The Top 5 Pitfalls
of Seminary Writing –
Dr. Jill Hicks-Keeton
Director of the Writing Center
Email: writingcenter@wesleyseminary.edu
PITFALL #1
Not
Writing!
Two common reasons
Useful Strategies
Start early.
Write anything.
Talk to your mom.
PITFALL #2
Leaning
too far
on others.
Avoiding (Accidental) Plagiarism
Attribute words and ideas that are not your own.
Do that from the very beginning (even in notes).
When you paraphrase, look away from the text.
Paraphrasing Example
“Nowhere in the Hebrew Bible do human agents act based on their
own understanding that idols are made by hand, and that they are lifeless, powerless,
and cannot compare to God, and thus have no right to exist. Only in the literature of
Second Temple Judaism will there emerge this type of self-initiative as the reason for
destruction of idols.”6
The Hebrew Bible does not portray human agents acting on
their own knowledge that idols are made by hand and do not compare to God.
Only later, in Second Temple Judaism, does self-initiative emerge as a reason for
destroying idols.6
Claudia Bergmann has pointed out that depictions of idol
destruction in Second Temple Judaism are novel with respect to those in the
Hebrew Bible because their human characters use a form of logic to conclude
that the lifeless idol should be destroyed.6
6 Claudia
Bergmann, “Idol Worship in Bel and the Dragon and Other Jewish Literature from the Second
Temple Period,” in Septuagint Research: Issues and Challenges in the Study of the Greek Jewish
Scriptures, eds. Wolfgang Kraus and R. Glenn Wooden (Leiden: Brill, 2006), 210.
Engaging Experts Properly
Always introduce a quotation.
Always interpret the quotation for your reader.
Always indicate how the quotation functions in
your argument.
Example of Proper Quotation Use
Johnson Hodge summarizes Paul’s myth of
origins in this way: “Paul relies on the logic of
patrilineal descent to create a new lineage for
the gentiles, a lineage that links gentiles
through Christ to the founding ancestor,
Abraham.”7 Because of Christ, then, gentiles
in the Jesus movement have access to Israel’s
God through Israel’s founding patriarch
because they too may now be considered
Abraham’s descendants.
_________________________
7
Johnson Hodge, If Sons, Then Heirs, 5.
Example of Improper Quotation Use
The apostle Paul saw himself as the
apostle to the gentiles. “Paul relies
on the logic of patrilineal descent
to create a new lineage for the
gentiles, a lineage that links
gentiles through Christ to the
founding ancestor, Abraham.”7 Paul
wrote many letters to the churches
he founded that were constituted
of gentile Christians.
______________________
7
Johnson Hodge, If Sons, Then Heirs, 5.
When it comes to quotations, remember:
PITFALL #3
Writing,
but not
Revising.
Why Revise?
What to Revise?
Revise sentences for:
(1) clarity
(2) concision
(3) grammar
Revise paragraphs for:
(1) relevance
(2) logical sentence arrangement
(3) transitions between sentences
Revise the whole paper for:
(1) clear thesis
(2) organization of paragraphs
(3) transitions between paragraphs
Avoid Misplaced Modifiers!
The cops chased the bear in the squad car.
Avoid Misplaced Modifiers!
Correct: The cops in the squad car chased the bear.
Avoid Misplaced Modifiers!
Incorrect:
Having never been to the church before, the pastor
told me where to park and introduced me to the
church members.
Correct:
Since I had never been to the church before, the
pastor told me where to park and introduced me to
the church members.
Correct:
Having never been to the church before, I asked the
pastor to tell me where to park and to introduce me
to the church members.
Avoid Misplaced Modifiers!
Incorrect:
Growing up in Mississippi (part of the “Bible Belt”),
God was everywhere.
Correct:
I grew up in Mississippi (part of the “Bible Belt”)
where God was everywhere.
Correct:
Growing up in Mississippi (part of the “Bible Belt”), I
observed that God was everywhere.
What to Revise?
Revise sentences for:
(1) clarity
(2) concision
(3) grammar
Revise paragraphs for:
(1) relevance
(2) logical sentence arrangement
(3) transitions between sentences
Revise the whole paper for:
(1) clear thesis
(2) organization of paragraphs
(3) transitions between paragraphs
Reverse Outlining

Main idea:
Boy and girl go
on date.



Main idea:
Boy is happy.
Main idea:
Girl agrees to
date for
tomorrow.

Main idea:
Girl refuses date.
Main idea:
Boy is sad.
Step 1: Bracket out each paragraph and write its main
idea beside it.
Reverse Outlining
Step 2: Write the main ideas on a separate page.
Girl refuses date.
Girl refuses date.
Boy is happy.
Boy is sad.
Boy and girl go on
date.
Girl agrees to date
for tomorrow.
Girl agrees to date
for tomorrow.
Boy is happy.
Boy is sad.
Boy and girl go on
date.
Step 3: Rearrange them into the most logical order.
Reverse Outlining
Girl agrees to
date for
tomorrow.
Boy is happy.


Step 4: Put your paragraphs in that order.
Boy and girl go
on date.

Boy is sad.

Girl refuses date.

PITFALL #4
Being
tired.
Sleep + Exercise = Better Writing
Sufficient sleep and regular exercise help you write better by…
…improving brain function.
…increasing
creativity.
…making
you happy,
energetic, and
motivated.
PITFALL #5
Doing it
completely
alone.
FALL 2014 OFFICE HOURS
In person (drop-in or by appointment):
Wednesdays Noon-3pm
Via FaceTime or Skype (by appointment only):
Mondays 6-7pm
Email: writingcenter@wesleyseminary.edu