A List of Writing Tips from College Teachers

Never refer to an author by his/her first name. If the author is a woman, do not refer to her as "he."

Cite your sources, and use the proper citation style for the class you are in (your syllabus likely mentions it). Any ideas you include that didn't come from YOUR brain MUST be cited, both parenthetically and in your works cited. Quotation marks are not sufficient.

Support your claims with evidence.

The word is "nowadays," not "now in days." Regardless, use another word (and be sure the words you do use are spelled correctly).

Triple check the name of your core text. Similarly, always spell your professor's name correctly.

When revising an essay, always make the corrections your professor suggested on the rough draft. Our memories are longer than you think, and if you submitted your essay electronically, we have a copy of our comments.

Italicize or underline a book title. Quotation marks are for other kinds of texts. Also, a book-length work of non-fiction is not a novel, and an essay is not a story.

I'm Still Here

Mostly blogging over here these days - or will be blogging more in the coming weeks, I should say.

I'm having a fabulous and formative summer: writing, reading, moving my bod, talking with loved ones, and staying as open as possible.

I hope the same for you.