© Damen, 2021
A GUIDE TO WRITING IN HISTORY AND CLASSICS
Many people assume that professional
writers don't need to rewrite; the words just fall into place. On the contrary,
careful writers can't stop fiddling. . . . Students, I realize, don't share
my love of rewriting. They think of it as punishment: extra homework or extra
infield practice."
William Zinsser, 1998
Introduction
[for a pdf copy of this guide, click here]
An opinion is an idea worth having. Even in a democracy, you do not have the innate right to have an opinion, but you do have the right to form one. You do that by following three simple steps: (1) understand the facts; (2) assess them rationally; and (3) express them cogently. This writing guide addresses the last step in that process.
The medium of history and classics as intellectual disciplines is the written word. Successful students in these fields must be able not only to read but write well. That is, they must be able to receive and impart words with precise meaning. Sloppiness of expression is as detrimental to any historical study as faulty equations are to physics. This guide is designed to help you avoid some of the more obvious pitfalls of misstatement into which students often fall.
Remember that good writing is actually very simple. Essentially,
it requires only two things: preparation (i.e. awareness of pertinent data and
the construction of a viable argument) and the precise, direct expression of
your thoughts. Thus, the advice below is broken into two parts, Style and Content.
A. The General Tone of Your Writing
1. Informality
6. Phrasing
12. Spelling
15. Paragraphs
16. Punctuation
E. The Presentation of Your Work
19. Quotes
20. Proofread
II. Part 2: Content
F. Topic
21. Stick to the Question/Topic
22. Positive Themes
23. Narrow Themes
G. Structuring and Organizing Your Paper
H. Argumentation: What to Include and How Much
26. Narrative
27. Repeated Phrases and Facts
28. Specific Facts
29. Technical Terms
30. Length
III. Conclusion
IV. Cory's Guide to Good Style: A Primer on How to Write not only Correctly but Well
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