Welcome to your Advanced Composition (nonfictional writing) homework/assignments page!
04/16/07 Lunchtime. I decided to give you longer to work on the critique of "Embracing the Global Home: A Southerner's Fulbright Seoul Adventures." I will have copies made today or tomorrow, and I'll bring them to class to give to you on Wednesday. Your critique (please mark on the paper itself) is due then on the last class day of the semester, on Monday, April 23rd. I wanted to give you more time for deliberation, and also you all look rather (in addition to being beautiful or handsome also) weary and frazzled. Use whatever color ink you like. Please make your comments and marks obvious. Please edit this piece as if it were your own. Keep that objective in mind. Your portfolio is due on the much-announced final day. It should show that you have worked hard this semester and developed your writing muscles through revising. Thank you for doing exactly what was hoped for: you have come to class like the professional students you are, you have done your work on time, you have revised and revised and revised, and you have maintained a cheerful attitude while being edited (I commend you). Your portfolio must show that your writing has developed and improved. I know you will make that happen! Good luck!
04/11/07 p.m. This post is my last for this semester; it is filled with reminders, so please read it carefully. Again, your Final Exam (your fine portfolio) is due on TUESDAY, May 1st, 9 a.m. 9:00 a.m., not 9:05 or even 9:10. See you then! I'll take up your much-revised portfolios in our regular classroom. You may, if you wish, turn in your final the day or evening before. Don't be late. Points will be deducted. See your syllabus. I know you guys won't be late, however. Many of you have come throughout the semester to see me in my office, and I want to thank you for the privilege of learning from you and with you as we sat in my office and discussed your writing and other things. Of course, I'm still available for that, but I did want to thank you here for all the good times of learning this semester! It has rocked! Please review the syllabus if you have questions about how your grade is configured. It is all spelled out there. Also, we've gone over the grading system many times in class. Attendance is and has been and always will be (I repeat) very important. If you have any questions of any kind, bring them to class, e-mail them to me, or come see me (as you have been doing--awesome!). If student questions do come up that the whole class needs to see, I will post the questions and their answers here, so don't entirely stop looking at this space. Best of luck as you wind up your revisions/portfolio. May you always find the snow cone truck of your dreams. Remember that you still have sixteen days left to work on your portfolios. The "last call" for rewrites has already passed (it was today). I grade on improvement! Please remember that. Meanwhile, go forth and conquer, O ye mighty ones! (The talk at Wesley Methodist Church is this Sunday at 11:00 a.m., and the book-signing is Saturday, April 21st, 2-4 at Barnes & Noble.)
04/09/07 Announcing: Your Final Exam takes place on TUESDAY, May 1st, 9 a.m. 9:00 a.m., not 9:05 or even 9:10. See you then! I'll take up your much-revised portfolios in our regular classroom. You may, if you wish, turn in your final the day or evening before. Don't be late. Points will be deducted. See your syllabus. I know you guys won't be late, however. Some of you did not turn in your homework assignment for today, as stated below. These counted as a homework/class participation grade. I have graded them, and they will be turned back to you on Wednesday. Those of you who did these did a mighty fine job of analyzing your own writing, which is often the hardest analysis to make (if you ask me--I mean in my experience). See you then!
04/08/07 Easter morning. Tomorrow (Monday) we will continue the editing exercise(s). No matter how long or short your piece, bring copies for everyone in class. If your piece is long, then print it in a smaller font and reduce margins to save paper. Also, bring back the copy of your piece that I edited (that I marked on). I will use it to help lead class discussion.
04/04/07 p.m. I enjoyed the editing session today. Please see 04/03/07 for Monday. That's a reminder. We will continue going over these pieces until we are finished. One perspicacious student after class today asked, "What does that letter grade mean?" It means that I want you to focus on improving your piece by concentrating on the edits instead of on the grade (for I intentionally did not give out numerical grades). For Monday, please write down or type on a piece of paper your grade for "The Crunchy T-Shirt" piece, and explain how you think you can revise it up to an A. Do this in one typed or hand-written page, double-spaced as usual. Thanks. We need to dialogue about the editing. Ask questions in your one-page analysis, please, if you have them. Talk to me, please! Thanks! Danke! I know you can do it. I certainly do. Heather, thank you for the print-out of "The Crunchy T-Shirt" and for the stellar class leadership.
04/03/07 a.m. really early. Please see the entry below. Also, please bring copies of your "Crunchy T-Shirt" piece for everyone in the class, so 12. We are going to do something different on Wednesday and during the next week. Remember Friday is Good Friday, so we are not in class.
04/02/07 p.m. I am so proud of "The Crunchy T-Shirt." Awesome collective effort! On Wednesday I will read your pieces OR you will read yours. You pick. Just tell me on Wednesday. Please be sure to e-mail your piece to Heather if you are one of the three whose work didn't show up today in "The Crunchy T-Shirt." I am reading through it and enjoying it. I especially enjoyed hearing about your editing and writing experiences today. I learned A LOT. Thanks for sharing those.
For Amanda and Krystin, who want to write children's stories/books, and for anyone else who might, I'm passing on this web interview with Victoria Walker.
http://www.ibooknet.co.uk/archive/news_may04.htm
03/23/07 p.m. I am SO proud of the writings I read today. Oh, my goodness! They were (and are) awesome! Thank you all for working so hard! Several reminders. Please remember that your nonfiction magazine is due, both electronically and physically, on April 2nd, Monday. Here are the guidelines: 1) each class member must write one piece of indeterminate length (it's up to you); 2) this piece may be on any topic you wish (argumentative, contemplative, expository, etc.) and may have whatever tone you wish (ironic, comedic, serious, tragi-comedy, etc.); 3) each class member must have at least one other class member edit their piece; 4) you must name this magazine ("The Crunchy T-Shirt" was my suggestion, but it is only a suggestion--discuss this among yourselves and decide on your own); 5) each piece must be good (it must have a hook; it must grab and keep my attention or the attention of any "intelligent, caring" reader); and 6) the magazine must as have a consistently excellent quality. Please e-mail me a copy and also print out a copy to be brought to class on Monday, April 2nd. As discussed in class today, many topics may serve, as long as your topic is nonfictional in essence. Also, you may, if you want, establish a group on Facebook to facilitate editing and other editorial matters. Everyone must participate. Please record on a piece of paper who edited whose piece. Make it look as much like a magazine as you can. Also, please remember that the piece may be a new piece that you write this week or that it may be a piece that you have already submitted, providing that that piece still needs much revisionary work before it is smooth reading. Do not turn in pieces that require no revision by you and that are already "done." This exercise should help you as you build your end-of-the-semester portfolio Best of luck! I believe in you! The "last call" for rewrites is (I repeat) April 11th. I am so enjoying and am inspired (see below) by your rewrites! Rewrite on!
