A glorious summertime at the beach must recede to memory as fall begins anew with a return to literature and essays and thoughts of grammar. I’m ready to enjoy a fresh start and a new semester.
The Stone Writing Center welcomes returning students and students who are attending Del Mar College for the first time this fall with hopes that all will visit the SWC. Students who have already visited the SWC report that their writing does improve, along with their grades, because they find here the opportunity to discuss their papers with Writing Consultants who know and love writing and can assist students with the process of writing.
In addition to in-person advice about writing, the SWC also provides computers for students to use, Boot Camps for any who have questions about grammar and on-line tutoring. For details of when Boot Camps begin and how to contact the on-line tutors please visit the SWC web site. Student Assistants at the SWC are happy to answer questions and to schedule appointments.
All of us are here to make your college experience more productive, more enjoyable and even easier. Call (361) 698-1364 or come by to find a warm and friendly atmosphere which is conducive to creativity, a place where writing becomes one of the best of your college experiences, as it should be.
Don’t forget to read a few blogs, too, ones posted previously and more to come this semester. Information about grammar and writing may not be quite as much fun as surfing the waves and relaxing on the beach, but it has its moments.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Looking Back...
One day in the middle of August when I was a novice surfer, a total squid, I almost made a colossal mistake. I hadn’t even looked to see what the weather was before deciding to head to the beach. When I realized the wind was blowing at about forty mph, a mental image of massive waves tossing me and my board like flotsam and jetsam came to me as my inner voice asked a bit nervously, “…the weather, Roxy, what if there’s a storm?” Instead of throwing caution to the winds (or possible rain and hail), I decided not to be like a few unwary sorts I’d heard about, people who actually go to the beach during squalls and big storms (big mistake).
As the spring semester draws to a close, maybe you’ve had a few less than perfect moments in your academic life or maybe just heard an interesting rumor of some giant error in judgment someone else made. Was there a time when the essay someone turned in turned out to be not quite, not precisely, not exactly what the instructor had in mind, as in not even? Did you figure out from that person’s calamity that there’s a better way to go about writing your own essays? As you end one semester and think about future writing, keep in mind that when something does go wrong, analyzing the reason it went wrong can turn into a conscious method you can use to find the right way to compose the next essay.
Your summer plans may involve more than relaxation - work or summer school - but it is a good idea to look back now and then to review the times you’d like to have back for revision (if only…) or, far more happily and much more often, the times you succeeded in doing just what you set out to do. Although I’ll be spending time on the surfboard instead of at the keyboard for the summer, I’ll be thinking about blogs to post next fall. While enjoying the waves and wind (not hurricane strength), I’ll remember this semester and consider what worked and what fell short of working exactly as I wished for it to work in my writing. Learning – improving as a writer - does involve the search for silver linings in the inevitable clouds that come with writing.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
As the spring semester draws to a close, maybe you’ve had a few less than perfect moments in your academic life or maybe just heard an interesting rumor of some giant error in judgment someone else made. Was there a time when the essay someone turned in turned out to be not quite, not precisely, not exactly what the instructor had in mind, as in not even? Did you figure out from that person’s calamity that there’s a better way to go about writing your own essays? As you end one semester and think about future writing, keep in mind that when something does go wrong, analyzing the reason it went wrong can turn into a conscious method you can use to find the right way to compose the next essay.
Your summer plans may involve more than relaxation - work or summer school - but it is a good idea to look back now and then to review the times you’d like to have back for revision (if only…) or, far more happily and much more often, the times you succeeded in doing just what you set out to do. Although I’ll be spending time on the surfboard instead of at the keyboard for the summer, I’ll be thinking about blogs to post next fall. While enjoying the waves and wind (not hurricane strength), I’ll remember this semester and consider what worked and what fell short of working exactly as I wished for it to work in my writing. Learning – improving as a writer - does involve the search for silver linings in the inevitable clouds that come with writing.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Surfing the Blank Page
Every so often, I always refresh my mind from writing by riding the nearest wave. I remember one time that didn’t happen. The water was calm, the wind was still, and the scene was empty. The waves were gone, and the emptiness of the water almost scared me a little.
