<p>So... Here's my story. I've grown up in the smallest city in Indiana for the past 19 years of my life, attended public elementary school, a tiny public high school, and now I'm attending Ivy Tech Community College. I love to massage, I love to play all sorts of instruments, I corrected the algebra teacher i had on about ten different occasions, I find anatomy and physiology, health sciences, evolutionary theroy, etc. The one thing i CANNOT for the life of me seem to figure out how to be successful at though, is writing. I can spell, I can type 70 words per minute, I have exceptional knowledge of grammar and punctuation, but I just cannot get myself to write. If it weren't for the 4 page, the 6 page, the however many pages there are, I'd be a straight A student. I am quickly discovering, though, that research papers are becoming a staple in my college homework diet. If research papers were literal food, I would be starving myself to death (the literal example of starving to death is an F in english 102 and a D comm 111). I've looked through every article and watched and listened to every how-to guide on buckling down and getting a paper done. I spend the time looking through materials and thinking of a main thesis, but I can't quite seem to get any farther than that. For anyone reading this, any help is extremely appreciative.</p>
<p>I am taking Eng 1A this year and I can relate. My class can be really stressful. I have found taking my laptop to a Starbucks, getting somewhat comfortable, and clearing my mind of just about everything makes me write much, much better. Another thought is to really choose your English teacher carefully next semester; find someone who isn’t stressful but motivational. It will make a difference</p>
<p>I am currently in the process of becoming an English (Comp) tutor at my community college. In college, there is a lot of pressure put on your writing skills and how well you are able to convey your thoughts alongside cited sources and examples in order to “prove” you “understand” what you’re learning. This, I think, is an issue for many logical, intelligent young people- especially those interested in the maths and sciences.
I’ve helped a girl in my class who is bent on becoming a mortician try to develop her writing skills while working on a research paper. Her thesis was unclear, not exactly defined, but I think I was able to help her out a bit. I also have a younger brother who, throughout school, was really against writing in general, so I think I may be able to give a little advice, perhaps even perspective, on this issue you have.
Usually, and this is coming from someone with a 95 in an honors comp class, I don’t really outline or brainstorm my papers.
As for me, if I just write about the topic, then the thesis (hopefully) will surface.
The easiest things to write about are things you feel strongly about.
If I may ask, what is it that you’re having trouble writing ABOUT? If I get a little more information, I think I will be able to help.</p>
<p>To start off with, narrowing down a thesis statement in general. For starters, my COMM 102 research paper is due in 2 days and I have tried working on it for the past week with no results. I have all sorts of ideas scattered everywhere. Complete pages of ideas and things that I strongly feel about, outlines, notes, little dots of citations here and there, but I never actually put anything i compile into a well written paper. Im attempting to write about how word-of-mouth communication is the most effective, powerful, and credible source of communication.</p>
<p>First, let’s look at the topic.
“Word of mouth communication”
A quick google search shows me that the definition of word-of-mouth comm is
“A type of referral communication from person to person that tends to rely heavily upon the credibility of the source of that information or referral to the product, service, or company being referred.”
It seems to me that this COM class is geared towards more of a business crowd- correct me if I’m wrong!</p>
<p>In what you said, you basically have a thesis already.
“Word of mouth communication is the most effective, powerful, and credible source of communication.”
Perhaps all you’ll have to do is reword this to better suit your paper individually. </p>
<p>The most important thing in writing a “well-written” paper is making sure that it has some key points that readers will rely on in reading your paper. The introduction paragraph (or paragraphs) is what really sets up your paper, not only for the reader, but for you as well. Sometimes, writing a good introduction will carry you throughout the rest of the paper, and hopefully you’ll be able to write easily once you’ve gotten it out of the way.</p>
<p>So let’s take a look at the key elements in a good introduction.</p>
<p>I. A “hook” or interesting fact is a great way to introduce your topic. </p>
<p>Start off by either referencing a speech or an instance wherein WOM communication is vital or standalone. This, unfortunately, I don’t know much about without having to look it up. Even asking a question is a great way to start, and get the reader interested.</p>
<p>II. Map out your paper by introducing the key points that you’ll go over. </p>
<p>This will not only help the reader prepare to take in what you’re writing, but it’ll help you flesh out your topic. Take some of the notes and things that you feel strongly about and try to focus in on what you’ll be able to write about most. Ultimately, it seems like you’re writing a persuasive paper, so try to focus on what makes WOM communication so important and so useful. Even three points can be fleshed out to a full 6 pages. </p>
<p>III. Get your thesis out there!</p>
<p>My professors like it at the end of the introduction- I think that if it is strong enough then you can follow it up with a transitional sentence to lead into the first body paragraph.
Ultimately, your thesis is something along the lines of “word of mouth communication is the most powerful…etc” form of communication. </p>
<p>I hope that you find this useful and I will be happy to provide more tips and guidelines if you like!</p>