Portfolio reminder. Your portfolio is exceedingly important. It counts 40% of your entire semester's average. Also, I do grade on improvement; therefore, if your portfolio earns a higher grade than your semester's average up to that point, then your semester's grade matches your portfolio's grade. This approach only works if you have turned in all assignments and have no zeroes on any major (10%) assignments. If there are zeroes, all of your grades are merely averaged. If your portfolio's grade is of lesser quality than your work up to that point, all of your grades will be averaged, to your benefit (please note). I am on your side! Also please remember that I reward students for coming to class. As your syllabus states, attendance is very important and counts 20% of your semester's grade (10% for attendance and 10% for class participation). More reminders. The portfolio is not simply your turning in the work you've already done, lightly edited. That portfolio would not receive high marks, for, if you make only cosmetic changes, very little real "improvement" will be visible. "Improvement" does not mean "cosmetic touchups," but major structural and conceptual changes. I want you to see your work advance to the next level. I want you to get nearer to that magical phrase, "of publishable quality." My expectations rise as the semester moves along. So please revise accordingly. I want your portfolio to show that you have put it all together, that everything we've studied and learned this semester has now become a tool for you to improve your nonfictional prose. Here are a few ideas of what you might turn in for your portfolio. Take one of the assignments that we did and expand it into a five-page piece. You may also write an entirely new piece. For example, if your forte is the argumentative essay, you may write one for the portfolio (make it five pages in length). If you choose this route, please see me after class one day or come to my office (this has been the most awesome semester for students' coming by my office!). If you come by, I will have sample topics for you, or you may choose on of your own making, but please run it past me, to ensure that it is the right size for a five-page paper. I am very proud of the amount of revision that has happened this semester. Now put those revision muscles to work in the writing of your portfolio. You may also choose two of the assignments and expand them to fill five pages. Just do not (I repeat--please do not) re-submit earlier work with only cosmetic changes (these are when a student changes whatever low-level edits I have marked--misspelled words, expletives, fuzzy diction, etc.), leaving larger changes totally alone (as when I say, "Please show me; don't tell me," and when I write, "awkward," "illogical," or "point unclear here"). Please see me if you have questions about what you're planning to use for your portfolio. You may use anything that you've written this semester, and remember that you may also write something totally brand new.
Here are the major criteria for your portfolio's grade:
1) Did you show your readers what you mean, instead of telling us?
2) Did you use good, standard grammar, or is your work chockful of comma splices, fragments, expletives, dangling modifiers, passive voice, awkward sentences, and fused sentences? In the portfolio, these will count in a major way.
3) Does each piece have a fundamental cohesiveness?
4) Did you avoid the use of "you" and all other colloquial as well as hackneyed phrases? Please make your work as original as you are!
5) Have you gotten rid of all the clutter in your writing? Have you weeded out the fuzzy diction? (Please do not tolerate imprecise wording.) Have you included only what you absolutely need?
6) Have you stopped using superlative adjectives and adverbs in favor of vibrant verbs?
7) Is your writing clear? Does it feature good definition or excellent illustration or poignant personal opinion, and can it be readily understood by the intelligent reader, or is it obtuse, opaque, pointlessly digressive, and generally plain old hard to understand? (I love Henry James, so if your writing makes my head hurt, the writing is weak because I have a strong constitution for complicated writing.)
Remember that your portfolio must show that you have focused all semester long on writing-and-rewriting, with the aim of composing publishable work. Please review below the portfolio requirements, as stated in your syllabus:
03/21/07 p.m. I have to pop back in to add this: please look up "spirit" and also "inspire" and "aspire." They are all related etymologically!.
Class today was awesome. In other words, it was another great day with great students on the Hill! Thanks for bringing your bright brains and big ideas to class! I am reading through your E.P.'s. I've been through them twice already, so I can say that they rock! Woohoo! Friday we're going to have the debate on the dueling textbooks. Let me just say (having read your E.P.'s), that I have almost decided that I will copy the first eight pages of The First Five Pages and hand these only out to students in the future. Let me know what you think. I'm really pleased with all of the revisions I'm getting and the improvements I'm seeing and enjoying in your writing. Well done! Keep it up! Y'all take care! Dr. Butcher
03/19/07 p.m. Thank y'all for coming to hear Valentino, who was unforgettable. Your E.P.'s are due on Wednesday. It's been a delight to have Dr. Wilson Hall teach class twice, especially during his big move. See you all on Wednesday!
03/17/07 p.m. Dr. Wilson Hall has agreed to come speak to our class again on Monday, March 19th, which will be a real treat for us all. So bring your Mark Twain "Steamboat" piece with you to class on Monday, please. I hope you've all had and are still having a marvelous spring break! I spent it working--grading papers, speaking locally, doing an interview, writing some--and also watching lots of movies. Remember the talk Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at Callaway--featuring the What is the What's Valentino Achak Deng, thanks to Mr. John Kwist.
03/07/07 p.m. What a wonderful class we had today with Dr. Wilson Hall reprising and making new information that he taught me a few years ago. He has that magic ability to make writing come alive! Dr. Hall has many new irons in the fire these days, but I have invited him to come back Friday; whether or not he can do that remains to be seen. Regardless, we will continue with the Mark Twain piece on Friday, and I will read and then give back your in-class writing assignments on that day, too. I have had them graded for some time now because I believe in grading assignments quickly after the work has been done, to give students immediate feedback. But I did not want to interrupt a whole class session with Dr. Hall today! Remember that you have one more E.P. The third textbook report (E.P.) is due on Wednesday, March 21st.
Saturday, April 21st, 2007, from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble is hosting a wonderful book-signing for the release of Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher's Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual Reader. That's right here in Rome near Panera's, yes! If you come and sign in to document that you were there, you will get extra credit on your final writing final (portfolio). You must stay at least long enough to be friendly and smile at me because I will be nervous and will need a friendly smile or two. Okay?! Okay!
April 11th is the last day you can submit a re-write for a re-mark and a re-grade.
03/05/07 p.m. Remember to read the two handouts, and circle/somehow mark the reasons that the writing pieces done by Mark Twain and others are good. As ever, be specific. I'm trying to get Dr. Wilson Hall to come speak to us on these on Wednesday. So come prepared, so we won't all be embarrassed! (Mind you, I've read them and analyzed them. Now it's up to you to do the same. Everything counts. This assignment counts towards class participation.) I've read and read again and marked and read a third time and graded your in-class writing done on Friday. I enjoyed these thoroughly, and I'll read some to the class on Friday, since probably on Wednesday Dr. Hall will be our guest speaker/teacher. If he's not, I might first go over these in-class writing assignments. They may be reduced to one page (typed and double-spaced) and used in your end-of-semester writing portfolio. We'll discuss this option further later. I think I'll have a drawing for the chocolate--I haven't forgotten!
03/04/07. p.m. My office hours this week are as follows. Owing to several scheduled afternoon meetings on-campus, I have re-configured my office hours. Please note the changes: Monday 3:00-4:30 (the usual). Wednesday (2:00-3:00). Friday (1:00-3:00). Remember to please (PLEASE) let me know if you're coming because often students set up "library appointments," which means that I go with the student to the library (sometimes even with them out to Berry's library), and I give research tip pointers. Thanks!
03/03/07. 9:20 p.m. Go to my blog. Listen to my latest video on Grendel! I want to know what you think of it. Please leave a comment. Thanks!
03/02/07 11:30 p.m. I have stories from the Teaching Medieval Literature conference sponsored by some wonderful colleagues at Kennesaw State University and Georgia Perimeter College. It was awesome. I had dinner with a sword-fighter. No joke! I gave a twenty-minute paper on Hildegard. The third textbook report (E.P.) is due on Wednesday, March 21st.
02/28/07. Again, Friday is the in-class writing exercise. The assignment for Monday is to continue reading your third E.P. book. Heather, thanks for grading those English 1020 grammar quizzes (again, Mr. John Kwist will have them in his office). Thanks so much! Also, thanks for putting up those RACA/Oak Hill posters! I appreciate the help!
02/27/07. On Wednesday, we'll go over the Sentence Palapalooza. Anyone discover its historical background? Antecedent? Anyone? We'll also go over your E.P.'s, which I had graded the other day, but I wanted more time to go over them in class on Wednesday. Also bring any questions about Friday's assignment.
