Hi
Christmas is coming!!! First,
I wanted to put in a word for citations and using them!!! This is about linking
your ideas to things beyond yourself. In Module One we talk about communication, reflection and networks. These are foundational ideas that we return to each module.
Think of citations in terms of them. Citing (talking about) other peoples’ work
and ideas is how you show how your ideas link to the ‘network’ of ideas about a subject. This also shows how what you
think links to the ‘reflections’ of
others. As you do this you communicate your ideas in your own way and then
share how other people have ‘communicated’
similar ideas.
Now don’t be afraid of
citations just because they have a particular format. The formality of
citations is just so there is a standard way of doing things; so we can all
find the work you are talking about. I have talked about this in a couple of
past blog posts have a look.
Starting up
What Sam and Billy say
Now for word counts and
editing – again don’t be afraid of these. Word counts and starting to edit your
work is part of sharpening your skills in writing and being clear in your own
head what you want to say.
Here are some ‘tips’ on
self-editing
- Don’t get too attached to everything in the essay; nothing is ever lost; it can be used elsewhere.
- Whatever you write, write about what is necessary to the points you are making.
- Be sure that everything in the essay contributes to what you want the Reader to experience or learn from your writing.
- Don’t read to edit immediately after you have written something. Take a break and come back to it.
- Write what you mean and stop when you’ve said it!!
- Put your ideas in order.
- Think of the essay as a whole: have only one beginning (introduction), middle (the points you want to make) and end (a conclusion drawing it all together). Don’t write a beginning middle and end for every thought you want to talk about.
Looking forward to reading your comments
Adesola
Hi Adesola,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this and for linking it to previous posts related to citations, etc. It makes it much easier to find helpful posts :)
I lost marks on my module 2 work for poor citation so I hope that this time around I've developed better skills.
Your advice to step away before editing is, for me, exactly what I need to do as sometimes you write and know exactly what you mean in that moment yet when you come back to it you realise that it's not clear to anyone else what you are trying to say!
I'm also working on my love of massively long sentences (see above!). I realise that short and to the point is the way to go!
S