Writing Handouts

• Thesis Statements
• Personal Essays
• Short Research Papers

• Writing for the Internet  ( Link Blurbs | Page Titles | Navigation )
  
• Email: Top 10 Tips for Writing Effective Email
• Short Reports
• Usability Testing

• Hard News
• News Features
• The Invisible Observer in News Features
  
• Using Quotations in Journalism
  

• Show, Don't (Just) Tell
• Short Stories: Top 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers
• Poetry Writing: Top 10 Tips

interactive Fiction Handouts

• Playing, Studying and Writing Interactive Fiction (Text Adventure Games)
  
• What is Interactive Fiction?
• Exposition in Interactive Fiction
• Interactive Fiction Bibliography
• Interactive Fiction Canon (Classic Text Computer Games)

• Jerome McDonough, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Doug Reside, Neil Fraistat, Kari Kraus, Rachel Donahue, Dennis Jerz, Henry Lowood, Megan Winget. "Preserving Virtual Worlds: Models & Community." Digital Humanities, University of Maryland, 2009.
  
• "Teacher Tapestries: Reflections on Teaching Blogging Over a Decade" College English Association, Pittsburgh, 2009.
• "Thinking Inside the Box: Free and Open Source Alternatives to CMS" Presentation for the workshop "Course Management Systems: A Viable Reality in the Composition Classroom" Conference on College Composition and Communication 2008.
• "Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original 'Adventure' in Code and in Kentucky" Digital Humanities Quarterly, 2007.
• "When Student Experts Remix the Discipline: New Media in the Composition Classroom" Panel co-chair, Conference on College Composition and Communication 2007.
• "Emerging Social Software." Special interest group chair, Conference on College Composition and Communication 2007.
• "Assessing Google as Teaching & Research Tool." Teaching & Learning Seminar, Seton Hill University. January 2005.
• "Football Slouches Toward a Former Women's College." Inside Higher Ed. January 2005.
• "The Bane of the President's Existence." Lore: An E-Journal for Teachers of Writing. [Digressions: Reflections on Teaching -- Academic Blogging.] January 2005.
• Professional biography (C.V.)

Jerz's Literacy Weblog
Since the spring of 1999, I have annotated web links on technology, humanities, cyberculture, journalism, academia, and everything else that makes my heart go thumpety-thump.

New Media Journalism @ Seton Hill University
The main portal for the blogging community at Seton Hill University. Any student, faculty, or staff member can get a free blog here.

Online Resource Room
A large collection of instructional handouts, covering academic writing, electronic text, and technical writing. Popular pages include the MLA-style Bibliography Builder, and handouts on blurbs, e-mail, and usability testing.

Interactive Fiction
Interactive fiction requires the text-analysis skills of a literary scholar and the relentless puzzle-solving drive of a computer hacker. People tend to love it or hate it. Those who hate it sometimes say it makes them think too much.

Other Major Resources

• York Corpus Christi Pageant Simulator
• (R.U.R.) Rossum's Universal Robots

jerz.setonhill.edu | blogs.setonhill.edu

Associate Professor
English --  New Media Journalism
Seton Hill University, Greensburg, Pennsylvania

You are in a large room, with a passage to the south, a passage to the west, and a wall of broken rock to the east. There is a large "Y2" on a rock in the room's center. --"Colossal Cave Adventure"

>_

While technical writers need to have good computer skills, they do not necessarily have to write about computers all their lives. "Technical" comes from the Greek techne, which simply means "skill".

1. Go to class prepared.

"Always have a plan and believe in it. Nothing good happens by accident." -- Chuck Knox, NFL football coach

• Use a three-ring binder instead of a spiral or bound book. Pages can be easily removed for reviewing. Handouts can be inserted into your notes for cross-referencing. You can insert your own out-of-class notes in the correct order (Ellis).
• Bring highlighters to class. Instructors will frequently make comments like, "This is an important concept." Or, "Make sure you understand this." These are direct clues that this will more than likely be on an exam. Highlighting these notes will help remind you later that this is definitely something you need to know.
• Read assigned material and previous class notes before class. Make notations about material or concepts you don't understand. Look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you. You will have a better understanding about what the instructor is lecturing about and that will allow you to better decipher the more important points of the lecture.