Writing can be like that too. There’s nothing more daunting than the blank page or the void of white on the computer screen. The white space then acts as a barrier, blocking the thoughts from your mind and preventing you from getting them on paper. Some people think of this as “writer’s block”, some mystical thing that prevents them from being great writers.
However, it’s not mystical at all, and it isn’t unbreakable.
Remember that the journey of a mile always begins with a single step. A single word can break the silence of the empty page. When writing a first draft, you don’t need to worry about whether you’re not good enough, or that what you’ve written doesn’t work, or that your grade will crash into the rocks if you miss that fragment or comma splice. You can always revise those problems in a later draft.
Depending on how you write, you can always find a way to beat the blank space. One way to do this is simply ride the wave and write. Just type whatever is in your mind at that moment. Don’t stop for anything. Be as one with the text.
When you stop and give yourself time to think, your mind may find a way to trick you into not writing. It will tempt you with that beautiful day outside, the desire to sleep after a long class period, or anything else you’d rather do instead of writing. Ignore that urge to procrastinate, however compelling it sounds to you.
Give yourself space and time to write for yourself when this happens. Find a quiet and peaceful place for you to be alone with your thoughts as you write. Use the writing tools that you love most. Some people enjoy relaxing music when they work. What you use is up to you, and it’s okay to experiment. The important thing is that you schedule a time and a place each day to keep writing, even if it’s just for yourself. This will help you put yourself in a positive frame of mind as you work.
The best way to break the cycle of blockage is to get in the habit of writing without fear. Get into the rhythm of your work, and stay a step ahead of whatever is blocking you. Know what holds you back and push against it. Once you break that initial resistance and find the momentum of your wave, the words will come. Who knows? You may even discover the joy of writing that comes with self-expression.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Writing can be like that too. There’s nothing more daunting than the blank page or the void of white on the computer screen. The white space then acts as a barrier, blocking the thoughts from your mind and preventing you from getting them on paper. Some people think of this as “writer’s block”, some mystical thing that prevents them from being great writers.
However, it’s not mystical at all, and it isn’t unbreakable.
Remember that the journey of a mile always begins with a single step. A single word can break the silence of the empty page. When writing a first draft, you don’t need to worry about whether you’re not good enough, or that what you’ve written doesn’t work, or that your grade will crash into the rocks if you miss that fragment or comma splice. You can always revise those problems in a later draft.
Depending on how you write, you can always find a way to beat the blank space. One way to do this is simply ride the wave and write. Just type whatever is in your mind at that moment. Don’t stop for anything. Be as one with the text.
When you stop and give yourself time to think, your mind may find a way to trick you into not writing. It will tempt you with that beautiful day outside, the desire to sleep after a long class period, or anything else you’d rather do instead of writing. Ignore that urge to procrastinate, however compelling it sounds to you.
Give yourself space and time to write for yourself when this happens. Find a quiet and peaceful place for you to be alone with your thoughts as you write. Use the writing tools that you love most. Some people enjoy relaxing music when they work. What you use is up to you, and it’s okay to experiment. The important thing is that you schedule a time and a place each day to keep writing, even if it’s just for yourself. This will help you put yourself in a positive frame of mind as you work.
The best way to break the cycle of blockage is to get in the habit of writing without fear. Get into the rhythm of your work, and stay a step ahead of whatever is blocking you. Know what holds you back and push against it. Once you break that initial resistance and find the momentum of your wave, the words will come. Who knows? You may even discover the joy of writing that comes with self-expression.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Speaking the Language
Groups of people who gather together often develop insider ways of talking - different dialects, slang, jargon, or code words, even when they speak the same basic language as the nation or tribe to which they belong. Those who are part of a group identify with each other and classify those who do not use the same expressions as outsiders.
Academia is one such group and a rather large one, too. Students can be defined as new members of academia and may not be familiar with the insider language at first. Students should become familiar with formal grammar, the rules and regulations and styles of writing and speaking expected by professors, who are established members of academia. Happily, formal grammar is also widely used in business, politics, law, and many other areas of life. Formal grammar is well worth learning, especially since one’s future career may depend on knowing it.
