1. The Art of Strong Writing

2. The first rule of writing is: Always consider your audience -Who are you writing for? - What effect do you wish your writing to have upon your audience? - You cannot/should not begin until you have carefully considered your target audience.

3. Word choice is vital. Avoid using “dead” terms such as: good, bad, nice, stuff, a lot, things, very, fun, awful, great, guy, like, lots, mad, cool, etc.

4. There is no need to use the following phrases: I believe, In my opinion, I think, DON’T USE THEM! In formal, academic writing, there is never a need to use the first-person pronoun I –ever!

5. All numbers under one hundred must be spelled out in letters, not digits. Please remember to use hyphens if necessary: *seventy-seven *forty-two *fifty-four

6. In academic and scholarly writing, contractions should not be utilized. Avoid using: can’t shouldn’t she’d etc. SPELL OUT THE WORDS

7. Please punctuate works of art properly. “Small” versus Large “Small” (in quotation marks): poems, songs, television episodes, magazine articles, etc. Large (italicized OR underlined): novels, plays, television series, newspapers, magazines, etc.

8. Always include a creative and thought- provoking title. Do not lose this opportunity to show off. T his is usually the last detail you add to a work of writing.

9. Plot summary earns you no respect as a thinker and no points as a student. SparkNotes, CliffNotes, PinkMonkey, and the others have made your job as a student more challenging. In order to be successful, you must tell me something which displays intellectual depth and originality.

10. Pen only, Pencil = no credit

11. Features of a Strong Essay 1.Interesting, relevant, and consistent point of view Do you take a thoughtful and interesting position on the issue? Do you answer the question as presented? Is your point of view consistent? 2.Good reasoning Do you explain the reasons and implications for your thesis? 3.Solid support Do you give relevant and specific examples to support your thesis? 4. Logical organization Does every paragraph relate clearly to your thesis? 5. Effective use of language Do you use effective and appropriate vocabulary? Do you avoid needless repetition?

12. Some Tips to Help Your Writing Good writers support their claims with solid examples. Well-chosen and well-analyzed examples often mean the difference between a mediocre essay and a great one. Think of paragraphs as mini- chapters in your essay. Make sure each one has a consistent topic and be sure to utilize transition words between new paragraphs. Sometimes less is more. Avoid wordiness. It is obvious when you are trying to fill space with fluff. Get to the point and avoid overly abstract, drawn-out language. This exam requires you to think for yourself, not re-tell the story.

13. 1.Review/Re-read, especially parts that were confusing to you. Set aside time this evening to have an in-depth conversation with someone you respect and trust based upon this work of literature. 2.Understand the novel’s themes. 3.Get enough sleep. Research shows that the brain’s ability to function diminishes significantly with less than eight hours of sleep, and even more so with less than six. 4.Relax. If you thoroughly read and took the initiative to understand the novel then you should be fine. Panicking is counter-productive. How You Can Prepare