Being Heard Through "The Word"

In My Religion Helen Keller famously said, "For nearly six years I had no concepts whatever of nature or mind or death or God. I literally thought with my body...Then, suddenly, I knew not how or where or when, my brain felt the impact of another mind, and I awoke to language, to knowledge, to love...I was actually lifted from nothingness to human life..."   

Some of you may be rolling your eyes, thinking how incredibly cliché it is to use Helen Keller as an example of "finding herself" through language, but bear with me!

 The important thing, typically left out of Keller's story, is what she did with her realization--she made sure her voice was heard, even if that meant angering  powerful people, including President Woodrow Wilson, who persecuted the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union, of which she was a member.  

 Helen Keller was a radical socialist, a revolutionary voice for the voiceless, who boldly championed the rights of the disenfranchised, from those who are disabled, to the rights of ethnic minorities, women, and industrial workers.

The fact that many people don't know this is no accident. Keller's legacy has been tamed into a heroic tale of overcoming overwhelming odds with the help of a dedicated teacher (See Lies My Teacher Told Me for more). But Keller undoubtedly wished people would take advantage of that which no one can take--their voice. It is ironic that after struggling so hard to essentially create herself with language, Keller has been silenced by history.

The point? Take advantage of the power of written and spoken word by building arguments. Combine what you know through experience with what our amazing library has to offer. Using the power of language, Keller discovered a world filled with people needlessly suffering and said something about it. Will we do the same, or will we remain silent?

The First Step: Pre-Writing

Writing anything takes place through a process, whether we realize this or not. Some may follow different patterns at different times while they write, but over the next few months, we'll be talking about some tips for you to possibly use during your own writing process.

There's no way around it: when you've got something to write, you've got to start somewhere. Below are some strategies you can use to start pre-writing for your next project.

Brainstorming
We've probably all heard this term before. When brainstorming, try making a list of key words, phrases, and questions about your topic. Ask yourself: What do I want to talk about? What else do I need to know? What do I want my readers to get from this? This is a great way to help generate content for your work. 

Freewriting
Whether you type or handwrite your ideas, getting them out into words is what's important. Don't worry about proper grammar or complete sentences here--write down any information that is connected to your topic that you feel is important, and let the ideas flow. You can always organize them later. While brainstorming generally looks like a list when complete, freewriting takes on more of a loose paragraph form. 

Talking It Out
While some may like to pre-write alone, it can be very helpful to talk to others about your ideas. Tell a friend or classmate what your writing is about, and ask them what they think. Talking to someone else about your topic can develop more ideas than you might expect. And don't forget, EIU's Writing Center is always a great place to talk!

Visit Purdue OWL Online for more information about getting started with your writing. 

"So What'd I Miss?" #1 - How Your Subject Librarian Can Help You

Quick story! Real quick, I promise!

The other day, I noticed an interesting suggestion on an assignment sheet that an undergraduate brought in: "Seek out your specialist librarian to help you navigate library resources."  So, I sent the theater specialist librarian, David Bell, an e-mail requesting we meet up and go over my (fictitious) assignment. David has been a specialist librarian at Booth for 16 years, and says more students would benefit if they would seek out their specialist librarians: “We know the sources—you’ll be able to write a better paper because you benefit from our expertise.”

I picked two prompts from the assignment sheet. David says students often come in with only an assignment sheet or a vague topic, and he “doesn’t expect students to come in knowing everything already." In fact, he shares that students "often start off looking for one thing, but discover another.”

For my imaginary assignment, I told David I was deciding between writing about Noh theatre and possibly the history of mimes. David walked me through the process: We looked at some articles, where I learned that Noh theatre is a Japanese theatre art, and I discovered Kabuki - another kind of Japanese theatre. He suggested I might write about the relationship between Kabuki and Noh. The more I learned about Noh Theatre, the further I got from thinking about the history of mimes.  David cautions, however, that you, as a writer, should “be persistent in looking up stuff about your topic,” and to “not give up too quickly just because you can’t find anything.”

Making an appointment with a specialist librarian will benefit you. You’ll do some background reading, get a feel for your topic, and then they can help you navigate the vast amount of resources that are available to you both electronically and in print. David says that rather than thinking that you should “write this, or that,” you should find something enjoyable to write about because “it’s an easier process if it’s something you’re genuinely interested in.”

You can find the specialist librarian for your major or topic here: http://www.library.eiu.edu/about/sublib.php

Hopefully you have Noh trouble finding something that interests you— thanks for reading, and good luck!

