Writing Workshop 101
Mr. Sitzmann
Why is it good to be able to write well?
• Communication
• Part of a well-balanced education (think
nutrition here)
• SAT (that’s down the road a bit)
• Express your ideas, respond intelligently
• Professionally required…
• Anything else?
THIS INFORMATION COMES FROM
A (former) COLLEAGUE AT Bowdoin College,
Professor Patrick Rael*
(some of)
Here I am (informally) crediting my source
*Patrick Rael, Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College
Students (Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College, 2004).
Why Write
History Well?
• History is a vital
subject; necessary,
in fact
• It’s who you are
• It’s vastly complex
The Discipline of History
The Discipline of History
his·to·ry (h s t -r )
n. pl. his·to·ries
1. A narrative of events; a story.
a. A chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or
institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events: a
history of the Vikings.
b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.
2. The branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events: "History has a longrange perspective" Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.
a. The events forming the subject matter of a historical account.
b. The aggregate of past events or human affairs: basic tools used throughout
history.
Tools of the Trade
em·pa·thy ( m p -th )
1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. See Synonyms at
pity.
2. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.
per·spec·tive (p r-sp k t v)
1. Point of View
a. A view or vista.
b. A mental view or outlook: "It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on
the present" Fabian Linden.
2. The appearance of objects in depth as perceived by normal binocular vision.
a. The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole: a perspective of history; a
need to view the problem in the proper perspective.
b. Subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view: the perspective of the displaced
homemaker.
c. The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance: tried to
keep my perspective throughout the crisis.
Some actual Tools:
-artifacts
-letters
-primary sources
-oral
-“McCullogh Lesson”
What is Good
Historical
Writing?
• Tells a story.
HISTORY
• Logical, organized,
concise, interesting
• What is your favorite
book? WHY?
• Why do people love
Shakespeare?
Good Historical Writing Includes…
A disciplined approach. Do not be casual. Each word, each sentence has meaning, and each sentence
should make sense (it follows the previous sentence and leads to the next). It’s like giving directions…
1.
Use paragraphs. Organize your thoughts and your paper or essay.
(More on this in a moment)
1. Intro (beginning…state your idea, or “thesis”)
2. Middle (body of the paper, organized in a logical
manner)
3. Conclusion (does not have to be earth shattering)
2.
Work on spelling, grammar
3. Work hard to use well-organized, shorter, to-the-point sentences. Don’t employ confusion
4.
Avoid the 1st person. “So I really think you should see that George Washington was awesome…”
vs.
“George Washington was awesome.”
5. Don’t use phrases like, “So as u can see,……” (don’t be too casual or colloquial). Be formal. This
isn’t a text message you’re writing
6.
Imagine writing a poem, and understand how critical each word, and how and where it is put, is to
the meaning of the sentence. DON’T WASTE Words. (see #4)
7.
CREDIT SOURCES (more on this later)
Paper Structure
1. INTRODUCTION
Introduce the problem
Define key terms
State the thesis
Stems from good question
Tentative answer is "hypothesis"
Refine hypothesis into thesis
2. THE BODY
How is the paper organized? (YOU determine this. Remember, it’s a story)
Paragraphs
Topic sentence (mini-thesis)
Argument supporting topic sentence
Transition to next mini-thesis
Arguing in paragraphs
Mini-thesis
Evidence
Analysis (what does evidence support?)
3. CONCLUSION
Re-state the thesis
Significance of thesis (why should we care about the problem?)
Each Section in Depth (There are 3)
1. THE INTRODUCTION: The introduction is usually one paragraph, or perhaps two in a paper of eight
pages or more. Its purpose is to: (1) set out the problem to be discussed; (2) define key terms
that will be used in that discussion; (3) outline the structure of the argument; (4) CLEARLY
STATE THE THESIS.
A. Suggestions for the introduction:
Establish the problem: Quickly established the issue your paper confronts. Where and when
are we? What are we examining? It is especially important to clearly define the limits of your
exploration. If you are discussing the life of Frederick Douglass, it will not suffice to establish
the setting by referring to the "days of slavery," since slavery has existed in all times all over
the world. Frederick Douglass was a slave in Maryland in the decades before the Civil War. Do
not begin a history paper with absurdly general phrases like, "since the beginning of time," or
"humans have always. . . ." Get as specific as necessary as early as possible.
Set the tone, voice, and style of your paper. (See other guidelines for how this is done.) Make
sure you convey that the topic is of vital concern, and that you are interested in it.
Catch the reader's attention. You might start with an example, a quotation, a statistic, or a
complaint. Be sure that this opening theme runs through your paper. Do not abandon this
theme. You can use it again later to help unify your paper.
Provide a subtle blueprint (or "road map") for the paper. Let your reader know where you
are headed (how you plan to tackle the subject) without giving away your best ideas. If, for
instance, your paper breaks down into political, social, and cultural components, telegraph
this to your reader so she will know what to expect.