When families and friends gather, their speech may seem odd, maybe even outlandish, to anyone not accustomed to hearing it; and there is no reason that groups familiar with each other shouldn’t have their own ways of talking, their distinct ways to communicate. It is wise, however, to know that places and people are not all the same. While slang and code words and various twists and turns of a language are useful and fun and good, they won’t serve when it comes time for a new member of academia, a student, to write an essay that will be read by a professor who is used to formal grammar and notes if it is not used.
No one type of language or way of speaking is better or worse than any other. There are just different times and places for each. Right, Dudettes?
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Academia is one such group and a rather large one, too. Students can be defined as new members of academia and may not be familiar with the insider language at first. Students should become familiar with formal grammar, the rules and regulations and styles of writing and speaking expected by professors, who are established members of academia. Happily, formal grammar is also widely used in business, politics, law, and many other areas of life. Formal grammar is well worth learning, especially since one’s future career may depend on knowing it.
When families and friends gather, their speech may seem odd, maybe even outlandish, to anyone not accustomed to hearing it; and there is no reason that groups familiar with each other shouldn’t have their own ways of talking, their distinct ways to communicate. It is wise, however, to know that places and people are not all the same. While slang and code words and various twists and turns of a language are useful and fun and good, they won’t serve when it comes time for a new member of academia, a student, to write an essay that will be read by a professor who is used to formal grammar and notes if it is not used.
No one type of language or way of speaking is better or worse than any other. There are just different times and places for each. Right, Dudettes?
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Is Your Verb Merely Existing?
Is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been – why do writing teachers occasionally note that problems occur when students overuse being verbs? Being verbs do the job. They are easy to use and quick. They require very little imagination and eliminate the struggle to find an expressive action verb.
The simplicity of being verbs, how very easy they are to use, might begin to reveal why English teachers object to finding an abundance of being verbs in a composition. Let’s face it. Teachers read hundreds, even thousands of essays. Is it possible that a piece of writing in which is, am, was, were, etc., repeat in every sentence might possibly bore the reader?
The English language offers almost endless choices of words and expressions. Being verbs may accomplish the task of forming a full sentence when combined with a subject, but writing loses its punch when the reader finds nothing to imagine, nothing to picture.
Action verbs do engage the senses and add extra levels of interest to writing:
She is a swimmer. (OK)
She swims. (Slightly better)
She plunges against the waves. (Closer)
She glides seamlessly through the waves. (Hmmmm)
Variations on the same general idea have proven possible. The choice of how to express an action depends entirely on the writer’s intent.
Action verbs can give the sentence character, flavor, a sense of reality, while being verbs merely state that any given subject exists (in a state of being). Tacking on a predicate nominative or predicate adjective renames or describes the subject’s state of existence but offers no liveliness or sense of activity.
The next time you write, consider checking to see how many times being verbs appear in your paper. If they greatly outnumber all the other verbs, consider how effectively they have conveyed your meaning. If you find that your writing lacks something, use action verbs instead of being verbs to make a noticeable difference and improve your writing.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
More Uses of the Apostrophe
One use of the punctuation mark known as the apostrophe is to show ownership or possession. People can be said to “own” many kinds of objects, and they can also “own” ideas and other non-material things.
There are (no surprises here) several rules to keep in mind when indicating ownership by placing an apostrophe at the end of a word, before or after an s usually. One rule has to do with whether there is one (singular –‘s) who owns or more than one (plural – s’) who owns whatever it is.
Consider, for instance, the following examples:
“Jim’s surf board” - only he owns it.
“The surfers’ waves” - they all say they own them.
Spelling matters when it comes time to placing apostrophes. Some nouns are already plural, like the word “children,” so the apostrophe is placed the same way it is for a singular noun, before the s instead of after the s – “the children’s teacher.”
Confused yet? The rules start to become even more interesting (in the sense that maybe we should all review them now and then to refresh our memories) when trying to figure out what belongs to whom and exactly how to punctuate to indicate ownership with the right singular or plural possessive form. A dictionary helps at times, especially when in doubt about whether oddly-spelled (irregular) nouns are singular or plural – one woman, many women. A word such as “deer” does not have a plural form (one deer or eight deer, so one deer’s habitat is punctuated the same as fifty deer’s habitat).