02/26/07. As discussed in class today, on Friday you will have an in-class writing assignment. The required length is two doublespaced (neatly) handwritten pages. When I write a book or a refereed article, I usually have a specific length requirement. It is good for you to get used to these. If you have ever boiled down a 45,000-word book into a 2,500-word article, then please come talk to me about the difficulties of reducing a lot of information into a small space. Otherwise, please hunker down and do the tightly crafted two pages, please. I am telling you four days ahead of time so that you can have time to think, time to prepare, time to pre-write, time to outline, but I do want the actual writing done in class. Thanks!
Choose one topic:
1) Write about a food. Use all of the five senses. Make it palpable to me.
2) Write about a spring scene. Use all of the five senses. Make me see it, etc. Do not include furry bunnies or other hackneyed phrases, animals, or smells.
3) Describe something you see when looking out the/a/any window. This must really happen or have happened. Use all of the five senses.
If your writing makes my head hurt to read it, the writing is of a poor quality. You should then rethink your piece, and revise it. So save time on Friday to read through your piece before you turn it in. Revise, even in class, yes. Please! Your goal is always to communicate with your reader, not to create a fog of pretentious, opaque prose. It takes real guts to say what you have to say so that others can understand it. So please keep your reader in mind. Try to connect with us out here reading your work! Thanks! Also, if I can't read your handwriting, I can't mark or grade it. Please write legibly. I already have a high regard for your intelligence. I do not need an M.D.'s-sort-of-scrawly-handwriting to convince me that you're smart. Write so that I can actually read your piece, or I truly cannot and will not attempt to grade it.
After class on Wednesday, I need to briefly see Heather Michot, please! Thanks!
02/22/07. I have read your E.P.'s (#2) three times and have marked them. I thoroughly enjoyed them, too. The writing is improving. The knotty-passages are straightening out, and the heavily-laden diction is becoming lighter and simpler, and also more dynamic. Keep that up, please! I want to remind you that we do not have class on Friday, owing to my service on the Scholarships interviewing committee. I will be in Dr. Newman's office doing those interviews all day long. Krystin, I will be kind! On Monday, we will finish the Sentence Palapalooza game. Next week, we will also be going over your E.P.'s (#2), and we will also go over the Sentence Palapalooza game's results. I can't wait to see your paragraph, for sure! Also, I have to tell you that some of you love love love Noah Lukeman's books and some of you hate hate hate them! That's been fun to see.
By the way, a debate has erupted on Facebook about the use of semi-colons. Be sure to check it out at Semi-Colons 'R Us (the Group). I never knew people felt so passionately for or agin' the semi-colon! And be sure to see Celestia Price's posted graphics/cartoons--they are hilarious! (Please note the "em-dash" there!)
Here are reminders about upcoming dates of importance. These are listed under the "Due Dates" link, too:
The third textbook report (E.P.) is due on Wednesday, March 21st. Again, you may choose which book to read when.
Saturday, April 21st, 2007, from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble is hosting a wonderful book-signing for the release of Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher's Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual Reader. That's right here in Rome near Panera's, yes! If you come and sign in to document that you were there, you will get extra credit on your final writing final (portfolio). You must stay at least long enough to be friendly and smile at me because I will be nervous and will need a friendly smile or two. Okay?! Okay!
April 11th is the last day you can submit a re-write for a re-mark and a re-grade.
I turned in your mid-term grades today. Those of you who have written and revised, your grades reflect this hard work. I am very pleased with the improvement there. I am thrilled, actually! Many of you have written, have revised, have turned in your papers, and have come to my office to discuss them; then you have written them again and revised again. I have been astounded and mightily pleased with this revision work. I myself am so thankful for the grace of revision (yes, the "grace," or second chance of revision). Some of you, however, have gaping holes in your semester's portfolio. These holes do not represent how smart you are, but rather that you have simply not turned in all of the work. Each one of these gaping holes represents 10% of your semester's average, and, unfortunately, those zeroes are costly. If you would like to discuss your mid-term average, please see me after class one day, or come by. You may also make an appointment. Please remember that I grade on improvement!
02/19/07. Dear Adv Comp Writers, everything stays the same (see below, please), except that I have been asked to serve on the Departmental Scholarships committee on Friday, which means that we will YES be meeting on Wednesday as usual (with the E.P.'s due) and we'll be playing the game, but we will not be meeting on Friday because the interviews last all day long. I will be giving you the weekend to get a head start on E.P. number 3. So please start reading for it over the weekend! Thanks! Dr. Butcher
02/17/07. On Monday, we will continue going over your grammar tests, and on Wednesday, we will play a writing game. Come prepared to be challenged in a fun way. Remember that your E.P.'s are due on Wednesday. Each counts 10% of your semester's average. Missing just one can take an A+ to a bare-minimum A-/B+. Amanda, will you please bring up on Monday your question about the Susan Patron book? For those of you who haven't yet heard of this furor, please see http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/childrens-book-stirs-battle-with-single/20070217193109990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001 and be prepared to discuss it. Thanks!
02/16/07 p.m. Please remember the 21st deadline for the E.P. On Monday we'll finish covering the grammar tests, and then we will have a writing game. You will be challenged! And it will be fun. (Cassie, that initial coordinating conjunction is for you!) Please remember that the E.P.'s each count 10%; therefore, if you miss one and earn a zero, then you automatically drop a 100 in the course to a 90, in one fell swoop. Please keep up! Thanks!
02/15/07 p.m. I have read your non-fiction analyses three times and have marked them. I thoroughly enjoyed these. Next time we have presentations, they will also be graded on presentation-style, but this time they were graded solely on your writing excellence. I will give these back on Friday, and we will go over the intriguing grammar test on Friday also. I am going to give you the next few days until the 21st solely for reading and writing your E.P. Continue revising!
02/14/07 p.m. Happy Valentine's Day! I enjoyed the non-fiction presentations. I have read them three times and have graded your analyses. I will give them back to you on Friday, and I will comment on them first. Remember that I grade on improvement! On Friday, we will also look at your grammar test results, and we will analyze them thoroughly. This analysis will take us through the gray areas of grammar. As John Algeo says, "Every grammar leaks." Why is that? Remember to look at the due dates link. Meanwhile, excelsior! I have loving the improvement made by those of you who have submitted re-writes! I am sending out good vibes to all of you who are braving the seas of revision. Batten down the hatches and plow ahead! We are all in this rocky boat together! Row! Row! ("No new assignments" always means that I am giving you time to read to your heart's content and work on your E.P. due on the 21st of February.)
02/09/07 p.m. Fall holidays prevent me from seeing your authorly selves on Monday or Tuesday, and I'll be out-of-town; so if you contact me, I will be out-of-orbit and unreachable. However, I will be back bright and shining on Wednesday a.m. Come by and see me, please! I'll also answer e-mails on Wednesday morning early. Do not Facebook me. I might not get it for weeks. If you want to make an appointment, e-mail me. Thanks!
I enjoyed the presentations today. Here's what especially sent me over the moon: You read clearly, and you read with inflection. You did not mumble. You did not "um" overly much. You introduced your subject with intelligent information, and your analysis was brilliant. You had a script, as requested/required below. I have made detailed notes on each presentation, and you'll get these back next week. I decided to grade them solely on the writing style and content of your analyses; however, I did critique your presentation styles (for your future benefit--we may do these again--and I will grade you then both on content and on presentation style; plus, you may be giving book-signing readings, etc. in future, and I want to make sure you've had practice!)
Be sure to check out the due dates link here.
