Getting Started: Flipping the Switch

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." ~Thomas Jefferson

We all find it difficult to conceive of the basic argument for our papers. While slumped at our desks beset by Writer’s Block, we hope for the light bulb of cartoon legend to appear over our heads and do the work for us. Unfortunately, paper topics do not just pop into our heads, and the bulb will not light unless we can hit the switch. Only by laying the groundwork with careful thought and analysis can you expect to discover the best angle to take in your writing. Provided below are suggestions for helping you to ignite that bulb above your head, and to get you started on the path to a successful essay.

Reading Toward Writing

In writing a paper, it is first important to understand the information that you are reading about. Below is a list of suggestions for getting the most out of what you read.

• Identify the genre of the reading.
  What kind of a reading is it? (Journal article? Mass media? Novel? Textbook?) Why was it written? Who does the author assume is going to read this work? (Books about politics written for an audience of political scientists, for example, might be very different from books about politics written for the general public, for historians, or for sociologists.)
   
• Consider the author.
  What do you know or what can you learn about this person? Why did he or she write the book? What sources of information and/or methods did he or she use to gather the information presented in the book?
   
• Guess why your instructor assigned the reading.
  How does it fit in with other readings, class discussions, major course themes, or the purpose of the class?
   
• As you read, record your reactions and questions.
  Any reaction or question is valid, from the specific ("What's that word mean?") to the general ("What's her point?"). Write them down now so that you'll remember them later. These reactions and questions can serve as material for class discussion, or they can be the jumping off point for brainstorming a paper.
   
• Visit your instructor during office hours to discuss the reading.
  Your instructor will set aside hours when he or she will be available to meet with students. This is a great time to talk about the reading, ask questions, share your reactions, and get to know your instructor. You can do this with a friend or in a small group as well.
  Think about what is missing in the reading. Issues, events or ideas that are missing, left out, avoided, or not discussed/addressed in the book might be important. Thinking about these omissions can give you a critical perspective on the reading by showing you what the author (consciously or unconsciously) doesn't want to deal with.
  If you know you will have to answer a particular question in response to the reading, read with that question in mind. Sometimes faculty will give you essay questions in advance. As you read the text, refer back to those questions and think about your emerging answers to them.
  
  (From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center Handout "Reading Toward Writing")

Reading the Assignment

A frequently overlooked, though undoubtedly essential, aspect of the writing process is the complete understanding of the task at hand. This may seem simple enough at first glance, but college writing prompts are rarely so straightforward, and an outstanding response will certainly require an investigation of some depth. Assignments usually ask you to demonstrate not only that you have immersed yourself in the course material, but that you’ve done some thinking on your own that goes beyond the parameters of class discussion. Fortunately, if you’ve put the time into getting to know the material, then you’ve almost certainly begun to think independently.

Often, the central idea of the question hinges on a few important words within it. Try to isolate those words perhaps by underlining and be sure not to lose focus of them as you brainstorm and write. This will go a long way in simplifying your task. If, having read the assignment carefully, you are still confused by it, don’t just stare at the page and get frustrated—ask your professor for some clarification. Having written the assignment, your professor will surely be able to explain any misunderstandings, and may even be willing to suggest some sample responses or prospective topics. Knowing the expectations of an assignment can help when you’re feeling puzzled. You may want to consult your teacher even if you think you have a grasp on the subject. Even a good idea can be taken too far if it moves outside the scope of the question. Being aware of what your teacher considers the boundaries of the assignment will help keep your paper grounded and your focus sharp.

Finding a Topic

Comforted by your professor that you’re on the right track, now you’re ready to narrow down your own ideas. Here are some tips for coming up with a topic for your paper.

Brainstorm
Brainstorming can take many forms: try a few out to see which suits you best. Some popular ideas include mapping (in a series of connected boxes, sketch out the sequencing of your ideas), free writing (give yourself a specific amount of time to write down, without stopping, any relevant idea that comes to mind), ghost writing (the same idea as free writing, but with a computer; type without stopping, but with your monitor off), or the traditional outline format.

Choose a topic that most interests you.
Spending all that time and energy writing on an idea that bores you will make the days seem like years. Pick something you’re interested in instead—as an added bonus, the passion you feel will likely improve your paper.

Talk with your friends.
It doesn’t matter if they’re in your class or not; talking with others helps to spark new ideas, to flesh out ones that you’re still toying around with, or to give you a different perspective from the one you’ve taken.

Know your audience.
What you write, or at least the way you write it, is bound to be impacted by the identity of your audience. Once you’ve decided on an idea that you think will work, take a minute to reflect—consider who will be reading your paper and whether they are likely to be persuaded by the argument you will be making. The worst thing you can do when writing an argumentative essay is to insult your audience. If you do, you can be sure they won’t even take the time to consider the merits of your case. Be careful not to take such a strident stance that you risk alienating your readers; stick to the facts and don’t let your passion get the best of you. When writing on what you know is a controversial subject, you must be especially aware of this danger.

Knowledge of your audience, however, is not just important for purposes of political correctness—it can help to make your paper stronger. If you are writing to a specific person or group whose feelings you are familiar with, you can tailor your paper to them by playing to those tendencies. On the other hand, if your essay is addressed to the public at large, with no group in mind, be sure to explain any complex ideas or terms that are central to your argument. You don’t want the readers to get so lost in the details that they miss the bigger point you are trying to make. If you are unsure of who your audience is, you can ask your professor who he or she has in mind, or you can more closely read your paper assignment for additional clues.

Avoiding Common Errors in Logic and Reasoning

"When you break down the parts of a paper into thesis, premises, and evidence, constructing an argument sounds deceptively easy. In practice, as you know, it can sometimes be difficult to judge whether you have communicated a logical defense of your ideas. Once you have been working on an essay for a while, you can get so caught up in the details that it becomes impossible to see the argument as a whole or recognize gaps or errors in your reasoning. One strategy you can use to gain perspective on a paper is to show it to a friend and ask her to identify where the structure of your argument or your ideas are unclear."
You can also use the list below to guard against some common mistakes."

Unstated or Invalid Assumptions
An assumption is a statement or idea that you accept as true without proof or demonstration. Assumptions should not be used at all in papers for the sole reason that they cannot be defended by logical means.

Prejudices or Stereotypes. Make sure that you are not prejudiced or that you haven’t stereotyped anyone in your paper. The best way to ensure against these is to have a friend or Writing Center tutor read your paper and look for any instances of prejudice or stereotype. If the author you are citing in your paper is prejudiced, make sure to state that the prejudice is of the author and is not yours.

Hasty Generalization
This occurs when you draw a conclusion based on too little evidence. An example of a hasty generalization would be "Susan has blonde hair and she smokes. Therefore, all people with blonde hair smoke." Appealing to the Emotions. When students write papers whose purpose is to defend an opinion or a particularly controversial thesis, they sometimes inappropriately attempt to persuade their reader by appealing to their emotions. This tactic is not successful because it does not provide the concrete facts that are necessary in an argument to defend your thesis.

(Adapted from the Princeton University Writing Center Handout Avoiding Common Errors in Logic and Reasoning)