2. Improve your listening skills.

"Learn how to listen and you will prosper even from those who talk badly." -- Plutarch (A.D. 46 - 120). Greek biographer and philosopher

• Start by entering the classroom with a positive attitude. Going to class thinking, "This is the last place I want to be today" only sets the stage for inattentive listening. Approaching lectures with a positive attitude allows one to be open-minded and enables you to get the most out of the information presented.
• Make a conscious effort to pay attention. Concentrate on concentrating. "Without concentration there is no focus, and without focus there is no learning" (Pauk 190).
• Adapt to whatever direction a lecture takes. When a lecture takes an unexpected detour, say a student asks a question you aren't particularly interested in, students have a tendency to "zone out." Before you know it, the lecture got back on track five minutes ago, and you missed crucial information that should have been noted.

3. Develop a notetaking method that works for you.

"Learn, compare, collect the facts." - Ivan Petrovic Pavlov (1849 - 1936), Russian physiologist.

Fine-tune the structure and organization of your notes to increase your notetaking speed and comprehension later.

• Start each new lecture on a new page, and date and number each page. The sequence of material is important.
• Write on one side of the paper only. You can set them out side-by-side for easier reviewing when studying for an exam.
• Leave blank spaces. This allows you to add comments or note questions later.
• Make your notes as brief as possible. "Never use a sentence when you can use a phrase, or a phrase when you can use a word" (Berkeley).
• Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever possible.
• Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don't understand. This reminds you to look them up later.
• For examples of popular notetaking formats, see Notetaking Systems at http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html

4. Play close attention to content.

"There is a great difference between knowing a thing and understanding it." - Charles Kettering (1876 - 1958), American electrical engineer and inventor

Knowing what and how much to write down is sometimes difficult. Rely on some of the following tips for what to include in your notes.

• Details, facts, or explanations that expand or explain the main points that are mentioned. Don't forget examples.
• Definitions, word for word.
• Enumerations or lists of things that are discussed. 
• Material written on the chalkboard or on a transparency, including drawings or charts. 
• Information that is repeated or spelled out. (University of Texas at Austin)

5. Review and edit your notes.

"Ideas won't keep; something must be done about them." - Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947), English mathematician and philosopher

Academic skills centers and other authorities on effective study skills consider reviewing and editing class notes to be the most important part of notetaking and essential to increasing learning capacity.

• It is extremely important to review your notes within 24 hours. 
• Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don't make sense. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear later.
• Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in class and what you filled in later. 
• Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column. 
• Note anything you don't understand by underlining or highlighting to remind you to ask the instructor.
• Compare your notes with the textbook reading and fill in important details in the blank spaces you left.
• Consider rewriting or typing up your notes. (Ellis).

Note: For additional techniques for study and exam preparation, go to Tips for Effective Study at http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/fancher/STUDY.HTM

References:

• Berkeley College. A System for Effective Listening and Notetaking. 12 October 2000. http://www-s/c.uga.berkeley.edu/CalRen/Listening.html
• California Polytechnical College. Academic Skills Center - Notetaking Systems. 12 October 2000. http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html
• Dudycha, George J. Learn More with Less Effort. (1957). Harper & Bros. New York, NY.
• Ellis, Dave. Becoming a Master Student. (1997). Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA.
• Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College. (1984 and 1997). Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA.
• Pegg, Bruce. Notetaking. (4 October 1995). 12 October 2000. http://www2.colgate.edu/diw/notetaking.html
• University of Texas at Austin. Making the Grade 101. (27 February 1998). 20 October 2000. http://www.utexas.edu/student/lsc/makinggrade/inclassnotes.html 

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The resources that follow are intended to provide some sense of the challenges and rewards of writing interactive fiction.

A particularly exciting development in interactive fiction was the 2006 release of Inform 7, a complete package for writing, debugging, mapping, and publishing interactive fiction games playable on a wide range of platforms, including PCs, Macs, and handhelds. Inform 7 code is designed to resemble ordinary English as much as possible, and is thus an excellent choice for verbal thinkers who are not trained as programmers.