B. The Thesis…. Next slide…
B. The thesis:
The last function of the introduction is to present
your thesis. This is so important to your paper
that it merits lengthy consideration -- please see
my handout on this topic. The biggest problem
with student papers is that they contain no true
thesis. The second biggest problem with student
papers is that the thesis is vague and ill-defined.
II. THE BODY: This takes up several pages, and constitutes the bulk of your paper. Here is
where you argue your thesis. The content of this section largely will depend on your
thesis, and what it requires you to argue. Think to yourself, "what do I need to support
this argument?" If you find yourself unable to answer, you may need a more interesting
thesis.
A. Structure of the body: You need an organizing scheme for your paper, which most often will be suggested
by your thesis.
B. Logic and flow: The general movement in the body is from the general to the specific.
C. Paragraphs: Your paper is built on paragraphs. Each paragraph should be minimum of four (sometimes
three) sentences.
D. Topic sentences: The topic sentence should tell the reader what the paragraph will be about. In essence, it
is a "mini-thesis"
E. Support: Two kinds of support should appear in your paragraphs:
Source evidence and quotations: Taken from primary (sometimes secondary) sources.
F. Transitions: The body of the paper must flow from one idea to the next. This linking of ideas is accomplished
through transitional phrases.
G. Arguing in the body: The body is where you will flex your rhetorical muscle.
Last, and Least…
III. CONCLUSION: This is usually one paragraph
long, and briefly recapitulates your thesis,
pulling all your arguments together. The first
sentence of the concluding paragraph is a
clear, specific re-statement of thesis. The
conclusion should do more than simply restate the argument. It also suggests why the
argument is important in the bigger scheme of
things, or suggests avenues for further
research, or raises a bigger question.
Grammar for Historians
Here are some common grammatical problems that arise in history papers, listed with the correction mark for
each, and the solution to the problem.
Mixed verb tenses ("tense"):
"Bernal Diaz presented a positive view of the Spanish because he wants to protect
himself from recrimination." (Put "wants" in the same tense (preterit): "wanted.")
Passive voice ("passive"):
"The Aztecs were destroyed in droves, and finally defeated." (Identify the proper subject
of this sentence and re-work, as in "The Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in droves, and
finally defeated them.")
Run-on sentence ("run-on"):
"Coffee contains caffeine furthermore, chocolate, tea, and cola also contain significant
amounts of caffeine." (Add a semi-colon after "caffeine" to properly conjoin two
independent clauses.)
Comma splice ("splice"):
"Many industrialists thought workers lazy, as a result they paid their employees poorly."
(Replace comma after "lazy" with a semi-colon to properly conjoin two independent
clauses.)
Sentence fragment ("frag"):
"The little town of Dayton, Tennessee, in the tumultuous 1920s, caught in the international
limelight." (The sentence needs a verb for its subject, Dayton.)
Faulty pronoun reference ("ref"):
"The Spaniard hated the Aztec because of their religious beliefs." (The referent for "their"
("Aztec") is singular; change "their" to "his.")
Subject-verb agreement ("s-v"):
"The army required each one of the soldiers to carry their own entrenching tool." ("Their" is
plural, yet refers to the singular "one," not "soldiers." "The army required each soldier to
carry his own entrenching tool.")
Faulty predication ("pred"):
"The belief in Manifest Destiny cannot conceive of Indians having rights." ("Conceiving" is a
verb that "belief" is incapable of carrying out. Identify proper subject for the verb: "People
who believe in Manifest Destiny cannot conceive. . . .")
Misplaced modifier ("mod"):
"The slaves burned the farmhouse, furious at their masters." (The participial phrase "furious
at their masters" cannot modify "farmhouse"; it must be placed immediately after "slaves.")
Dangling modifier ("mod"):
"Arriving by boat in the New World, the weather was brutal." (The weather cannot
arrive by boat in the New World; identify the proper subject for the first clause, as in
"Arriving by boat in the New World, the Puritans found the weather brutal.")
Faulty parallel structure ("parallel"):
"Ways of preventing blacks from voting included the Grandfather Clause and holding allwhite primaries." (A noun, "Grandfather Clause," is listed in series with a verb,
"holding." Re-work so both are the same, as in ". . . included the Grandfather Clause and
the all-white primary.")
Colloquial ("colloq"):
"Some critics try to straddle the fence between standard and revisionist interpretations
of history." (Substitute non-colloquial phrase for "straddle the fence," as in "Some critics
endorse elements of both standard and revisions interpretations of history.")
Word choice ("w.c."):
"One slave tells of how he was able to get a job after the war and earn enough money
to travel to North Carolina to find his long separated mother." (His mother had probably
remained in once piece; substitute "lost" for "separated.")
OTHER CORRECTION COMMENTS YOU MAY SEE
source? What is your source for saying this? Add a citation telling your readers where
this came from.
evidence? What is the evidence that supports this argument? You need to incorporate
primary or secondary source evidence.