Essay writing guides

ENGL 2210 World Literature II

Essay and paper writing guides

In this course you will be required to write 5 short essays (350-400 words each). These will be critical responses to questions based on the reading and interpretation of a reading assignment. Additionally, you will write two shorter course papers. I am assuming that at this point all of you should have taken the English composition courses and should be familiar with the process of writing critical essays and papers. Below is a list of writing guides that should help you in organizing your essays and papers. You should print these out and always have them handy as you start developing your ideas for an essay or a paper.

Use the Writing process template for composing each of your paragraphs. Have this template handy when you come for consultations.

Read carefully and understand clearly the topic of your essay. I urge you to discuss points in the topic that are not clear to you.

Keep these points in mind as you compose your essays. I will take off points in any essay or paper that does not follow these instructions!:

Write your name on the top left
Write the title of your essay, centered.
The title MUST be focused, concise and related to the topic of the essay. Use 8-10 words to compose the title.
Do not write "throughout the story|novel|poem|play" ANYWHERE in your essay!
Do not write "the first example is, another example is, the next example is," etc., ANYWHERE in your essay.
I will take off 10 points for any paragraph that does not have a topic sentence. Learn what a topic sentence is and practice writing them.
Do not write "you|your|yours" ANYWHERE in your essay, unless it is in a quotation.
Sentences may not be longer that two lines.
Paragraphs may not be longer than 12 lines. Your essays MUST be at least 4 paragraphs long (introduction, conclusion and at least two additional paragraphs.)
Send essays and papers as e-mail attachments.
Essay is due no later than midnight on the date indicated. I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE ESSAYS FOR ANY REASON, EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED! I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE PAPERS WITHOUT A VALID UNIVERSITY EXCUSE.
You may turn in an essay at least two days before it is due, in which case I will check it and send you comments.
Be sure to go through the Checklist for world literature essays and papers before you submit them.

Failure to follow these guidelines will result in a failing grade for the assignment.

No matter how great the substance of your essays is, it may not convey what you want it to convey if the structure is confusing. The essay writing guides will help you focus on organizing your thoughts into a well-formed essay.

The staff at the English Writing Center are ready to help you with any specific needs.