Archived Articles | Writing Handouts | Online Texts | About This Site | Full Archive

06 Jun 2010 (updated); by Dennis G. Jerz
Usability Testing: 8 Quick Tips for Designing Tests
If you already have a prototype and you want to conduct a usability test, and you're eager to learn how to make the most of your opportunity to learn from your users, then this document is for you.

28 May 2008; by Dennis G. Jerz
Short Stories: Developing Ideas for Short Fiction
A short story is tight -- there is no room for long exposition, there are no subplots to explore, and by the end of the story there should be no loose ends to tie up.  End right at the climax, so that the reader has to imagine how a life-changing event will affect the protagonist.

03 Oct 2007; by Dennis G. Jerz
Quotations: Integrating them in MLA-Style Papers
The MLA-style in-text citation is a highly compressed format, designed to avoid interruping the flow of ideas. A proper MLA inline citation uses just the author's last name and the page number (or line number), separated by a space (not a comma).

03 Oct 2007; by Dennis G. Jerz
Researched Papers: Using Quotations Effectively
If your college instructor wants you to cite every fact or opinion you find in an outside source, how do you make room for your own opinion? Paraphrase, quote selectively, and avoid summary.

Star C. Foster and Daniel Ravipinto (posted Dec 2006)
Slouching Towards Bedlam
*clunk*

The rotating tin cylinder within the phonograph vibrates slightly as a brass needle scrapes against it. The sound of a throat being cleared emerges from the machine's hornshell speaker, followed by a thin, haunting voice.

"March the 16th."

A deep, shaky breath.

"I dread to say it, but I believe I am going mad. The -- *moments* -- come more frequently now. I fear that I have found what I have sought, and I shall now pay the price for it."

The scrape of a chair across flagstone. A sigh.

"Chaos treads the halls of Bedlam; her work is evident everywhere..."

22 Sep 2006 (updated); by Dennis G. Jerz
Thesis Statements: How to Write Them
A thesis statement is the single, specific claim that your essay supports. A good thesis statment is not simply an observation, a question, or a promise. It includes a topic, a precise opinion, and reasoning.

08 Jul 2006 (posted here); by Dennis G. Jerz

08 Jul 2006 (minor updates); by Dennis G. Jerz
Personal Essays: How to Write Them
Your instructor is not going to grade you on how much you loved your deceased family member, how wonderfully you played in the big game, or how narrowly you escaped death. Your instructor wants to gauge your ability to focus on one specific incident -- even a routine happening -- and tell it in an engaging way.

31 Jan 2005; by Dennis G. Jerz
Assessing Google as a Teaching and Research Tool
We know our students use Google, and we ourselves use Google to prepare for classes. We should know how Google works, so we can accommodate its weaknesses. (Teaching & Learning Forum, Seton Hill University.)

18 Dec 2005 (updated); by Dennis G. Jerz
Finding the URL of a Framed Web Document
When a site uses frames, clicking on navigation links will cause the document displayed inside the frame to change, but the URL at the top of the screen won't change. This document explains how to find the URL of the exact page you want to cite.

30 May 2004; by Dennis G. Jerz
Cruel Amusement Park Instructions
Amusement parks just wouldn't be amusing without all the warnings that we ignore.

20 Mar 2004; by Dennis G. Jerz
(Meme)X Marks the Spot: Theorizing Metablogging via "Meme" and "Conduit"
This paper examines metablogging in terms of Dawkins's concept of the "meme" and Reddy's critique of the "conduit" metaphor for communication.... The language of metablogging uses metaphors that emphasize communality and proximity, and thus offers an alternative to the social risks Reddy associates with the conduit metaphor.

24 May, 2003; by Kathy Kennedy, UWEC Senior
Short Stories: 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers
A short story starts close to the conclusion, conserves characters, scenes and details, and usually focuses on a single problem and a short time period. This page offers tips on writing dialogue, building to a climax, and capturing the reader's interest.

