Why Writing a Paper is Like Planning a Holiday Party

Are you ready to organize, research, and write an "A" paper? Okay. Think "party." A great party takes a lot of planning. So does a great paper. Let's review some time-tested party planning tips and see how they translate into writing a powerful paper!

Why Writing a Paper is Like Planning a Holiday Party Are you ready to organize, research, and write an "A" paper? Okay. Think "party." A great party takes a lot of planning. So does a great paper. Let's review some time-tested party planning tips and see how they translate into writing a powerful paper!

How to Plan the Perfect Party

A perfect party begins with a clear plan. It needs information such as:

You need the same information, with a few minor adjustments, for your paper. It must have a theme or thesis statement (also called an argument). The party budget is similar to an outline that describes the argument(s) to be provided in the paper.Using the outline, you decide-in advance-how much of your paper's resources will be spent on specific topics.

As you write your paper you'll want to regularly check your work against the outline. This helps you stay on course with your assignment.

Like parties that start and end at specific times, your paper will cover a well- defined range of material. No paper can cover everything there is to know on a topic. Your paper will leave the reader wanting more-at another time. The conclusion will be one way you'll satisfy the reader's curiosity about the next step.

Location, Location, Location
Did you know that the best parties are held in interesting locations? Often the location complements the theme of the party. Your paper's location is the context in which you are writing. A luau is different from a baby shower, but they're both parties. Likewise, your paper will be fundamentally different from any others. Since no two people have the same ideas or points of view, your paper will have a unique context or location. It's in this setting that you invite the readers to come and discover your ideas on the assigned topic.

Context
As you develop your paper, you'll want to be crystal clear on its context. Perhaps you have an assignment to write a paper on pain control. It's not possible to write a paper that covers everything there is to know about pain control. As a result, you will need to choose the context of your paper. Maybe it will be pain control after surgery, or for children. It's vital to make these distinctions explicit in your paper.

Clarity
The best parties include guests with diverse interests and good manners. Meeting new, interesting people is half the fun! The same is true of the ideas in your paper. Share your ideas and thoughts about the subject matter in your paper. Anticipate questions and different points of view that may be held by your readers. As you communicate with your readers, use a variety of techniques to communicate. Introduce and explain ideas using humor, stories, examples, metaphors, and interesting quotes.

   
The worst party guests order others around without explaining why. They speak in short, clipped sentences, and don't mingle much. These party poopers criticize others while offering over-inflated comments about themselves. Don't make the same mistakes in your papers! Make reading your paper a party for your reader. Watch your sentence length. Shorter is better, but weave them together with transitional phrases. Offer to let others do critiques-both compliments and criticisms-of the ideas you express in your paper.

Putting it Together
The body of your paper holds the details of your argument. In it, you invite the reader to follow along with you as you tell a story that only you could tell. The best papers are stamped with your unique ideas, experiences, and insight. An "A" paper to me means that I can literally hear the voice of writer as my eyes dance over the words.

If you want your paper to resemble an "A" list party and be the envy of all, make sure important components are included. An "A" list party includes the rich and famous. An "A" paper includes definition of key concepts, recent research, professional standards, and public policy. First consider WHO is your reader? Write your paper for your reader. Plan a party for the people you know will come. You may be hoping Brad Pitt will come, but chances are your best friend will. Plan the party with your best friend in mind. Plan you paper for your instructor.

Your approach should be fresh. Unique. No other person sees the world in quite the same way as you. No other person has seen this subject with the same experience as you. When guests come to your party, you have responsibilities as the hostess. Keep the party/paper going! Keep it flowing! Throughout the party you check with the guests, replenish food and drink, and so forth.

The same is true of your paper. You continually reinforce your theme or argument throughout the paper. You should periodically synthesize the preceding sections of the paper to keep readers on the same "page" as you. A good party doesn't require the attendees to work to have fun, nor should your readers have to struggle to follow your thoughts. Remember the reader only sees what you have written, not all the thoughts left in your head. Think about an iceberg, you only see the top of it, most of it is NOT visible to the naked eye, the same is try of papers and people too for that matter!

