1.3 Quoting Blocks

- Quoting a section more than five lines, or two verses in poetry, requires indenting the passage as a block.

a. Indent all lines 10 spaces from the left margin.

b. Don't put an indented block in quotation marks.

c. Tell your readers in advance who is about to speak and what to be listening for.

d. Construct your lead-in sentence so that it ends with a colon.

e. Follow up a block quotation with commentary that reflects upon it and makes clear why you needed to quote it.

f. When using an in-text parenthetic citation, put your citation of a block quotation outside the period at the end of the last sentence.

Using Discursive Notes:

- Briefly amplify, qualify, or draw out implications of your argument.

- Announce a non-standard edition of your own translating.

- Direct your reader to further reading, or mention the ideas of another writer that are similar to yours.

- Explain something about your citing system, or about your use of terms, or about the meanings of your acronyms and abbreviations.

1.2 Rules for Quoting

General Principles:

- Quote only what you need or is really striking.

- Construct your own sentence so the quotation fits smoothly into it.

- Usually announce a quotation in the words preceding it.

- Choose your announcing verb carefully.

Technical Rules:

- Don't automatically put a comma before a quotation.

- Put a period or comma at the end of a quotation inside the close-quotation mark.

- Use a slash (/) to indicate a line-break in a quoted passage of poetry

- Punctuate the end of a quotation embedded in your sentence with whatever punctuation your sentence requires, otherwise, quote verbatim (word-for-word) and omit words by using ellipses [...]

1.1 Integrating Sources into a Paper

FIRST PRINCIPLE: Use sources as concisely as possible, so your own thinking isn’t crowded out by your presentation of other people’s thinking, or your own voice by your quoting of other voices.

- Summarize

- Paraphrase

- Quote

SECOND PRINCIPLE: Never leave your reader in doubt as to when you are speaking and when you are using materials from a source.

THIRD PRINCIPLE: Always make clear how each source you introduce into your paper relates to your argument.

*Rule: mention the nature or professional status of your source if it’s distinctive.

Introduction to Sources

In scholarly writing, YOU are the origin of your particular argument; however, persons or documents that help you arrive at and support your argument are your sources. A primary source functions as uninterpreted data--it doesn't itself discuss or analyze your subject. A secondary source has already made inferences or claims about your subject, which you may accept or challenge. Acknowledging your sources (or "documenting") strengthens your argument, as well as avoids plagiarism, making you a trustworthy analyst.

Guarantee-Shmuarantee ...

I wish life had a manufacturer's guarantee because despite all the words of caution from my parents and older siblings, I am forging ahead in my life as an artist. The image of "the starving artist" has been thoroughly illustrated for me by nay-sayers and our history books are thick with the life stories of creative individuals whose talented minds have fizzled out due to drugs, depression, and self-doubt. I, however, continue my stride against life's buffeting winds because if I don't my head just might explode. The desire to be creative and use my powers for good--and not evil--move me to hold my head high and boldly follow my dreams.

Growing up

Lately, I cannot look at pictures of my younger years. A swollen, tightening feeling crawls up my throat and I immediately attempt to suppress it. That only leads to a slight nausea swimming in perpetual circles in my stomach. Maybe it's the butterflies drowning in the sloppy sloop of acid and bile down there. I don't know. I rarely know anymore..

First of many posts ..

I have never been very good at maintaining a journal. The thought of writing down the trivialities of my daily life gives me a headache. I remember times in Boy Scouts when the lesson was about keeping a record for your family members in the coming generations. I figure it would be yawn-inducing to read about great, great, great, great Grandfather Dean's thoughtful contemplation on which candy bar he chose at the store or how he felt when the Jazz lost yet another championship run? The better person inside of me is raging even as I write this because my first kiss, one of many family vacations, how I felt when I hit my first home run all would be worth reading about. I'm actually feeling quite guilty at the moment for not writing about those ... I guess I'll quit the negative perspective towards personal record keeping and wait for the next worthy event to write about.