10 Dec 2002 (updated); by Dennis G. Jerz
Integrating Good Sources
If your college instructor wants you to cite every fact or opinion you find in an outside source, how do you make room for your own opinion? Paraphrase. Quote selectively. Avoid summary.

15 Nov 2002; by Dennis G. Jerz 
Newbie Web Author Checklist
If you've recently created your first website and you're getting ready to submit it for a class assignment, then this page is for you.

04 Nov 2002 (updated); Dennis G. Jerz
Gender-neutral Language
Many people believe that the general use of the term "man" is offensive, or at least inaccurate.  Phrases like "no man is an island" or "every man for himself" seem to exclude women. Unless your goal is to offend or annoy your audience, you should follow the conventions they expect.

28 Jan 2002; Dennis G. Jerz
I Found it On the Internet: 
How to Locate, Evaluate and Cite Online Sources
The link above goes to the web version of a PowerPoint presentation.

14 Dec 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
All Your Usenet are Belong to Wesley
I tracked down the first Usenet references to the hated Star Trek character Wesley Crusher, and to Wil Wheaton, the child actor who grew up to gain some serious geek credibility.

25 Nov 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Titles for Web Pages: In Context and Out of Context
Most writers know the value of an informative title, but many beginning web authors don't know that each web page needs two kinds of titles.

13 Nov 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Short Reports: How To Write Routine Technical Documents
This collection of documents uses examples and commentary to teach technical writing principles. Chief among them: good writers don't need fancy words; a technical document is not a mystery novel; and, break your content into appropriate sections (Abstract or Executive Summary? Introduction or Background?  Recommendations or Conclusions?). 

11 Sep 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
World Trade Center: Reflections on the Disaster
Skyscrapers in general, and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in particular, symbolize, for many writers, either prideful arrogance, or a new technological beauty. This site attempts to survey what has already been written on this topic.

02 Sep 2001; Matt Hoy and Dennis G. Jerz, eds.
Scott Adams: Storytelling in Computer Games
The author of the first commercial computer game ("Adventureland," 1978) leads a lively discussion on narrative, copyright, and violence. He also describes his first night playing EverQuest. 

15 Jul 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Exposition in Interactive Fiction
Putting long stretches of narrative prose into the mouth of the interactive fiction narrator will not turn a great puzzle-fest into even a passable story.... The interactive fiction player is supposed to live the story.

19 Apr 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Frames: Finding the URL of a Framed Document
Look for an "escape from frames" or "turn this frame off" link. Right-click on a link (or, on a Mac, hold down the control key while clicking) and select the command that will let you "open link in new window."

09 Apr 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
"Last Page of the Internet" Links
Who first created the "Last Page of the Internet" joke? I have no idea.

26 Mar 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Scott Adams, Computer Gaming Pioneer, to Speak at UWEC
Scott Adams, the computer gaming pioneer whose work during the early 80s helped spawn an entertainment industry, will visit the University of Wisconsin -- Eau Claire on Thursday, May 3, 2001 as part of the UWEC English Festival. He will participate in an early afternoon round table (2pm, location TBD), and also discuss his work in the Hibbard Humanities Hall penthouse, 4-5pm.

02 Mar 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Eliza (1966)
Eliza was the first chatterbot -- a computer program that mimics human conversation. In only about 200 lines of computer code, Eliza models the behavior of a psychiatrist (or, more specifically, the "active listening" strategies of a touchy-feely 1960s Rogerian therapist).

posted 06 Mar 2001; by Emily Short
Galatea (interactive fiction)
She might be the model in a perfume ad; the trophy wife at a formal gathering; one of the guests at this very opening, standing on an empty pedestal in some ironic act of artistic deconstruction -- You hesitate, about to turn away. Her hand balls into a fist. "They told me you were coming."

02 Mar 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Outlines: How They Can Help You
An outline is a tool that helps writers determine whether they have enough raw material (in the form of quotations from scholarly sources and/or data from original research) to construct a particular argument. With experience, many writers learn that using an outline leads to better work, in less time.