So, where are we? Let's review where we've been and describe where we're going. I have covered the following key points:

• Writing a paper is similar to throwing a great party.
• The invitation, party, and thank you are similar to the introduction, body and conclusion of your paper.
• Every party has a theme, and every paper has an argument or thesis.
• Great parties have different kinds of people. Your paper will use a variety of techniques to introduce, explain, and "argue" your main point.
• You will also want your paper to be interesting. In order to do so, you can use stories, metaphors, analogies, and illustrations. Don't forget about poetry and other art forms that may give your paper some flair. Here are some examples:

A party isn't a party without my sister, Cindy. We called her "cyclone" when she was a teenager. I cut her hair once too, but don't tell our mom. Cindy represents humor in a paper. I wouldn't write a paper without at least some humor. I wouldn't have a party without Cindy!

My husband's name is Don. He's a great guy. We've been together a long time. He used to have hair down to his waist, and now he has shorter gray hair. He has a clear sense of purpose: what you see is what you get. Don likes to keep things coordinated and well balanced. These are also two important characteristics of any great paper.

I love a party! If you tell me to make myself at home I might go through your underwear drawers (not really)! Be clear with me about the rules of your party, just like you want to be clear about the facts of your paper.

What Else Makes a Paper Scholarly?
We've discussed how to research, organize, and develop a paper. What else is there to know? Lots! In this section, we'll discuss other important attributes of academic papers. These attributes include academic integrity, precision in writing and clarity of thought.

When people come to our house for a party, we often tell guests to make themselves at home. However, we'd be justified in being angry if we found partygoers rummaging through our underwear drawers! In order to be precise to guests, it's best to say, "Make yourselves comfortable" instead of saying, "Make yourselves at home." This way, guests know what type of behavior is expected of them.

Precision
Your paper needs the same precision. One of the most common mistakes students make is to misquote a research study. In order to precisely quote a research report, follow the APA 5th edition guidelines. Generally speaking, this means you reference the author's name and year of publication. Often students will reference the title of the article or publication. This is not correct. Follow APA guidelines for referencing, and you'll be correct-every time! Use headings and subheadings to help organize your paper.

Record Keeping
One of the most troublesome aspects of writing is maintaining records for your references. If you don't cite sources correctly, it's considered theft of intellectual property or plagiarism. You don't want to steal your neighbor's best silverware and use it at your party-even if your neighbor isn't coming and may never find out. Academic honesty is a very important part of learning. Many new tools exist that help faculty members catch plagiarizers. AT CSUF we use Turnitin.com.

Do yourself a big favor: write your own papers. Keep good records while doing your research and never use someone else's paper!

Be Concise
What else could possibly be left to talk about? Well . . . there's still more to consider. Have you ever been to a party and sat next to a big bore? Every party seems to have at least one guest who just talks to hear himself talk. He goes on and on and never gets to the point!

Same thing with papers. A student may write a paper, maybe a 10-12 page paper, and never propose a thesis or argument. The student may have scholarly facts but not know what to do with them. The remedy is easy. Prepare an outline and stick to it. Clearly state your point of view or argument in the introduction, and then lay out the supporting information in an orderly manner. Don't repeat yourself unnecessarily, and don't skip over important points.

Your wording should be tentative. Qualifying phrases like "may indicate" or "appears to be related" are important. It is unlikely a paper at the undergraduate level will prove any concept beyond a shadow of a doubt. Your wording should reflect that you are speaking about a specific set of facts within a given context. No more. No less.

While we're talking about general guidelines, let's talk about specific rules for a party: "the hostess' rules." Each hostess at a party has her own set of rules for guests. Some like guests to help clean up, while others are offended by this. Some hostesses want guests to bring food, while others don't.

Each instructor will have "rules" for a paper. Some are explicitly stated, others are not. Be sure to follow those that are written!

All papers should use APA 5th edition, even if it's not stated. However, the instructor may assign specific types of written assignments that do not use APA, for example: essays or personal reflection papers. Be sure to ask questions about differences in style related to specific types of papers. Just like you'd ask a hostess permission to help clean up or bring your own food.

Finishing up
When you leave a party, you always say goodnight to your hostess, telling her something personal about the party and how you enjoyed it. Later, you might give her a call or send a quick note or email that says "thanks" once again, affirming that you hope to get an invitation to the next party.

That's what a conclusion in a paper does. A conclusion is a way of reviewing the highlights of the paper and making a personal statement about the future of the topic. Cover the most important points in the paper, and then give a final, personal thought of some kind.