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Regression

01:41 PMI recently was assigned a paper that was almost identical to a paper I wrote 2 years ago. Fortunately I saved the paper I had written. I changed the date, printed out another copy and handed it in. I didn't even bother to reread it to see if it was as close to the topic as I thought. Anyway, a week or whatever later I get my grade. I surprisingly did well, an entire letter grade higher than anything else I've written for the semester. I noticed that in other classes I have, my grades on papers also suck. I've come to the realization that my ability to clearly communicate thoughts on paper is regressing at an alarming rate. I estimate that in a few years I may not even be literate at all if things continue to fall apart as they have been!? However, maybe it's because I just sit down and wing papers now without proofreading or thinking, but who knows. Anyone experience similar problems ever?

Sonic reg

04:26 PMsmoke tree dude you'll write Shakespeare reg
04:59 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Zentalin:
smoke tree dude you'll write Shakespeare

<laugh> Very informative post Zent! :P

Actually smoking weed deteriorates your lungs more than smoking cigarettes. So...I think you smoke more tree...you may write like Will...but you won't be writing for very long.

reg

05:29 PMbeyond the point omnirus he wasnt looking to extend his life just to write an essay, nice try though reg
06:35 PM"Me fail English? That's unpossible!"

~Ralph Wiggum reg

07:15 PMIt may deteriorate your lungs more than cigarettes, but you generally smoke a lot less of it than cigarettes, too. reg
07:30 PMIn college I used to take one of the guy's Ritalin on my dorm floor and I'd be able to sit at the comp and write for like multiple hours straight. Just another option to think about.

Mike

Zanagan/Zarosa

Only smoke tree for creative writing in my opinion heh reg

09:01 PM<<<smoke tree dude you'll write Shakespeare>>>

Dawg... as a long time budsmoker, I find that statement to be REALLY off-par. I could barely remember where I put the lighter I just had... hell I could barely remember where I lived, let alone write Shakespeare. Dru musta never smoked herb.


rht reg

09:28 PMThat makes me think too Zent.

Mainly because the only people that post about sex on the net are one's that don't get it.

The only one's that make stupid comments about how hot an ugly girl is...they don't get girls.

If you have to point out that you smoke weed...you must not be as much of a badass as you think you are.

Not starting any wars...just a personal opinion. reg

07:26 AMJust stop caring what the reader of the paper is going to think. If you let go of the fact that what you are writing might turn heads and or hurt some feelings you are more apt to right what you feel. And once you start writing what you feel you will write with compassion, which spurns creativity, and then you will want the paper to mean something. This will also cause you to care about the presentation of the material i.e. the grammar, spelling, arrangement of supporting material towards your points.

Anticor Rifling, Giantman Wizard

"But what do I know I can't even see straight."
-Mr Beefy- from Little Nicky

[This message has been edited by AnticorRifling (edited 12-05-2001).] reg

05:54 PMThis writing Regression, as with most things, is probably just due to not practicing enough. Be it laziness or general not caring-- you fall into a routine and pick up bad habits and it eventual perpetuates until your writing on a first grade level. And usually its pretty hard to just say, "ok, im going to actually try on this paper" and end up writing something decent. It usually ends up being just marginally better than the same old crap you've been churning out for the past two years. Your best bet is to forget everything you know and start with some sound advice:


Read.

And i don't mean street signs, gemstone text, or Sport Illustrated articles.

First on the list should be "How to Say Nothing in 500 Words" by Paul Roberts, just a short essay-- and worth its weight in gold. He wrote it a half century ago, but its as true now as it was when he first published it.

After that you have alot to choose from.
Pick something that interests you, you really can't go wrong in my opinion; but if you want a sure bet go with the masters(Twain, Dickens, Shakespeare if you have the stomach for it,Fitsgerald, Tolkien if you want GS like genre, etc. etc.)

After that, its time to try writing something of your own, scary business,but heres a couple rules of thumb.

1. Make sure its interesting. Read it yourself and see if you find it interesting. If you can't read through it without falling asleep, chances are other people will be snoozing also. Which brings me to number 2...

2. Know your audience. First of all realize that you have an audience-- alot of students miss this point. Your audience is your professor, and he/she is a human person and not a mindless paper grading robot (most of the time...). Which means he/she gets bored of reading the same no-thought crap over and over again. Make things interesting. A original idea, or a fresh look on a old idea can carry more weight than actual writing talent.

3. Proofread proofread proofread. I'm the worste at this, improper spelling and punctuation can make even the best idea look bad. Nobody listens to you when you present yourself like a 4 year old writing in crayon. Run spell check, but don't rely on it alone. And microsofts squiggly green lines usually cause more trouble then they're worth. If you have doubts, send it to Roberta . A few missed commas, a couple fragments and a run-on can turn an A paper into a C paper.

