How To Write a Term Paper

[randomness]

My friend nihilistic_kid is a published novelist who used to make something vaguely resembling a living as a term paper artist. In the above titled post, he gives some advice to undergrads:

Spring Break is over, at least in the US, and so now the shank of the semester has begun. Time for term papers! As a former term paper artist I've learned a few things about papering. Things you will not learn from other sources simply because almost nobody has the experience I have. Composition specialists, your professors, and writing center tutors have not written 5000+ model term papers in virtually every field and in every length and format.

So, if you hear different from what I am saying, remember that I am right and they are wrong.

Note: this is "How To Write a Term Paper" not "How To Learn Something." Learning is your problem!

The remainder of the post outlines the process in eight steps.

I also recommend his piece about writing for a term paper mill, "The Term Paper Artist" published in The Smart Set, at Drexel University.

I think if I'd read his post when I was an undergrad, I would have handed in more of my papers on time.

Comments

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

There are two points I'm going to address right off, because while I have a longer reply these two points in particular I feel I need to address immediately:

You are not reading what I am writing. I recognize that you are angry about this, but arguing points I am not making is not helpful. I feel like you are shouting past me. This isn't unusual in online conversation, so please don't feel that I'm singling you out here for some personal failing, but I want to say this explicitly now, because in some parts of conversation we are in violent agreement, as one of my friends likes to describe it.

I think you should ask yourself why more of your flist that actually works in higher ed. isn't replying to this thread, especially since you explicitly directed it at them. I happen to know that at least one of them is so depressed by the thread that they are really upset and afraid to comment.

This is a point I want to address right now. If I explicitly directed this thread at anyone other than as a reply to you, I don't know who it is. Moreover, if they are upset by things I am saying, that is not my intent. In fact, in general my intent is not to piss people off or make them depressed, unhappy, or afraid. That much should be obvious, but many obvious things need to be stated in online communication.

If they are upset and afraid to comment I am sorry that they are, and I invite them to send me personal email or call or contact me in whatever way they feel comfortable with doing.

I have a longer, more substantive reply where I discuss where I think some of your comments are attacking someone who isn't me, and someone who didn't say what I said.

But I had to get those two points out first.

[meepodeekin.livejournal.com]

You are not reading what I am writing. I deleted that part of my comment for a reason, and I think quoting it and responding to it is deliberately fanning flames. I may not be responding to the points you think you are making but I don't think you're responding to my points either, which were originally directed at the entire thread and in particular the way several people jumped on marmota for making an honest attempt to express what I consider to be legitimate moral outrage. Maybe I am not expressing myself well.

I 100% respect your right to say what you want in your thread on your journal. Feel free to take me to pieces so the rest of your flist can continue to laugh at me. However I won't be returning to this thread. I don't have time to.