Literature overtakes history, for literature gives you more than one life. It expands experience and opens new opportunities to readers.
Ambition
“Ambition” is a difficult trait to pin down because it is so human: On the one hand, we want to reward ambition, yet on the other hand, we want to warn against it. Literature, especially, has taken the latter interesting approach to examining ambition; however, the term itself was originally relatively neutral, coming from the Latin ambito or ambitus, meaning “going around, circuit, edge, border.” Initially, this referred to … Read the rest
» Whenever possible, get feedback from a trusted reader- In every project,*
there comes a time when the writer has gotten so close to the work that he or
she can’t see it clearly. A talented roommate or a tutor in the campus writing
center can tell you what isn’t yet clear on the page, what questions still need
answering, or what line of argument isn’t yet as persuasive as … Read the rest
A writer rarely—if ever—achieves perfection on the first try. For most of us, good
writing is largely a matter of revision. Once your first draft is done, you can—and
should—turn on your analytical mind. Painstaking revision is more than just tidying
up grammar and spelling. It might mean expanding your ideas or sharpening the focus
by cutting out any unnecessary thoughts. To achieve effective writing, you must
have the courage … Read the rest
Seated at last, you prepare to write, only to find yourself besieged with petty distractions.
All of a sudden you remember a friend you had promised to call, some double-
A batteries you were supposed to pick up, a neglected Coke (in another room)
growing warmer and flatter by the minute. If your paper is to be written, you have
only one course of action: collar these thoughts and for … Read the rest
Once you have finished a rough outline of your ideas, you need to refine it into a
clear and logical shape. You need to state your thesis (or basic idea) clearly and then
support it with logical and accurate evidence. Here is a practical approach to this
crucial stage of the writing process:
Consider your purpose- As you develop your argument, be sure to refer back
to the specific assignment; … Read the rest
Topic in hand, you can begin to get your ideas on the page. To generate new ideas
and clarify the thoughts you already have, try one or more of the following useful
prewriting strategies:
m Brainstorming- Writing quickly, list everything that comes into your mind
about your subject. Set a time limit—ten or fifteen minutes—and force yourself
to keep adding items to the list, even when you think you have … Read the rest
If one waits for the right time to come before writing,
the right time never comes.
—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
Assigned to write an essay on Hamlet, a student might well wonder, “What can I say
that hasn’t been said a thousand times before?” Often the most difficult aspect of
writing about a story, poem, or play is feeling that we have nothing of interest to
contribute to the ongoing … Read the rest