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The Comp Codex: Discovery & Writing Strategies

DSC-UCF Writing Center

THE COMP CODEXA BRIEF OVERVIEW OF COMMON PROBLEMS

The purpose of this document is to highlight some fundamentals about getting started in the writing process. We understand that with writing, there is no one right way of doing things, no formulaic answer to the assignment at hand. Writing is a process. And getting started on the process is oftentimes the most difficult hurdle in a project. We provided this document for those students that are looking for a place to start and hope they can find some tools to begin. All students are of course strongly encouraged to use the resources available to you at the DSC-UCF Writing Center.

Contents of this packet

Understanding Writing Prompts Common Composition Topics Writer’s Block Brainstorming Using Resources

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Understanding Writing Prompts Essay Prompts have keywords that can indicate writing aims. Identifying these keywords will allow for better organization, choose a writing style, and help understand the audience of the paper. Compare & Contrast: Demonstrate how ideas are connected. Evaluate: Back up opinions with examples and/or research.

Inform: Demonstrate knowledge Argue: An argument has three necessary body components: claim, opposing point of view, and refutation. Analyze: Provide a unique point of view on a known topic.

Note: Take the time to understand the materials given. Read the prompt carefully to make sure you understand what is being asked of you. Underline key words to focus on them as you plan your essay. Restate the prompt in your words to help you think clearly about the prompt and absorb it, even if it doesn’t remain in the draft after revision. When in doubt, ask the instructor for clarification.

Example: This is not asking the writer to summarize. The writing asks for interpretation of his actions and explanation in greater detail how they contributed to his end.

Example: Use evidence from the text, from research, and persuade the reader of the choice.

Example: How are their ideas on first-aid different?

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C o m m o n C o m p o s i t i o n Topics It’s common for professors in liberal arts fields to assign certain essays to familiarize students with different genres and writing styles. Keep in mind, your professor may have a different definition of each topic listed here; we offer, instead, a general definition of essay assignments to help guide ideas.

Narrative: Narratives address the big six: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Be sure to use details and transitions, and write the story in chronological order. Narratives are not limited to ‘composition’ topics, but also can be used to approach report and memoir writing.

Informative: It’s important to keep in mind that this is not to throw tons on information at your reader, but rather organize information in a logical format. Keep your audience in mind and detail any outside information with your own ideas.

Profile: Focus your profile by organizing and discussing certain aspects rather than summarizing.

Rhetorical Review: Reviewing the rhetoric involves analyzing how these

appeals work in communicating and persuading their audience. Textual Analysis:

Create an analytical goal (thesis) to appeal to your reader the way the text’s values and ideas appealed to you. Dissect parts to make your argument.

Annotated Bibliography: Find sources for a research topic and correctly format the citations for each source. Annotations normally include a short summary of the work and a brief synopsis of how the source will be used towards your particular research project.

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Writer’s Block Writing an entire paper can seem like an impossible task. Some writers beat themselves up before they even begin the very first word on a draft, anxious that they will get it wrong before trying to get it right. Instead of allowing negativity to diminish your confidence, identify the source of the problem and try some strategies that bring positivity to you and your writing.

Problem: Solution: Take some time to consider your strengths in communication. How are you good at expressing yourself? Focus on these as you brainstorm. Don’t stare at the cursor waiting for the draft. Write in a way that you know you’ll eventually respond to, even if it’s unconventional. Take time to stretch, listen to music, and allow for small breaks to avoid getting overwhelmed with the task. Writing is a process and is best done in small steps.

Problem: Solution: Everyone is guilty, at some point or another, of procrastinating. As much as it’s easy to blame professors or an extensive workload, nothing is going to get you writing except you! Give yourself a time (i.e.: No Social Media for one hour!) to remove all distractions from getting between you and the assignment. Get a notebook or computer out and begin.

