Here are some helpful hints to follow in writing the paper.

A. Getting started (prewriting): Most undergraduate papers are only first drafts and could have used at least one more draft. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, outline, develop and try out a preliminary thesis, write, and revise. Here are two techniques you might consider for getting started:

• The trash draft: Once you've decided on your topic, sit down for 30 minutes and write down everything you can think of related to the topic. Set this aside for a few hours, then go back and underline the parts that seem worthwhile on second reading. Then take these good parts and write another draft based on them. Set this aside, then underline the parts that seem worthwhile on second reading. You're well on your way to a specific direction for your paper.
• The hidden thesis: Try writing a first draft based on a preliminary thesis, then use the conclusion to that draft as the introduction to the next draft. Chances are that you discovered an idea worth writing about in the process of writing that first draft.

B. How to organize your paper from top to bottom:

• The introductory paragraph should leave the reader with a clear idea of where the paper is headed. The best way to do this is through a thesis statement. To receive a grade of C or above, your paper must have an identifiable thesis. B and A papers include a specific, arguable thesis. Please note: A good thesis, as odd as this may sound to you, has the potential to be disproven. Look at your thesis and ask yourself: "Would anybody potentially disagree with or not initially believe it?" If the answer is "no," you don't have a thesis. You have a bland, uninteresting assertion which will in turn make your paper bland and uninteresting.
• Each paragraph should contribute a logical step toward proving your argument. An outline listing the points of your argument is helpful at this stage.
• The conclusion should not merely summarize your paper but should persuade the reader that something significant has been discovered and discussed.

C. Things to avoid in organizing your paper:

• Comparison/contrast is a terrible way to organize a paper. Although it can be a great tool at the brainstorming stage, when used to structure your paper it usually fails. The traditional "comparison/contrast" paper shows little critical thought and rarely leads to an interesting argument.
• Don't introduce a paper with a "list-generating" thesis, such as "The Iliad introduces the reader to several interesting aspects/factors of Achilles' behavior." This is a poor thesis because all you can do now is provide paragraph after paragraph of "aspects" or "factors." There is no argument here. You eventually end up merely summarizing the plot.
• Never substitute narration of events (i.e., plot summary) for argument. Think of your audience as the relatively well-informed but not expert audience (such as your classmates in your discussion section). They already know the plot lines and characters and other general information, so you can skip that and get immediately to the point.

D. Use and Documentation of Sources: Always base your arguments very closely on the texts in question. Your reader likes to know how you arrived at your conclusions, so always cite specific evidence for interpretative remarks (e.g., everybody loved Diomedes; Agamemnon was not a good leader). References to the text will take one of the following forms:

• Parenthetical reference only: Give precise references in parentheses within the body of the paper when you mention an event or other factual information
• (Iliad 3.145-148). If giving a parenthetical reference to the text is sufficient (you will learn to make this judgment with time and practice), don't bother quoting.
• Short quotation with parenthetical reference: If you need to quote, integrate the quotation seamlessly into the structure of your sentences. Here is an example: Poetic images are not made but are "discovered in Nature" (Nicolson, 18). Remember that quotations, like the data in a lab report, are part of your argument. They should never be used as decoration or "filler."
• Long quotation (more than 5 lines): You will rarely need to do this, if at all. Read that last sentence again, please. A paper consisting of long block quotations loosely strung together and connected only by your brief comments will not receive a passing grade, as Achilles says in Homer's Iliad 5.132:

  If you absolutely must quote five or more lines of text to demonstrate your point, place the text in an inset block, single spaced, with a blank space before and after the block, just as you see it here. The parenthetical reference can appear either at the beginning or at the end of the quoted material (choose one). No quotation marks are used. And here is an extra sentence to remind us all that the block quotation is reserved for five or more lines of text (Iliad 5.132).

Other things to consider as you write:

• The tone of your paper should be fairly formal but should reveal the presence of a creative and interesting mind at work. The two extremes to avoid are the overly chatty paper that sounds like a conversation or a personal letter addressed to your discussion leader, and the dry-as-a-bone "lab report" paper (signalled by extensive use of the passive voice, which you should avoid in general, and use of phrases such as "in the opinion of the present author").
• Make minimal reference to TV, magazines, friends, grandparents, and dictionaries, and make them only if you deem them essential to demonstrating your thesis.

How your discussion leader can help you:

Your discussion leader is available to discuss your paper topics well in advance of the due date. But don't come to see him or her empty-handed. Bring some notes, scribblings, possible theses, rough outlines, anything that shows that you have already given some thought to the assignment.

You may want to look at some resources on the internet.

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