Writing

Writing for the Web	Research Essays
Blurbs | Page Titles Newbie Checklist | Web Conventions   First Amendment E-Mail | Usability | Interactive Fiction	MLA Style | BibBuilder | Sources Thesis Statements | Integrating Quotes Timed | Oral | Notes Argument | Critical Thinking
Journalism	Creative Writing
Hard News | News Feature Invisible Observer | What Is Newsworthy?	Poetry | Short Stories Showing/Telling | Crisis/Conflict
Technical / Professional	Grammar & Style
Usability | PrototypesReports | E-Mail Instructions | Resumes	Parallel Structure Nominalization | Infinitives Active vs. Passive | Gender

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.

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.

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.

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.

20 May 2003; by Kathy Kennedy (eds. Dalbesio and Jerz)
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.

15 Apr 2003; by Dennis G. Jerz
Writing Web Pages: Top 5 Conventions
Lead with your best stuff. Inform with linked text. Employ consistent navigation. Prefer simple designs. Write scannable text.