Effective Writing I – CM107 Unit 2 Seminar: “The Amulet and the Elixir” Dona Avery, Ph.D. Kaplan Univ. Faculty You should be hearing music. If you aren’t, please check your audio. Feel free to chat and get acquainted until the music stops near the top of the hour. This session is held 10:00-11:00 PM (EST). 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? Have you crossed the threshold between Fear and Commitment? Source: bing.com

Threshold Vogler, C. (1985). A practical guide to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm

How is the writing process like the hero’s journey? Curiosity Return to community to share knowledge Writer Publish: Share knowledge * The Quest *Questions, Invention *Trials, Foes, Obstacles * Drafts, Revisions * Guides, Allies *Instructors, Classmates

Q: What did Christopher Vogler, author of The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, say about the amulet and the elixir, elements of the heroic journey? Right now, Dona is wondering who watched the video, read the Scenario, completed Chapter 8 in The Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing, and took notes.

The “Amulet” Books, maps, methods, plans, outlines A charm or talisman; an image, statue, Fettish, etc. Source: bing.com

The “Elixir” Guide, helper, mentor, peer. friend, family Source: bing.com

The KU Writing Center “Elixir” Guides for your heroic journey! Live tutoring Q & A Service Paper Review 100s of handouts & tutorials! Workshops Writing Fundamentals Program English Language Learner (ELL) Resources How can you access this elixir?

Where ARE You, in Your Heroic Journey? Sentence? Paragraph? Topic? Source:bing.com

Learn, Write, Share Amulets guide us in discovering what we want to learn --and how best to share that wisdom with readers. Source: bing.com

Invention Listing Clustering Doodling Freewriting Journalists’ Questions Outlining Source: bing.com Burkean Pentad (scene, actors, action, motive, method) Timelines Pro-Con lists

Research Scholar.google.com KU online library’s database articles Peer-reviewed journals

Writing Is Heroic! What is “Standard English”? How is “academic” writing different from informal writing? Where can we learn more about the conventions of writing? Source: bing.com

Standard English: Sentences A SENTENCE IS: Subject + Verb + complete thought She dances. Polly went swimming. Everyone is excited.  !If you are missing a subject or a verb, or your Source: bing.com thought is incomplete, you have a sentence fragment (“frag”) ! If you have more than one subject or several thoughts, without using commas, you have a Run-On sentence (“RO”).

Standard English: Matching Subject / Verb and Tenses * Standard English matches subjects and verbs. I dance. You dance. S/He dances. They dance. I go. You go. S/He goes. They go. * Standard English uses different tenses. I go. I went. I have gone. I will go. He sees. He saw. He has seen. He will see. I am. I was. I have been. I will be. She is. She was. She has been. She will be. They are. They were. They have been. They will be.

Standard English: Paragraphs * Use only ONE IDEA per paragraph. Indicate new idea by INDENTING the the first line of new paragraph, ½”. Support the THESIS STATEMENT. Begin each paragraph with a TOPIC SENTENCE that names one point from the thesis statement. Source: bing.com

Academic Language is Formal We do not use slang (“awesome,” “out there,” “way more”). We do not use contractions (“don’t,” “isn’t,” “we’re”). We do not use abbreviations unless we spell them out, first, e.g. “American Medical Association (AMA)” We avoid using “I” and “you.”

Academic Writing is Fair and Balanced Go into research with questions; look at all sides of an issue. Always consider opposing views. Refute counterarguments with solid evidence. Source: bing.com Cite experts to defend all your claims.

Academic Writing Is Concise & Precise 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 . . . that every word tell. — William Strunk, Jr., Elements of Style

Tip #1: Eliminate Redundancy Instead of “12:00 midnight”, use “midnight” Instead of “end result” use “result” Instead of “cooperate together” use “cooperate.”

Tip #2: Use formal Word Choices * Avoid slang. * Select words for appropriateness, interest, and conciseness. Source: bing.com * Adopt a scholarly vocabulary. Original: “Citizens who knew what was going on voted him out of office.” Revision: “Knowledgeable citizens voted him out of office.”

Tip #3: Avoid Trite/Overused Phrases Original: As far as I'm concerned, there is no need for further protection of woodlands. Revision: Further protection of woodlands is not needed. Other cliches and phrases to avoid: “at the present time,” “as a matter of fact,” or “In this essay I will. . . .” or “In conclusion. . .”

Tip #4: Reduce the Prepositions Prepositions are short words that show direction, such as: in, on, under, before, after, during, of, through, over, between, as, and to ORIGINAL: “In the last decade, the world of personal computers and the Internet was brought into our living rooms.”  REVISION: “The last decade brought drastic change as personal computers and the Internet invaded our lives.”

Tip #5: Use Active Verbs Avoid passive “be“ and “have” verbs: was, were, am, are, been, be, being, is, has, have, had, having See the difference: PASSIVE: “The dog was having fun when his owners were away from home.” ACTIVE: “The dog played hard while his owners ran their errands.” Choosing verbs that show ACTION makes the sentence (and the dog!) both ACTIVE and Source: bing.com interesting!

Your Turn! Edit the passage below: cut the wordiness, change the passive voice to ACTIVE, and eliminate unnecessary prepositions.     “Even people who cannot agree on whether death by execution is the best form of punishment should be able to Source: bing.com see that if there is even a slight chance of an innocent person losing his or her life, death should not be an option.” Volunteers?

ONE way to improve that sentence: Original: “Even people who cannot agree on whether death by execution is the best form of punishment should be able to see that if there is even a slight chance of an innocent person losing his or her life, death should not even be an option.” [45 words] Revision: Anyone who questions capital punishment must realize that, since innocent people may die, the death sentence is inhumane. [19 words]

ADDING Life and Interest Okay. If you agree to: SLASH the prepositions, CHANGE passive voice to active, and EDIT the wordiness-- HOW are you going to fill word-requirements NOW?!! Source: bing.com

Developing and Expanding Ideas 1. Do more research. Expand your journey and find new sources to support your claims. 2. Add details and explanation. Use your ingenuity to discover fresh ways of helping readers make meaning. 3. Add description, similes, metaphors and analogies. Creating word pictures helps readers invest in your topic because pictures appeal to the emotions, and emotions are what persuade people to alter their beliefs. 4. Ask for feedback. Everyone brings different things to a reading, and peers, helpers, and guides may notice things that you have overlooked or underdeveloped.

Topic Choice Please note: Research and writing are Think LOCAL. the heroic acts. You do not need to be the hero who solves world problems. Think LOCAL. NARROW the focus. Learn what EXPERTS have already said. Add your own FRESH ideas. Source:bing.com

Questions? Source: bing.com

Thank you for a great seminar! Happy Valentine’s Day! Source: bing.com