On Wednesday, we'll continue with the presentations. On Friday we'll go over the grammar tests. Or this schedule might slide a day. We might do presentations on Wednesday and Friday and go over the grammar tests on Monday. Meanwhile, keep revising! I want you to succeed! To me, "success in writing" and "revising" are synonymous!
P.S. I have an off-campus meeting on Wednesday, 02/14/07, and therefore my office hours will be delayed. They may not start until 4:00, but they will end at the usual time. If you want to see me on Wednesday, please e-mail me a time during the day when I'm not teaching! Thanks!
02/07/07 p.m. On Monday (02/12/07) or on Wednesday (02/14/07) (depending on how long the non-fiction analyses/reports take, we will go over your grammar tests thoroughly. One student made a 100. A few made A's. I had thought that this test would simply be review, and for many it was; however, I learned from grading them and analyzing the mistakes that when we do go over these tests, you must come prepared to dig into grammar. My worries stem from the fact that the mistakes were sometimes not even close to the correct answer. These egregiously errant answers showed me that we have much to cover together in a short amount of time. You must be certain what an expletive is and what passive voice is, for example. You must also know what dangling modifiers really are. The grammar test was meant to highlight and encourage (even strengthen) your ability to revise well. Please go to the links section and see these links to online information that directly addresses grammar weaknesses:
What is the correct way to indicate possession?
What is a lack of parallelism?
What is a run-on or fused sentence?
What is subject-verb agreement?
What is a vague pronoun reference?
For Friday (02/09/07), come prepared to present the one-page analysis of your excellent non-fiction piece (see below for more details, under 02/05/07). Read your excellent non-fiction piece first, and then read its analysis.
*An important note on revised papers: Revised papers may be turned in to me at any time up until April 11th. Please turn them in as hard copies. I will then sequester myself away in my office and pour over them, emerging usually after a two-hour look at your work. Remember that I read your papers at least three times, sometimes four (and sometimes more than that even). If you have revised into A territory, we do not need to discuss your work (unless you want to, and them I am most happy to). If your revision still needs major work, you are required to meet with me to discuss your revised piece. No revised piece still in need of major revision will be re-marked and re-graded UNLESS you come by and go over it with me in my office. This rule is to benefit you and your writing. Last semester, I was hit with a flurry of last-minute "I've revised this paper, can you look at it and re-grade it, Dr. Butcher?" requests. To encourage you to revise TODAY and therefore learn more now that will help you on your final exam performance, I am establishing the following boundary on my acceptance of revised papers--the deadline of April 11th. If your revised work is not to me by April 11th, you must wait until finals day to turn in your revised pieces. For those of you who have already turned in revised pieces, your due diligence is loudly applauded!
Remember to check the deadlines link for upcoming E.P. deadlines. Thanks for all of your hard work! Keep revising! I believe you can do it. You are all smart, and each of you has a "voice" already. You can do it! All it requires is a little daily-teeth-flossing kind of discipline.
02/06/07 p.m. On Wednesday, 02/07/07, Dr. Butcher will be participating in a senior English major exit exam starting at 3:00 p.m. This exam will occupy my office hours. Please make an appointment for Wednesday if you want to see me, or drop by if you would like to work on the principle of catching me in my office. You are also welcome (even encouraged) to make an appointment for us to discuss your writing/revising at a later date, or come by during regular office hours. For Friday, please continue working on the analysis of your excellent non-fiction piece (see below for more details, under 02/05/07). It is due this Friday. I will have your graded grammar tests ready to hand back on Friday. Students who missed the grammar test will be given an entirely different grammar test. Please see me to set a time to make up the test. Setting a date for this make-up work is (as I'm sure you know) YOUR responsibility.
02/05/07 p.m. Hildegard's here!
Today came the joyful moment--a box of ten author's copies of Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual Reader arrived. The Paraclete Press designers have created an amazing cover, and they ran it through the presses twice to give the Chagall-blue tree on the cover an embossed look. It's gorgeous. That is an expensive process, but I'm thankful Paraclete decided to do that. It's truly breathtaking! So, officially, it's here! I'm thankful and excited! Woohoo! It will hit Amazon.com in a few weeks. Many thanks go to my editors, Jon Sweeney, Lil Copan, and Robert Edmonson.
From a former student:
"Proofread carefully to see if you any words out."
Commas are also important. They make your prose flow. Also, see this story from Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves:
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.
“Why?" asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
“Well, I'm a panda, he says at the door. “Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."
As the semester is advancing, I am enjoying your Advanced Comp class immensely, and it is becoming apparent who is reading the website conscientiously. Thank you for participating with whole-heartedness in this class! Here is what we have on our plates for this week: On Wednesday (02/07/07), you are having what I hope will be to you a very easy grammar test. We've discussed it thoroughly in class. This grammar quiz counts towards your class participation grade. On Friday, your critique of a singularly good piece (excerpt) of non-fiction is due. Your analysis must be one page double-spaced. You may xerox, type up, or print out the piece/excerpt that you are analyzing. Both must be turned in. You will be reading them in class on Friday, so please practice so that you will be scintillating and not at all boring! Thanks! This analysis will count towards a class participation grade. I have graded your "Still Life" pieces, and I will return these to you on Wednesday (02/07/07).
We need to discuss attitude a moment. It has been my good fortune to be published by Cambridge University Press, Mercer University Press, Western Michigan University, Heinle Thomson International, Paraclete Press, Christianity Today, and others, and my experience tells me that writers who want to write well must expect to be edited extensively. I have been edited by great editors at each one of these presses. Some of you are having a hard time being edited. You seem to project an attitude that you are above it and that you do not need editing, or you seem to be taking it personally and are not focusing instead on the ways that your writing can be improved. Everyone who writes needs a trustworthy editor. Also, please notice that I have built into the class a positive grading matrix that encourages you to revise, and, more importantly to you, perhaps, this positive grading matrix even rewards you for revising. However, unfortunately, very few of you have taken me up on this positive grading matrix (for revising work), and it is almost mid-semester now. I will add that those who have have worked hard and who have revised their assignments have learned the most in the class already. I have seen some dramatic revisions. These make my heart sing. Thank you for them! It is plain arrogant not to accept good edits; a person cannot be a writer and not be humble. Humble, as my friend and colleague Mrs. Lynne Moosberg defines it, is "teachability." I edit you, and I myself am always being edited when I write to be published. Also, if your focus is solely on getting a certain grade in this class, your eyes are off the goal of learning to be a good reviser/writer. Please adjust your attitudes and focus on being ready to revise. Whether you are writing for a grad school professor or for a publisher's copyeditor or for any other editor, you will be edited. Please accept that reality because your lives will be happier for it. And, please, for the joy of living, do not complain about having to revise. You are very fortunate to be in college--we are all so fortunate to be here; we have no cause for complaining. As my mother still says, we must all count our blessings every moment of every day. Please be aware of one last blessing. In me you have a gentle editor. I am very fortunate to have had many gentle editors myself, and I learn from each one of them. In the distant past, I have also had brutal editors who cared not for my self-esteem or for any feelings I might have. I have received papers spattered with the word, "Senseless," all over them, in bright red. I did learn so much from these editors, too, but it was more painful than gentle editing. Be thankful that I am a gentle editor who cares about you. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians (6:1) that we are to be gentle in correcting others. I as an English teacher take this to mean I should be gentle in editing also. The verb "restore" (or "correct" here), is katarizo, a medical term in secular Greek for setting a fractured bone. So it is my job to be gentle yet firm and also as intelligent as I can be as I edit your work. Thanks!
