New England
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As underclassmen and juniors prepare their first papers of the academic year, and seniors begin work on their theses, Thomas Aquinas College, New England, offered the second installment of its Get With the Program workshops: “How to Write a Stellar Paper.”

Students gathered in a classroom in Billings Hall after dinner on Wednesday, where they were met by tutor Dr. Margaret Hughes. “A good writer,” Dr. Hughes began, “is a writer who is in control, who knows how to be thoughtful about what he is writing.” To do this, he must read over what he has, revise, and rewrite until he has a sound finished product. Good work takes time, and to write a cohesive paper that is both well-structured and well-argued, the writer must be willing to put hard work into the substance and structure of his argument.

This being the case, Dr. Hughes claimed that the most important part of writing a paper is the editing process. “Start by pretending to write the paper, and just get all your ideas out,” she explained. “Then, go through it all and review and rewrite.” Once the writer has the material to work with, all he has to do is reorder and rework until his position is argued well.

 

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Dr. Hughes detailed the parts of a paper, explaining the importance of an impactful and arguable thesis. She gave an overview of how to structure sentences and paragraphs, and on the significance of thoughtful word choice. 

The greatest task of the writer is discipline. He must manage his time well and sit down to his work often, even when uninspired. Constant work and revision can make for a great paper, but it takes time and dedication. “Writing is hard, but stay hopeful,” Dr. Hughes encouraged. “Write often, edit even more, and you will be successful.”