4. With argument essays, try presenting an opposite viewpoint. If your pro-life, write a paper on pro-choice. It may be harder at first, but you might get a better grade in the long run (at the very least some personal growth). {The thought behind this is that you will write without personal bias , which tends to get in the way of factual information and valid points. Alot of English 102 courses focus on argument, and this technique comes in handy.}


Thats all i can contribute to the matter, hope that helps.

'lood
it might be worth 25k...

[This message has been edited by kelood (edited 12-06-2001).] reg

12:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Omnirus:
If you have to point out that you smoke weed...you must not be as much of a badass as you think you are.

Not starting any wars...just a personal opinion.

Honestly though, what difference does it make? Is it hurting you in any way, shape or form? Sure, you can bring in examples of crime related to drug activity, and a whole new gamut of issues. But do they really deal with the issue at hand? I think not. You make it seem like smoking marijuana is a sign of weakness, which it isn't. It's just a choice.

When people crack down on people who smoke "pot", it really irks me. It's a personal choice. So what if I choose to smoke a joint and watch TV, or hang out with my friends?

In a recently published study (which I'll locate again and quote ASAP), they found that alcohol and tobacco (legal drugs), killed more Americans in the year 2000 than ALL other illegal drugs (marijuana, heroin, cocaine, all derivatives, etc.) combined... Multiply that number by 1,000 and you still wouldn't be close.

I find that really ironic. IMHO, the only reason hemp plants (which *can* produce marijuana buds) were criminalized was because the aristocrat ruling body of the 18th and 19th centuries saw it as a threat to their cash crop industries (cotton, tobacco, whatever it may be). Just a thought... I'd be interested in discussion.

Just my two cents... not trying to start a war or anything? Besides... who wants to fight? Can't we alllllll just get alllooong, man?

"Don't worry... about a thing... 'cause every little thing, it's gonna be all right."

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-Emtel

[This message has been edited by Emtel (edited 12-07-2001).] reg

12:23 PM<<<When people crack down on people who smoke "pot", it really irks me. It's a personal choice. So what if I choose to smoke a joint and watch TV, or hang out with my friends?>>>

I don't think that was Omni's point, Emtel. He was simply pointing out the fact that some people can put on one persona over the internet to try and impress his\her "internet friends" and have no idea what it's like to be like that IRL. I mean, hell, if we all said we had 4.0's, were models, shot glock 19's, and smoked half-o's everyday, who would we really impress? Probably only ourselves.


rht
Don't know what game I'm playin,
but I know that I'm losin. reg

12:47 PMActually it isn't a personal choice. It is participating in criminal behavior.

Admitting such on the internet well leads me to believe that the drug doesn't stimulate the best in reasoning either.

Hiway reg

02:06 PM
quote:
Actually it isn't a personal choice. It is participating in criminal behavior.

Amen.

Sonic reg

05:24 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Hiway:
Actually it isn't a personal choice. It is participating in criminal behavior.

Admitting such on the internet well leads me to believe that the drug doesn't stimulate the best in reasoning either.

Hiway

Is it NOT a personal choice to engage in this "criminal behavior"? I can't think of what else it would be, since I'm CHOOSING to do it. Me, not you. It's MY personal CHOICE.

Admitting such on the internet? What different does it make? Are the feds going to come pounding on my door and take me away? I'm not Carl Jung, for god's sake. It doesn't show a lack of reasoning, it just shows honesty... which is a quality some people lack, for whatever reason.

The ability to look at both sides of an issue is lost on a lot of you folks, also. Just because of your preconceived notions about something, you make misguided comments that don't really address the issue at hand.

The most ironic situation I could ever possibly remember occurred recently when I failed a pre-employment drug screen for a "trace" amount of THC. My father found out about it, and he wasn't too happy, although he really wasn't too surprised either. He made the comment to me, "What's going to happen if you're driving around and the cops pull you over?"... my reply? "The same thing that would happen to you if you got pulled over going to the gas station with an open container in the car." My father has done that as long as I can remember. It's not justification for what I do. It's just... a little nitpicky. He's breaking the law; so am I. Are either of us right? No. He came down on me anyway, until I told him that I was aware that my mother still smoked marijuana (and she does). It simply wasn't possible for him to get mad at me for doing something that he let go on right under his nose.

Since I'm absolutely sure that none of you know me IRL, I don't have any problem sharing this information with you. If this turns into a series of flames against the choices that me or any other member of my family makes, I simply won't respond or engage in it, and I'll ask for the topic to be closed. It's as simple as that.

I'm just interested in a serious, civil debate on the issue... if that's possible these days. ::nudges::

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-Emtel reg