Other points of classroom etiquette, which I do not expect to have to mention again--please do not read newspapers during class, please do not talk during class while I am reading a student's paper or while another student is talking or reading a paper, and please (again) do not complain. Complaints pollute the atmosphere of the classroom. Thanks!
02/04/07 a.m. On Monday (02/05/07), we are meeting in the library. Don't come to the classroom. Come to the library, please, at the regular 11:00 a.m. hour. Thanks!
On dangling modifiers, it always helps to read your sentences out loud.
My friend saw a puppy on the way to school.
Was the puppy going to school? Revise it:
On the way to school, my friend saw a puppy.
Another example of a fine dangling modifier is as follows:
My mother put the cookies on the table that she had baked.
The mother baked a table?
My mother put the cookies that she had baked on the table.
And back to Melissa's point, this sentence is still soggy:
When he was a young boy, his father took him with him to Chicago.
Though you can argue that this sentence could be considered "technically correct," "technically correct" is never necessarily good, communicative writing. We can also argue that a person can cross a busy city street when the traffic signal indicates that he or she can cross; however, if a car is breaking the law and entering that legally available pedestrian zone as I am crossing the street, I will always choose to give way to that speeding car, even if I can "legally" cross at that time. Rules don't count more than commonsense, ever. And, even without the rest of that soggy student-written paragraph as incrimination for non-communication, these vague pronouns cause momentary confusion on the part of most readers. (I looked for this essay in the stack, and it's not there, so the student has picked it up already from last semester.) The "his" before "father" refers to the first "he," and the reader considers for a moment that his father was a young boy who took his young son to Chicago.
02/02/07 p.m. On Monday (02/05/07), we are meeting in the library. Don't come to the classroom. Come to the library, please, at the regular 11:00 a.m. hour. Thanks!
I have read and enjoyed your "Still Life" pieces. They are hugely improved from last time, by and large, and I congratulate you on SHOWING me what you are describing, as well as for revising. I have read them twice, and that means I have marked them; however, I have not yet graded them. I will do that on Monday when I read them a third time. I will bring in one paper on Monday (to the library) and read its clarity to you, but I will not give your pieces back until Wednesday (02/07/07).
How can you continue to improve your writing? First, focus on revising, and focus on choosing crisp, sinewy verbs. Remember that you are not to call attention to the fact that you are writing. Ways to call NO attention to your writing itself are not to use expletives, not to use passive voice, not to break the subject and verb by inserting clutter (phrases, clauses), not to grow attached to the sound of your own voice (without regard to how you are coming across to your reader), not to cling to Latinate vocabulary, and not to insert appositives after noun on noun. I know it's difficult to hear someone edit your work, but please realize that I am being gentle in my criticism and lavish in my (warranted-by-your-fine-writing) praise. If you really want to improve your writing (and I know you do), you must focus on being humble about being edited. I have to do it with the editors who edit my work, and I expect my students to do it also when I edit theirs. Remember that I grade on improvement. I give you every break possible to earn a splendid grade in this class. If you will focus on the concepts and actions above, you will improve, and your grade will reflect that improvement! Be brave! Revise!
Yes, your editing quiz is on Wednesday, 02/07/07 (this coming week). Why are we having an editing quiz? I have been surprised by the number of sloppy fragments, dangling modifiers, and comma splices running before my eyes as I read and re-read your papers. If I am reading them three times, shouldn't you be proofing them at least three times? Yes! Please!
Thanks for your hard work, Dr. Butcher
02/02/07 a.m. I hope you enjoyed your sleety half-day vacations! You have your assignments in hand (please see 01/31/07). Excelsior!
01/31/07 p.m. I cannot wait to read your "Still Life" pieces. Remember--they are due Friday. I am giving you tonight and all day tomorrow and tomorrow night to revise them. Take this opportunity seriously. Revising is writing. Writing is revising. Continue work also on the second textbook report (E.P.), which is due on Wednesday, February 21st. (See the due dates link for each E.P. deadline--remember that each one of the E.P.'s counts 10% of your semester's grade. If you miss just one, you automatically drop your grade to a 90 in that moment.) Also, please start brushing up on examples from a Little Brown text or from an old Harbrace of the following weaknesses in writing: fragments, dangling modifiers, comma splices, run-on ("fused") sentences, passive voice, expletives, and subject-verb disagreement. Next Wednesday, February 7th, 2007, you will be having your first editing test. It will consist of twenty sentences and/or non-sentences with these weaknesses; you must identify which sentences are correct and which are weak and why. Each will count four points, and the entire test counts towards your class participation grade. So start now! This editing test is meant to be a review of grammar's grossest weaknesses; we will have a future editing test that will test your ability to spot the finer grammatical weaknesses in writing. Many of you work in the Writing Center and will have experience spotting such "gross" weaknesses, but, regardless, such a test will be good for us all! I imagine that you will all score 100%! See my website under "Handouts" and under "On Writing" to see past examples of editing tests.
01/29/07 p.m. A reminder: The "Still Life" assignment (#2) is due on 1-31 (Wed.). We will be doing peer editing one or more days next week. See this link for basic editing skills. Thanks! Check the assignments due date link to make sure you keep up on reading and preparing for the next E.P. Remember that the E.P.'s are my gift to you and that each counts 10% of your semester's grade; therefore, if you miss just one, you automatically drop your grade to a 90 in that moment. Take them seriously, therefore, and please do your best work in order to earn the 10% (100 points). Thanks! You guys are smart and superb students!
01/27/07 a.m. after homemade waffles. Also, please be sure to be thoroughly acquainted with the basic editing symbols. You will use them in peer-editing exercises. See this link for basic editing skills. Thanks!
01/26/07 afternoon. Special thanks to Krystin Fain for bringing in and reading from a memoir I'd never heard of BUT that is listed at #575 at www.amazon.com: David Sedaris's Me Talk Pretty One Day. Thanks, Krystin, for introducing me and everyone else to this fantastic memoir. Also, Krystin, if you have anything you want to say about this book on Monday (anything in the way of analysis or comment), please let me/us know. If you do have something to say, you'll be the first up on Monday! A reviewer compares this memoir with Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia, and he adds that Sedaris's "anarchic inclination to digress is his glory, [but] Sedaris does have a theme in these reminiscences: the inability of humans to communicate." As I keep thinking that each of you could write an amazing memoir, the best approach to writing a memoir is first to read lots of them! That's what I'm doing now.
Thanks also to everyone for coming prepared today to discuss eloquence. Special thanks go to Libby Grammer for knowing its family history and to Cassie Murdock for being Webster's aide. Celestia, I owe you a turn at the Webster's turning. Class today was "bodacious"!
Along with the introduction to Sedaris, more presents from students (and figurative presents are the best kind, never get dusty, take up no space on a shelf, only in the heart, which always has plenty of room): Today I received two rewrites of the first assignment, and these were both brilliant. I'm going to read them in class on Monday. One student came by my office earlier this week to discuss his/her paper, and the changes incorporated really have knocked my socks off! The other student read the edits on his/her paper and also made significant changes. My hat is off to both of you! Well done! I'm proud of you!
Next, our discussion today of etymology and writing was such a Joycean joy, moving from percolate (to sieve through), to persevere (to face something severe and make it through), to persist (to stand through), to entropy (to turn within), to trope (to turn), to perspicacious (to see through), to spectacle (something seen), and to spectator (one who sees). As a freshman said in my office this afternoon, "You just pull one string, and every word really follows--they're all connected!" Music to my ears, and this from a very good freshman writer! I do believe I said persevere was "to stand through," but it's persist that has that etymology. But I'm sure someone in class had already checked that, right? Severe, to my mind at least, doesn't have nearly as interesting an etymology. It comes from the Latin severus for "grave , serious, strict, stern, hard." The University of Notre Dame has a great online Latin-English dictionary for those of you who've expressed an interest in Latin as a way to better understand the English language. You can also use the Notre Dame dictionary to go from English to Latin. Another good Latin-English online dictionary is put up online by the STOA Consortium.
