Whenever I teach a writing course, many students tell me that they have trouble getting started on academic papers or creative writing. That first blank page can seem so intimidating. We want our words on the page to be perfect—words that grab the attention of our teachers or our peers who will read it. We want to get that A+ on the assignment. We want to pass the course. Writing longer academic papers (or creative writing projects) can seem a bit overwhelming at times, espec

Types of paragraphs:   Chronological/Narrative: the writer is telling a story and the details/events are in chronological order as events happened. Descriptive: you are giving the readers information about what something or someone looks like/sounds like/smells like—the details still need to be organized in a logical flow. Instructional: you are telling about a process or describing how something works. You should follow the correct sequence in your paragraph so the reader co

Writing a Literature Paper   Having trouble getting started with a paper for your literature class. When you are writing a literature paper, you begin by creating a thesis statement that offers insight into one aspect of the book. Your paper uses literary criticism to back up that thesis. Every aspect of the paper must relate back to the thesis. Thesis statements can revolve around: The characters in a work and how those characters develop; The religious or political symbols