Writing and Micro-Adventures

A recent article about taking microadventures claims that downtime and new experiences are essential to productivity, which means they're essential to writing as well.

According to some researchers downtime allows your brain to evaluate your experiences in ways that could help you improve your self and your work. But true downtime requires you to cut off the flow of information.

So, no phone.

If you need more motivation, why not help children in need get clean water for every ten minutes you go without your phone?

Still with me? Feelin' good about helping the needy and taking care of your brain at the same time?

Good. Now we need new experiences.

Anytime you encounter something new, it can actually "spark different synapses in the brain," which you need for creativity and, of course, for all kinds of writing.

So, if you can't take a micro-adventure like camping in your backyard, try taking a written micro-adventure.

You could draw a map of the first neighborhood you can remember living in.

This is a great way to explore a place you've already been, blending downtime with new experiences and potentially maximizing brain gains. You'll be surprised by how much you remember or, in my case, by the massive blank spots.

Draw a map of an imaginary continent.

Where are the points of interest, and what are their names? What's the climate like here or there? Who knows, you may be on the verge of writing a fantasy novel when you're done.

Mapmaking not your taste? In a few sentences, describe an imaginary setting that you'd love to explore.

Inventing an environment is another good way to get some downtime and new experiences all at once. You can mosey around in an imaginary comfort zone while still conjuring up new sights, sounds, and smells to trigger those synapses.

Did the electric sandstorms in the new Mad Max pique your interest, or do you prefer the arctic climes beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones? Take that inspiration and make something new.

Instead of limiting your travels to the real world or even other writers' fictional worlds, try inventing your own setting. Load it with adjectives, and don't worry about sharing it. This is your world. Claim it.

I'm not saying you should claim it like this cat, but you can't knock kitty's results.

Confessions of a Plagiarist

Nearly everything I write starts out stolen.

Imitation is learning, after all.

But to avoid academic dishonesty or an "F" for the class, you need to do what any good thief does with valuable material.

Launder it. In writing, you can steal the purpose of someone else's words instead of the words themselves, and the writing you produce by following that model can work just as well.

An argumentation paper is a good option for this strategy. So when that assignment falls into your lap, we have a few tips here to help you succeed.

Here's how to steal like an academic.


1. Draft directly onto any examples your professor hands out.

If you have a digital copy of a successful paper, just load that beauty up and write your name at the top. Be sure to highlight everything so you can remember what's stolen later.

Congrats, you're a thief. Twirl your mustache before proceeding to step two.

"I shan't!"

2. Figure out why that example is good.

Make a list of what each highlighted sentence accomplished. Did it state an opinion? Did it provide context for an argument? Did it summarize a complicated idea?

In the Writing Center, we call this metacognition. Two-dollar word right there. Feel free to steal that too.


3. Copy the purpose, not the words.

That list should help you learn why the paper succeeded, and you can follow those guidelines as you insert your own ideas.

For instance, if your notes say that the first sentence of the sample paper simply introduced an argument or thesis statement, then you should do the same.

Go through the list with your topic in mind and write sentences that do what the example sentences did. Write your sentence right after the stolen one and compare them.

At this point, you're more like an art forger than a thief. But hey, that's still cool.


4. Fill the document with quotes.

Here's a good place to start when your professor doesn't give you a sample paper.

If the professor allows quotes, I load my document with enough of them to meet the assignment's page requirement. If nothing else, it makes me feel better that the end is in sight.

There are only two rules: the quotes need to be related, and I need to have something to say about each of them. That need is what will help fill the gaps later.


4. Read that ugly mess.

With the small bits I've added, that once glorious sample paper will now look like total carnage.

I recommend channeling Edward Norton for a zen moment.

Now it's time to clean up that mess.

5. Revise, revise, revise.

I usually can't help but write at this point because, for me, revising is easier than drafting.

Wanting to bring order to the world (or a lowly paper) is pretty a common desire, so I'm betting you'll be ready to write too.

Delete anything that doesn't connect to your topic. Bridge those gaps between quotes. It's usually as simple as introducing the quote and then explaining why it's important to your argument.

If you have any more stolen material that needs to be there for the paper to make sense, cite it carefully. Here's the website we use in the Writing Center to make sure our citations are perfect: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Yeah, sorry, you still have to cite. There is no perfect crime.


In short . . .

It's all about stealing the purpose of words, not the words themselves.