Please continue working on the "Still Life" assignment (#2), due on 1-31 (Wed.). We will be doing peer editing one or more days next week. Check the assignments due date link to make sure you keep up on reading and preparing for the next E.P. We appreciate Mac's kind humor in the way of "renaming" the E.P.!
Today Kate and I made up a new word, shalk. It combines exercise and parting-with-money-creatively-and-enjoyably, for it means walking down Broad Street (or elsewhere) and also stopping into those cool shops occasionally (like Cobblestone Shoppe, which, Celestia, has a wonderful handmade wooden penguin for--gulp!--$120). So shalk means "an activity that combines shopping and walking."
01/25/07 a.m. Please notice the use of "thing" below, and compare it with the way most of us start out writing so carelessly that any concept, passion, or material possession can be referred to as "thing," for no well-thought-out reason [from my "The Wrinkle," read in class yesterday]. Why does "thing" work below? Come prepared to say why in class on Friday. Come with a reason. Use your reason to come up with a reason or two. Reason. Then come and let us reason together. Also, what is the etymology of "thing" and what did it once mean, and where would you find the answers to these good questions? Sinewy questions are the lifeblood of any serious writer. This is all part of your "homework," every activity counts, and all will be well and all manner of things will be well. Go, Julia of N! (The "things" there is appropriate, too, why?)
The wrinkle, if you could call it that, ran the length of something I had once loved dearly. Shiny blue, still, after ten years of service that saw the Cesarean-birth of one child and the arrival of another from South Korea, its set of jet black rubber so round and thick it made any silver dime proud, and the deepest secrets kept humming by regular doses of new liquid amber—this thing was suddenly wrong, between a brown, knotted telephone pole on the left and a huge steel pylon on the right, with maybe two inches to spare on each side, and the angle of it was all wrong, too, for it was up—I mean the front part was up, as if it meant now to take flight, but only airplanes fly, as we all know; and the dark dirt was scattered all over the sidewalk, and the flowers were decapitated (were they pansies, maybe purple and yellow like those on my quiet front porch), some ripped entirely from their moorings in the soft earth, here and there.
Remember this. Your "Still Life" assignment is due on 1-31 (next Wednesday). Thanks!
COMMENTS ON YOUR FIRST E.P.’s, WHICH I READ THREE TIMES, AS USUAL. I SO ENJOYED THEM!
Although books on writing underline titles of books (etc.) and although grammar texts do the same, please italicize instead. In the real world of publishing, the best presses italicize. No one underlines anymore. It went the way of the typewriter. Yes, a rogue British publisher or two might still underline, but most publishers these days eschew the underlining of titles, etc.
Obviously, this point is a style issue, and no points were taken off for your underlining. I only mention it because I so dislike underlining now. It looks like a rotary phone in the middle of your well-written papers! Insert your cell phone—italicize!
What is eloquence? What does eloquence mean? Be prepared to define this word at our next meeting.
Do not use “you.” Do not use “one.” Do use “I.”
Do not use “It is . . .” “There is . . .” “There are . . .” “There would be . . .” “It might be . . .” 99 out of 100 times, these constructions are followed by weak sentences. Feel free to use these, but after you publish your first book. Until then, practice not using these expletives, please.
A good example of the use of the em-dash: No one “right” way to write exists—each writer has her own style, her own voice. See this website for clarification on what the em-dash (versus the hyphen and the en-dash) is:
http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/091502.htm
What are the most common editing symbols? I use them in editing your works, and so you must know what these are (I’m sure you know them already)! See my website, click on “Handouts,” and then go to "On Writing," and click on the document, “Basic Editing Symbols.” Voila! Simple! See also this link.
Now, about this “this.” Oh, my goodness! Could we please eschew all vague references? They are very annoying to your reader. Go again to my website, and click on “Links.” You’ll see these links:
What is a comma splice?
What is the correct way to indicate possession?
What is a dangling modifier?
What is a lack of parallelism?
What is passive voice?
What is a run-on or fused sentence?
What is a sentence fragment?
What is subject-verb agreement?
What is a vague pronoun reference?
What is wordiness?
Please click on “What is a vague pronoun reference” and learn what that phrase means! Thank you!
Examples of vague pronoun references:
For many years I thought all of the famous writers just poured out their beautiful words in one sitting, and, “Boom,” they’ve got a masterpiece. Lukeman explains that this is not true, which was very comforting to me.
Both “this” and “which” are vague references. Change to something like “Lukeman reveals the fallacies behind this notion, and his descriptions of the necessity of revision comforted me.”
Note how we in America do double quotations with periods and commas: .” and ,”—that’s so they won’t get wet when it rains onto the page you’re writing. Watch. If it rains on the standard use--.” or ,” no period or comma will get wet. But if it rains on ”. or ”, that period and that comma are both bound to get soaked. I started to say “soaked clean through,” but that would be adding two words I don’t need. “Soaked” works fine alone.
Here is an example of a dangling modifier:
After reading The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman had me on the edge of my couch screaming, “I’m a writer!”
See? It sounds like Noah Lukeman was reading TFFP. Change this awkward syntax to “After reading Noah Lukeman’s The First Five Pages, I was on the edge of my couch screaming, ‘I’m a writer!’” Or “After I read The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman had me on the edge of my couch screaming, ‘I’m a writer!’”
01/24/07 a.m. WARNING! Not reading the updates (daily updates) on your professor's website can be hazardous to your grade's health! [Now, now, you gotta put it in the positive way. Tsk, tsk.] ANNOUNCEMENT OF JOY! Reading the daily updates on your professor's website can nurture your grade, put rose color in your cheeks, and a smile on your good-looking face! [There. Better. I'm proud of you.]
01/22/07 p.m. Your first engaging précis (E.P.) is due on Wednesday, January 24th. Then start on book two for engaging précis (E.P.) #2! Remember, ten points for showing me that you engaged with text one FULLY (oddly, the emphasis here is on the "fully"--a juicy adverb, in this case, but also notice it was set up by the even more juicy verb, "engaged"). Extra credit for how well you do it! Please note that I am trying to be generous here in an attempt to remind you that we are emphasizing revision in this course. I am already highly pleased with the overall quality of the writing/revision in the class; however, I won't rest until everyone has felt that feeling of shooting the basketball and getting only net, "string music"! But I can only be successful as a teacher if you are diligent as a reviser. Thanks to those who've come by my office with great questions and good attitudes! Keep it up! Remember, too, about extra credit. Bring in good writing examples and don't be long-winded. I'll have to gently but firmly cut you off. The time limit is, like five minutes, tops, and I WILL BE TIMING YOU. Yes! Discipline in writing and in speech is rewarded! I promise!
Also, please remember that the "Still Life" assignment (assignment #2) is due on Wednesday, January 31st. It should be two pages long of double-spaced text. Please use a cover page, yes. Pick an inanimate object and describe it. That's pretty simple.
I've already done my "Still Life" that was assigned by Ms. Cassie Murdock! I'll read it in class on Wednesday (01/24/07).
