Writing Center Helpful Handouts
Getting Started
Brainstorming: Clustering and Listing Brainstorming is a technique used to inspire creative thinking and develop ideas. In composition: brainstorming means to write down ideas freely.
Brainstorming: Freewriting Freewriting is nonstop writing. Write whatever comes to mind without pausing to check meaning, spelling, or anything.
Essay Writing
MLA: Supporting a Thesis & Organizing Evidence MLA style is a system of documenting citations. MLA stands for Modern Language Association.
Sentence Style
Diction Diction refers to word choice. The words you choose should suit your purpose and audience.
Avoiding Cliches A cliché is an old, overused expression. It adds nothing fresh or creative to one’s writing.
Sentence Style: Parallelism (Parallel Structure) Parallelism: when two (or more) similar phrases (or words) link together to make one sentence.
Grammar
Run-on Sentences A run-on sentence is a common sentence error in which two or more independent clauses are combined without the use of appropriate punctuation.
Sentence Fragments A sentence fragment is a common sentence error that occurs when a dependent clause is incorrectly punctuated as though it is a complete sentence.