writing guides

Use the links below for additional guidance and strategy for effective writing.

• How to email your professor: The content, tone, and correctness of your emails makes an impression. Form good habits now.
• The writing process: Start at the Purdue OWL and work through the steps of the writing process, determining what works best for you and the assignment you're tackling.
• The first draft: Here's a transcription of a short but compelling piece by Anne Lamott, from Bird by Bird --good advice for writers at all levels.
• From "shitty first draft" to un-shitty first draft: moving forward from Lamott's SFD
• Writing and revising paragraphs: Here's a prezi on this topic, building on content from the University of North Carolina's Online Writing Lab.

Note, too, that the reading guides posted on this website will provide helpful information on types of literary elements to consider in each genre discussed in this course.