coterie, n.
1. “An organized association of persons for political, social, or other purposes; a club”
2. “A circle of persons associated together and distinguished from ‘outsiders’, a ‘set’”
“A coterie of the candidate’s supporters worked hard to make sure the rally was a success.”
“coterie, n.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2015. Web. 24 February 2016.
Today’s tip is from the archives and comes from professor and poet, Elisabeth Whitehead.
My writing process consists mostly of trying to get out of my own way, at least in its initial stages. I ascribe to the Jack Kerouac school of writing which says forget yourself for a while and see what clarity lifts to the surface. Here’s what Kerouac himself has to say in the first four sentences on his list of writing essentials:
I think of my writing self as consisting of many thin layers stacked on top of the other, like strata. Sometimes I think of it as a pool of water, churning at the surface, but still as stone below. It is the agitated top layer I have to watch out for, consisting of the anxieties surrounding writing: looming deadlines, perfectionism, ego, fear of failure, fear of being stuck in the same patterns of ideas and images. I’ve learned that I have to get through the top layers first before I strike something unexpected, honest, and clear in my writing.
Continue reading “Tuesday’s Tip (from the archives): Breaking Through the White Page”
With spring break right around the corner, you might be looking for a good book or two. Check this out!
Once again, the Writing Center is selling valentines to benefit the YMCA literacy program and we can’t wait! Our letterpress cards (made on the ZSR letterpress) are printed with some of our favorite poems, quotes, and images. There are funny cards, sweet cards, quirky cards – hopefully you can find the perfect one!
The sale will be tomorrow outside of the Benson food court. Cards are $3 each (2 for $5 and 5 for $10).
Yesterday we shared a post from our archives about whether or not it’s best to take notes by hand or by computer.
As a follow-up, we wanted to share an article from the Harvard Business Review about what exactly you miss when you take notes by computer – it turns out, you might miss out on a lot.
“But is longhand dead? Should you be embarrassed bringing a pen and paper to your meetings? To answer these questions, I did a little digging and found that the answer is no, according to a study conducted by Princeton’s Pam A. Mueller and UCLA’s Daniel M. Oppenheimer. Their research shows that when you only use a laptop to take notes, you don’t absorb new materials as well, largely because typing notes encourages verbatim, mindless transcription.”
We’ve recently come across a few articles that speak to the technology-age old question: pen and paper or computer?
Should I fill notebooks and binders with my handwritten notes? Or maybe I should click away on the keys during a lecture?
A recent study found that students remembered lectures better when they took notes by hand instead of on a computer. From their study, researchers concluded that
“Prior studies have primarily focused on students’ capacity for multitasking and distraction when using laptops. The present research suggests that even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing. In three studies, we found that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand. We show that whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning.”
I can’t believe it’s already Friday. Hope you all had a great week! We sure did in the Writing Center.
Here’s a peek at our week.
See you next week!
Do you love to write? Are you looking for new and creative outlets? Do you think a good challenge?
Enter My 500 Words!
According to their website, the rules are simple:
riant, adj.
“The riant little girl was always giggling. Her attitude was contagious.”
“riant, adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2015. Web. 22 September 2015.
Today’s tip (from our archives) comes from the eLearning librarian at ZSR Library, Kyle Denlinger.
When I think back on all the research papers I wrote when I was in college, I’m struck by the countless hours I must have spent organizing, formatting, and proofreading my citations and bibliographies. Those were the dark ages. You see, back then, we didn’t have EasyBib. We had to format our citations by hand, on note cards, in the snow, uphill both ways! And we liked it!