"Is the 'Still Life' mainly a description or something else altogether?" I'll show you on Wednesday! I answered, "Either and/or both--it depends on your point of view and what the object means to you." I usually think writing is all about "something altogether." Don't you? As Mac and I discussed in my office today, sometimes the "something altogether" is the "nada" of the mystery of life. I am thinking of Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." Contemplate still life paintings. What are they? You can make your theme "peace" and pick an inanimate object (not a pet!) that articulates that peace for you, or you can pick an object that has meaning (something else altogether) meaning for you and use the object to say what that "other" meaning is. I have a brand new used truck that says to me, "Your husband did not die or get seriously injured in his recent wreck that totaled your 1997 Honda Civic." I could describe that truck and show you that meaning and also how cool it is to drive! SHOW ME! DON'T TELL ME! SHOW ME! SHOW ME! SHOW ME! Please!
01/19/07 p.m. Ciao, Writers! I am very much aware that your first engaging précis (E.P.) is due on Wednesday, January 24th. I like very much to space assignments and pace the semester with a calming rhythm. We will avoid all things "hectic"! Please notice that I am arranging assignments so that you will always have some "breathing room."
Some classmates have asked me about length requirements for the E.P.'s, a question that I have answered both in class as well as on this website. Please (please!) take careful notes in class and also (as Krystin Fain says in a verbally dynamic way, and I quote) "scour" this website for instructions! They're here! I'm always happy (DELIGHTED) to answer each and every question you have, but I prefer for the questions not to require that I simply repeat information given elsewhere, as it's a waste of both your time and mine. We could be revising! Unless otherwise noted on the paper you got back today--for example, if I said, "Turn your assignment #1 rewrite in on Monday, 1-22, please do do that--but if I didn't say that on your paper, please turn in your assignment #1 rewrite at your leisure. Yes! I know some of you have FULL LOADS AND JOBS AND WHATNOT. But the rewrite must be turned in two weeks before your final exam date if it is to be re-graded. If it is not turned in two weeks before your final exam date, it can still be revised and turned in as part of your final portfolio. Do come by! Many students have already come by or have e-mailed me or both!
Students have asked for more clarification on the "Still Life" assignment (assignment #2). It is due on Wednesday, January 31st. It should be two pages long of double-spaced text. Please use a cover page, yes. Pick an inanimate object and describe it. That's pretty simple.
One student WHO'S NOT EVEN OFFICIALLY IN THE COURSE (! ROCK ON!) asks, "Is the 'Still Life' mainly a description or something else altogether?" I answered, "Either and/or both--it depends on your point of view and what the object means to you." I usually think writing is all about "something altogether." Don't you? As Mac and I discussed in my office today, sometimes the "something altogether" is the "nada" of the mystery of life. I am thinking of Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." Contemplate still life paintings. What are they? You can make your theme "peace" and pick an inanimate object (not a pet!) that articulates that peace for you, or you can pick an object that has meaning (something else altogether) meaning for you and use the object to say what that "other" meaning is. I have a brand new used truck that says to me, "Your husband did not die or get seriously injured in his recent wreck that totaled your 1997 Honda Civic." I could describe that truck and show you that meaning and also how cool it is to drive! SHOW ME! DON'T TELL ME! SHOW ME! SHOW ME! SHOW ME! Please!
Remember, too, that I am a gentle writing teacher. Not all editors are gentle, my friends. Be thankful that your Advanced Composition Nonfictional Teacher/Editor is gentle, calm, and kind-hearted.
*** PLEASE STAPLE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS OVER ONE PAGE. I REPEAT: PLEASE STAPLE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS OVER ONE PAGE. ***
01/18/07 p.m. FRESH FROM AMANDA! QUESTIONS! (AND ANSWERS!) ABOUT THE Engaging Précis (E.P.) YOU MUST WRITE FOR EACH TEXTBOOK! The first one (remember) is due1-24 (next week).
To your question one: I'm going to officially make cover pages mandatory for all writing assignments, yes. Why? So you guys can practice the art of the cover page. They are so used in all I do and all you might do in the future, that it doesn't hurt to practice. One day, you might be applying for a grant (real $$$), and all of the applications might be sinewy and articulate; and perhaps the professional cover page of yours might put your application over the top. Well, perhaps I exaggerate, but you never know! (And, of course, if the grant stipulates, "no cover page," then no cover page would be the way to go.
On your next question, how to structure your engaging précis (we will use précis here and avoid altogether that phrase you don't like, for I agree that "book report" is a most mundane, high-school sort of word and doesn't suggest at all the level of excitement generated by reading any one of your three texts! And please see this website for good descriptions of précis): No, the title on your cover page for your engaging précis (E.P.) does not have to include the name of the text if you are making it clear in the beginning that it is that text you are writing about. I know what you mean--that a long title might not fit with the...mood? tone? theme?...of your paper, and might also feel repetitive to you.
I do want to add--in the first sentence of your E.P., be sure to include that whole boring title and author--just get it out of the way because that sort of documentation has to be done. Then after that you can refer to the author by his last name, and you can also use an abbreviated form of the title after that, if you need to refer to the book with the long, long title.
Any more questions, shoot them cyberspacically my way! Thanks again! Warm wishes, Dr. Butcher
01/18/07 a.m. ON THE REPORTS ON THE TEXTBOOKS: Your assignment, if not otherwise noted, is always to be reading the three texts, with an eye on the due dates for the reports on them (01/24 is the first). Your report on a textbook must show that you engaged profoundly with the text. You must include examples (details!). If you do that, your work will receive the full measure of the ten percent of 100. How well you write this report determines any extra credit you might receive on it. See the "Extra Credit" link for your class to jog your memory on this wonderful extra credit opportunity.
ON YOUR WRITING PIECES TURNED IN TODAY: I have read each piece, three times. I have many golden things to say about them, and some recommendations also. First, you really worked hard on this assignment, and it showed. There were several A+'s. These A+'s had many qualities in common. Each had a real thesis. "What? A thesis?" you ask. Each work written well is always written in the service of some great thesis. Yes. Using exemplary papers written by your classmates, I will give you examples of this quality in class on Friday (01/19/07). Each word in your two-page piece should serve the purpose of making your thesis go forward. If any word does not serve that purpose, it should be excised at once! One student's thesis in this assignment was "I want to describe the love I have for my husband." That sounds simple, but it's truly not; however, this student (as you will see on Friday) did a most amazing job. She made each word serve that purpose. Another student described her love for her four-year-old brother, and she made every word in her assignment show that truth. Finally, one person showed the wonderfully quirky, deeply loving relationship she has with her mom, and the dialogue and descriptions all worked to prove her "thesis."
Here are some definitions of "thesis":
a) A thesis is an unproved statement put forward as a premise in an argument.
b) A thesis (literally: 'position' from the Greek θέσις) is an intellectual proposition. ----In academia, a thesis or dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification.
c) The basic argument advanced by a speaker or writer who then attempts to prove it; the subject or major argument of a speech or composition.
csmp.ucop.edu/crlp/resources/glossary.html
d) A thesis is a written paper elaborating on original research, arguing a specific view. Theses are often written for the completion of an academic degree, usually the Master's degree.
e) An attitude or position on a problem taken by a writer or speaker with the purpose of proving or supporting it.
Second, you turned the assignments in following the style sheet I discussed in class and which is given on your syllabus and on my website in several spots.
Third, you wrote well, and you made each word count (see above). Fourth, fifth, and sixth, you revised. Seventh, eighth, and ninth, you revised.
Here are a few recommendations I have for those assignments that did not measure up on the first attempt. First, you must write on-topic. Please consult this website daily for instructions, and do please listen carefully in class. I will always tell you what is expected, and that telling will be backed up by the "Quests" website link; or I will give you an instruction on the website, which will be backed up (elaborated on) in class.