Problem: Solution: Ask questions! To your professor, to classmates, to yourself: What is not clear? If there aren’t resources available, read the assignment with a highlighter in hand and find keywords. And look for sample assignments online to get ideas.

Problem: Solution Even famed writers have self-doubt. They also have editors! Understand that you aren’t alone in the writer’s block struggle, and your rough draft will probably need fine-tuning. And having another set of eyes on your paper, either from a friend or peer, or better yet, a professional staff member at the Writing Center can help ease any concerns about your writing.

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Note: Writer’s block is more common than you may think. Visiting the Writing Center is the easiest and best solution to overcome Writer’s Block. It requires:

1. Putting time aside to get yourself writing.

2. Communicating your fears with someone who can help

3. Talking to staff whose main goal is to inspire confidence in writers!

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Brainstorming The best way to start a paper is to gather your thoughts and focus your energy in a informal manner. Finding a brainstorming strategy that you like will cause an inspirational response. Below are some techniques that can help stimulate the brainstorming process.

Freewriting: Free writing is a means to get your mind and pen in a ‘writing place.’ The quality and style of the free write is unimportant. Set aside time just to sit and write down anything! Use description if that pleases you, draw a cartoon, write your frustrations on paper. Putting pen to paper is enough to get ideas to flow.

Researching: Picking a topic that interests you will inspire you to write. However, don’t tie yourself to a topic without exploring the sources first. Just by reading, ideas will generate.

Visual Webbing: A good idea needs a concrete starting point. Start by jotting down ideas in a chart, web, or shape pattern for a topic and interconnect them. Force yourself to create as many sub-topics as possible in your web; generating as many ideas as possible is the goal here, even if they don’t end up as part of the outline or draft.

Listing: Logical minds like lists where they can go through step-by-step and make sure that nothing has been forgotten or missed. Just by creating a list of ‘to-do’ or ‘to-write,’ starting the project becomes a lot less daunting.

Question: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? You put your topic on trial to see whether these questions can be answered within the essay.

Note: Make a schedule you’re comfortable with. The key is to give yourself a realistic schedule that you know you can stick to. Take breaks and be self-aware.

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These are not the only ways to brainstorm! The strategies in the Codex are just some of the many ways you can brainstorm. Knowing your process is going to be the easiest way to get started. Cooking a dish starts with assembling the ingredients. Beginning a new video game starts the player at Level One. Writing is a process that needs to be assembled and started at Level One! It should be explored from whatever means gets you writing!

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Using Resources At the beginning stages of research or writing, it’s important to critically think about the topic. Pick topics that pique your interest because you’ll be more inclined to write. It’s easy to get bogged down with the task at hand when ‘citation formatting’ and ‘credible sources’ scare us into forgetting the main tasks of an essay. Academic work is designed so something is learned and those new ideas can be communicated through your writing. Keep these resources and tips in mind as you approach your next writing assignment.

Syllabus Schedule: There is a reason why the syllabus is given to you on the first day of class with months of work outlined ahead. That final paper that’s due four months from now is something that needs to be planned four months ahead of time. Give yourself a realistic and appropriate schedule to plan for all the assignments for the class. And as hard as it is, don’t procrastinate!

In Class Notes: While it does not always seem like it, your classes give you many cues into how you should approach your writing style for the class. Knowing your audience is key; your classmates, professor, class & subject ethos need to be set to the right tone in your writing. Pay attention to lecture notes, organize and date notes, and ask for any clarifications.

Annotate Readings: Make a practice of dissecting readings as you go through them. Underline anything that appeals to you, and write in the margins why it did. When you need to go back in a text, your own notes will help you through.

Search Engines: It’s generally not recommended to use Wiki or other unreliable sources within an academic essay. It is recommended to use to get to know topics and get ideas for your own writing.

School Resources: Most colleges provide plenty of resources for student help in academics, and often times, like the DSC-UCF Writing Center’s, it’s included with tuition. Use the professional help in any and all ways possible.

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