Possessive pronouns add to the mix of questions about using apostrophes to indicate ownership. With words like her or hers, his, theirs, our or ours, no apostrophe is needed since by definition the possessive pronouns already indicate ownership.
There are other ways apostrophes are used, too; but right now the sun is shining and the beach is not very far away. Apostrophes, additional uses, can wait until another day.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten, not 10!
There are (no surprises here) several rules to keep in mind when indicating ownership by placing an apostrophe at the end of a word, before or after an s usually. One rule has to do with whether there is one (singular –‘s) who owns or more than one (plural – s’) who owns whatever it is.
Consider, for instance, the following examples:
“Jim’s surf board” - only he owns it.
“The surfers’ waves” - they all say they own them.
Spelling matters when it comes time to placing apostrophes. Some nouns are already plural, like the word “children,” so the apostrophe is placed the same way it is for a singular noun, before the s instead of after the s – “the children’s teacher.”
Confused yet? The rules start to become even more interesting (in the sense that maybe we should all review them now and then to refresh our memories) when trying to figure out what belongs to whom and exactly how to punctuate to indicate ownership with the right singular or plural possessive form. A dictionary helps at times, especially when in doubt about whether oddly-spelled (irregular) nouns are singular or plural – one woman, many women. A word such as “deer” does not have a plural form (one deer or eight deer, so one deer’s habitat is punctuated the same as fifty deer’s habitat).
Possessive pronouns add to the mix of questions about using apostrophes to indicate ownership. With words like her or hers, his, theirs, our or ours, no apostrophe is needed since by definition the possessive pronouns already indicate ownership.
There are other ways apostrophes are used, too; but right now the sun is shining and the beach is not very far away. Apostrophes, additional uses, can wait until another day.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten, not 10!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
How to Make a Tutoring Session Work for You
Events in life take some preparation, even something simple like a short trip to the sea wall to rest our eyes on the waters of the gulf. Before catching a wave, I survey the scene, check out the surf, and have my gear with me and in good condition. Before you come to the SWC for a thirty-minute tutorial, a bit of planning can make the time more useful for you than not.
Tip 1: It may sound like a no-brainer, but it is best to arrive early for your appointment, five or ten minutes, since being late may result in a standby taking your appointment time. If you cannot make it to the scheduled appointment, call and let us know so that someone else can use the appointment time.
Tip 2: Bring a copy of your assignment with you so that the tutor will know what your work involves. Relying on your memory - what you think possibly the instructor said – may not be the best method for getting the right advice from a tutor.
Tip 3: Mostly, though, think about what it is that you want to find out. When you come prepared with questions or concerns (and any notes or drafts or brainstorming that you’ve done) the session will go smoothly and be productive.
Tip 4: Your active participation during tutoring time is essential. Express yourself. Talk about your writing, what problems or successes you have had with it so far, what hopes or fears about the writing you have (or what technical/grammatical problems you need to solve). While a tutoring session is not exactly the right time to bare your soul or air opinions about the state of the universe, moods, emotions, and attitudes do have an effect on your writing. If you are upset, let the tutor know, especially if it is a problem that is keeping you from completing the assignment. Often, acknowledging an emotion and talking about it briefly can clear it up, like clouds moving away from the sun, so that the rest of the session can be focused on the work at hand.
Tip 5: If you have begun the paper, bring two typed copies of your draft, double spaced, for notes that you or the tutor may make. Your thoughts, ideas, and questions will keep the dialogue on the main reasons you have come to see a tutor. It is best to phrase your questions by asking “What if I write__________?”(And then come up with a possibility) instead of “What should I write?” The paper is yours, not the tutor’s; and whatever the tutor might suggest is not the answer you need. Discussing your ideas before starting your paper also works very well. Be aware that your own ideas are the ones that will work best for you when you do start writing. Talk with the tutor about your ideas, ways to structure the paper that you have considered, perhaps to see if your ideas are logical and will work to fulfill your assignment.
Tip 6: Finally, don’t forget to enjoy the half hour you have taken to talk about your writing. Keep your mind open to possibilities, and you will find the time well spent, maybe even as much fun as taking a walk along the shoreline to comb for treasure along the beach.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten, not 10!
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