Either way, your assignments must be on-topic. On this first assignment, I made a generous allowance for your settling into school, that sort of thing, and if you wrote a passionate piece on the completely wrong topic, you will be allowed to redo the assignment and turn it in to me on 01/22/07 (Monday), but on future assignments, your work will be graded entirely on whether or not your work addresses the assigned topic. For those of you who did not write on-topic, please see the assignment directions below. Also, some students actually did not follow the length requirement, which was rather puzzling. Please become well-acquainted with my website. Thanks!
A word on style: By all means, develop your own style, but do not (I repeat--do not) obfuscate. Remember that your primary goal is to profoundly entertain your reader. It is not to have a solipsistic conversation with yourself. Don't hide behind words. Use them to articulate yourself to another or to articulate someone else or some situation to another. Remember the Simon & Garfunkel song? "I've got my books, and my poetry, to protect me." That line exposes what writing is to many, but not to us fearless thirteen! Books and writing are bridges between isolated people (each of us). They are like telephone wires or fiberglass cables. They transmit, not obscure. So, by all means, do develop your own style, but make sure that your audience can understand what you're saying.
To this end, please embrace Anglo-Saxon-based words. Don't overlook the snappy way these short, to-the-point, emotion-rich wods communicate.
I am going to flat out ask: Do not use "It is," "There is," or "There are." These expletives make for weak writing. No, they are not inherently wrong. I never said that. But in every case in these assignments, expletives were like a crack in a bridge. They expose a weakness in the writing. You don't want them right now. Eschew them. I say again. Don't go there. Forget they exist. Just say No!
Also, work on writing concisely. The best way to do this is to SHOW ME. Don't tell me. Show me! Use details to show me. Appeal to the five senses. Do not philosophize. Show me. Do not theorize. Show me. Do not say, "Love is the most amazing thing going." Show me! Show me individuals, one at a time, and show me cups of coffee, Twizzlers, buttered popcorn, and let me smell someone who needs a shower. Let me see a flushed face. Let me hear the song. Don't just say, "A song was playing on the radio." Give me a snatch of it. Let me hear it!
Other tips that will improve your writing: Do not use a verb followed by an adverb when you can make one single, more dynamic verb do the work of the verb-adverb combination. Here's an example. The dog walked briskly down the lane. Instead, use "bounded" for "walked briskly." I can't tell you how many weak verb-adverb combinations I read that were just begging for a strong, vibrant verb. I will read examples from your classmates' writing to show that THIS CAN BE DONE!
Don't use "you." Don't use "one." Spell out numbers under 100. Focus on verbs. Focus on verbs. Focus on verbs.
Always read your work aloud!
Remember, I grade on improvement. Work on improving. Come see me with questions, or ask them in class. Revise! Revise! Revise! If you work hard, your writing will steadily improve, and your final grade for the semester will reflect your hard work.
01/17/07. Thanks for turning in your descriptions today. One note first: Advanced Composition is a nonfictional writing class that is also considered "creative"--this type of writing is also called "creative nonfiction." In other words, all writing is creative, both fiction and nonfiction. For Friday, continue to read one of your textbooks. See the due dates section (remember January 24st is the first due date)! Bring in your observations on your reading for Friday. Also, bring in any excellent writing you've read and tell why it's great--for extra credit! Remember that these "Great Writing Spots" are limited to just a few minutes. In this class, both verbal and written logorrhea are highly discouraged. Say what you have to say as concisely as possible. Remember--we want only bananas in the advertised banana bread! Thanks!
On the work you turned in today--I look forward to reading each page three times. Those of you who have had me before know that I read each assignment three times. The first time I read purely for pleasure and to get the gist of your argument. The second time I read your work, I mark it in purple, blue, green, orange, or fuchsia pen. I try to avoid red and will only use it at the end of the semester when my eyes are a tad tired. Red is bright and shows up so well then. The third time I read your work, I grade it afterwards (also mark anything else I see that deserves to be marked). Therefore, as suggested before, perhaps you should revise your work at least three times, to match the times it will be read!
See the "Extra Credit" link to discover updates there for Sunday's TOY party! Remember, this Sunday from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. at High Acres on campus is the Teacher of the Year party thrown by my friends and colleagues in honor of the Carnegie Foundation Teacher of the Year award. You get extra credit for attending, and more! Check it out!
01/12/07. Ladies and Gentlemen! We had an awesome class filled with, hey, auditors, and whatnot! (Thanks, Catie.) Anyone know the etymology of "auditor"? Come back, guys! You're always welcome! For Wednesday, 01/17/07, be sure to write your two-page double-spaced description of someone you're passionate about in some way. Remember that you are trying to get your piece into The Crunchy T-Shirt. Respect words, and they will respect you. Of course, I think that that means that we must absolutely know the etymology of respect. Do you know what it is? We will also go over the syllabus in great detail on Wednesday, so come with any questions you may have about it. Please make it one of your assignments to decide to come with calm hearts filled with the excitement of learning more about the Logos. Have a good long weekend from your fellow writer/editor, Dr. Butcher (Be sure to regularly check the extra credit page for new ways to garner/earn extra credit points, okay? Thanks! Also, as Barbara Hornreich suggested today, please be sure to check my regularly updated, long-running blog! :-) Thanks!)
NEWS FLASH! I have written my own two-page double-spaced description of KSB!!! I will read my not-the-first-draft to you on Friday to show that IT CAN BE DONE! I am not finished revising, but I will read it Friday! I have already revised it at least thirty-nine times, Mr. Hemingway! Now, please see the assignments below! Ciao! Danke!
01/10/07. On Friday, please come with questions about your syllabus and assignments, about the grading and whatnot. Please ask Catie Eisel concerning the definition of "whatnot," or you may also turn to your classmates, Heather Michot and Krystin Fain, who work on the Chimes. (Who else in class works on the Chimes? Please let us know so we can commend you!)
Also, your first graded writing exercise is due on Wednesday, January 17th, at 11:00 a.m.! That is the two-page double-spaced description of someone you are passionate about! Please do not turn in first drafts!
Finally, be sure to welcome Amy Goggins, Aaron Pas, and Krystin Fain to our class. I have always felt that thirteen is my lucky number, so now we are thirteen. This bodes well!
01/08/07.
I loved meeting with you all today, making new friends and seeing old ones. You have wonderful goals and splendid interdisciplinary minds. That bodes well for our time together! Each one of you seems totally committed to writing, and this interest is the best motivator any writer can have.
Start thinking for Wednesday--What is a word? Can you define word? Do not look up this word (this will be the only time I do not recommend that you look up a word!). Instead, write down in ONE sentence what you think a word is. Type this definition up and bring it to class for Wednesday. You will read your definition aloud. Thanks!
Also for Wednesday, go over your syllabus. Remember, if you lose the one you were given in class on Monday, January 8th, 2007, you can always access one online at www.carmenbutcher.com. Come ready to ask questions about the syllabus. The syllabus is your "playbook" and "rule book" all in one. It tells you what you need to do and accomplish in order to succeed in this class.
Buy the three required books. Flip through them. Be curious about them.
Be thinking about a parent or a grandparent who has had a significant impact on your life. Start drafting in your head a two-page, double-spaced description of this important relative.
Also, to show me you have read this webpage, please say, "Hola!" when I enter the classroom.
01/03/07. Review online the syllabus for your course with Dr. Butcher. Note the required texts. Buy your books and start reading them.
11/25/06. Assignment 1 for ALL students in Dr. Butcher's Spring 2007 classes. Familiarize yourself with this entire website, link by link, photo by photo, handout by handout, blog by blog.