02 Mar 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
I Missed Class...Did I Miss Anything Important?
Most teachers I know cringe when students who missed class e-mail to request a transcript of the class they missed. My policy is to say, "Get the notes from a classmate." 

23 Feb 2001; Vivinette K. Dietsche (UWEC student)
Top 5 Tips for Effective Notetaking
The transition from high school textbook learning to college lecture learning can leave students struggling academically. Make that transition easy by following these 5 top tips to improve your notetaking -- and your GPA.

06 Feb 2001; compiled by Dennis G. Jerz
Zplet Bug Hunt
Some time ago I corresponded with Matthew T. Russotto, programmer of Zplet, who gave me permission to update, expand, and redistribute Zplet for non-commercial purposes. So... what bugs bedevil us when we use Zplet?

05 Feb 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Blurbs: Writing Previews of Web Pages
A blurb is a short paragraph that previews what's on the other end of a link. You're reading a blurb now. If it helps you decide whether you should click the link, then it has done its job.

23 Jan 2001; by Bauer (UWEC Student) and Jerz
Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips
These ten tips will help teach you how to write effective, high-quality e-mails in today's professional environment. Write a meaningful subject line; keep the message short and readable; avoid attachments; identify yourself; don't flame (and more).

22 Jan 2001; HTML by Dennis G. Jerz
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde
"[I]n case of the decease of Henry Jekyll, M.D., D.C.L., L.L.D., F.R.S., etc., all his possessions were to pass into the hands of his "friend and benefactor Edward Hyde," but that in case of Dr. Jekyll's "disappearance or unexplained absence for any period exceeding three calendar months," the said Edward Hyde should step into the said Henry Jekyll's shoes without further delay..."

11 Jan 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Hypertext Essays- How to Write Them
The ordinary prose essay has been around for hundreds of years; people have had a long time to discover how to write a good one.  But hypertext is a much more recent invention.

posted 05 Jan 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Learn to Fear Jupiter Communications!
If this press release represents the kind of thinking that comes out of this company, I suggest that you run screaming from the unbounded evil that Jupiter Communications represents.

posted 05 Jan 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Slamming the Door on Readers  
Web design is a good thing; but web authors who overemphasize design frequently end up skimping on -- or even subverting -- their own content.

posted 05 Jan 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Keep It Simple Stupid: On the Web, a KISS is still a KISS
Want to launch a business that makes a really huge impression?  Put the cash register on the roof.  How cool would that be!

17 Apr 2000; by Dennis G. Jerz
MLA-Style Bibliography Builder
Updated to handle web sources (Jan 2001).  Choose a form, fill it out, and push the button... you will get an individual MLA "Works Cited" entry, which you may then copy and paste into your word processor. The BibBuilder is limited in its usefulness, but you may nevertheless find it helpful.

• The Talk about [Florida] Elections (2000)
• Shall I compare thee to a hanging chad?
• Dr. Seuss Goes to Florida
• Jingle Bells 2000
• Florida County Ballot Design Raises Questions about Election 2000
• Interactive Fiction Call for Papers

Archive

Related Links

Writing BibBuilder: Free MLA Bibliography Utility Fill out a form, push a button, copy and paste. E-Mail: Top 10 Tips for Writing It Effectively Office e-mail is more formal than chatroom banter. Interactive Fiction Storytelling in Computer Games (Roundtable) With Scott Adams ("Adventureland," 1978). Full audio. Fine-Tuned: An Auto-mated Romance Free text game; automotive adventures, c. 1915. Huzzah! Usability Blurbs: Writing Previews of Web Pages A good blurb describes what's on the other end of a link. Why Usability Testing Matters: Election 2000 Poor design, lack of user testing leads to ballot controversy. Literature & Drama York Corpus Christi Play Massive annual medieval pageant: 300 actors, 12 hours long. PICK UP AX [review] An intense play about geeks, dreams, and classic rock. Literacy Weblog World Trade Center Literary & Cultural reflections. The Jerz Family Name A few stories and a bit of genealogy. eTexts Looking Backward (Edward Bellamy) Bernice Bobs Her Hair (F. Scott Fitzgerald)