Advice I give to my students at Smith College:

1) Be clear! 2) Be concise! 3) Be interesting!

• I am your audience. When you write a paper imagine what objections James Miller would make to your arguments and then either counter these objections or admit that these objections weaken your thesis. It’s better to admit a flaw in your argument than it is to ignore such a flaw. Consider having a pretend conversation with me in which I point out everything that is wrong with your paper.

• Using many subheadings often makes papers clearer and better organized. If other instructors have said that your writing is unclear or disorganized then definitely use subheadings. Using bullet points often makes papers more clear and concise. Bullet points often work well in introductions or conclusions. Weak writers should almost always use bullet points because bullet points partially compensate for confused writing.

• The first sentence of your paper sets the tone and is a huge hint to me about your writing quality. Your first sentence should be interesting and give me significant information about your paper’s contents. Look at the first sentences of articles in major newspapers for examples of well-written first sentences.

• Students often use clichés and pronouns incorrectly. Avoid clichés. Make sure that it is obvious what noun a pronoun refers to. If there is any doubt, don’t use the pronoun.

• Look at every sentence and ask yourself if you could rewrite the sentence in a way such that (a) you have conveyed the same information in fewer words and (b) the rewritten sentence is grammatically correct. If so then you should probably go with the more concise sentence. If you are not an excellent writer then you should always go with the shorter sentence.