voice near the top of the hour. Once the seminar starts, please keep all comments relevant to the class topic.

Review of Unit 1  What is the “Call to Adventure”?  How is the writer’s journey similar to the hero’s journey?  Can you remember at least three tips for succeeding in this online writing class?  What are the four key factors in writing that we discussed last week?  What is unique about you, your experiences, your perspective, your interests, etc. that you could draw upon for writing topics?

What did Christopher Vogler, author of The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, say about the connection between the heroic journey and writing? Right now, Mr. P. is wondering who watched the videos, completed The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing readings, and took notes.

Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth: The Hero’s Journey Dietz, K. A Storied Career. Retrieved 16 Jan from

The Writing Process:

How does the writer’s journey connect to the hero’s journey?

Live tutoring Q & A Service Paper Review Reference Library Workshops Writing Fundamentals Program Writing Coach Program English Language Learner (ELL) Resources

Standard English and Formal Writing What is Standard English and why do we need to use Standard English in our writing? Formal and Informal Writing– What is the difference? How can we make our writing more formal? Webster’s dictionary defines ‘amulet’ as… vs. Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, defines ‘amulet’ as…

What is concise writing? Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. — William Strunk Jr. in Elements of Style Make all your words work!

Ways to do this Getting rid of redundancy in writing--- Instead of “12 midnight”, use “midnight” Instead of “end result” use “result” Instead of “cooperate together” use “cooperate.”

Trimming sentences further Reducing Clauses to Phrases, Phrases to Single Words– Example: Citizens who knew what was going on voted him out of office. Knowledgeable citizens voted him out of office.

Phrases you can omit As far as I'm concerned, there is no need for further protection of woodlands. Write instead: Further protection of woodlands is not needed. Omit phrases like “at the present time,” “ as a matter of fact.”

Practice in Concise Writing Please take turns to post a piece of writing you think is wordy and we can offer you suggestions on how to make it more concise. Who would like to post first?

Any remaining questions and concerns? Please voice any questions or concerns you may have about concise writing or anything else this week. Are you all clear about this week’s work?

Have a wonderful week! --Mr. P.