I write a lot about Montana, as anyone who reads the Montana Articles on this site knows, but I also do a lot of academic writing for other people, usually university students who just can’t seem to pull themselves together enough get sit down and write.
It’s very hard to write about something in a new way that’s already been written about extensively, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. While that may present a roadblock, or even an impassable obstacle to many writers, for those experienced at academic writing, it’s no big thing.
It’s very hard to write about something in a new way that’s already been written about extensively, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. While that may present a roadblock, or even an impassable obstacle to many writers, for those experienced at academic writing, it’s no big thing.
Proper Nouns
General Ambrose Burnside Start by following the trails of your proper nouns. If you’re writing about the Battle of Antietam during the American Civil War, find out a little bit about the leading generals involved. Even a sentence or two will make your paper new and more informative than many. Try something like this:
“General Ambrose Burnside was no stranger to attacks, and he himself had been wounded while serving in Nevada and California in 1849. During a skirmish with Apache Indians, Burnside took an arrow in the neck. He obviously lived, but that experience no doubt put the realities of war at the forefront of his mind, perhaps more so than other generals, Union or Confederate, that hadn’t seen such action early in their careers.”
“General Ambrose Burnside was no stranger to attacks, and he himself had been wounded while serving in Nevada and California in 1849. During a skirmish with Apache Indians, Burnside took an arrow in the neck. He obviously lived, but that experience no doubt put the realities of war at the forefront of his mind, perhaps more so than other generals, Union or Confederate, that hadn’t seen such action early in their careers.”
Use Years
What's left of the Allegheny Arsenal today Next, follow your years. The Battle of Antietam occurred in 1862; find out what else was going on in the months and weeks prior to it that might give the battle a new light, or highlight another area of your paper. And if you can find something that was happening on the same day or time, well, kudos to you! Consider this approach:
“While Antietam was the single bloodiest day in the Civil War, another event was about to occur further north that would prove to be the single largest disaster involving civilians in the whole conflict. At 2 PM, around the time that A.P. Hill’s exhausted Light Division finished their march from Harper’s Ferry, the Allegheny Arsenal exploded near Pittsburgh, killing 78 young women.”
“While Antietam was the single bloodiest day in the Civil War, another event was about to occur further north that would prove to be the single largest disaster involving civilians in the whole conflict. At 2 PM, around the time that A.P. Hill’s exhausted Light Division finished their march from Harper’s Ferry, the Allegheny Arsenal exploded near Pittsburgh, killing 78 young women.”
Side Subjects
Parrott Rifles And try to pursue side subjects. The Battle of Antietam used a lot of cannons; find out where they were manufactured, or how many the different armies had. A few sentences about something that your professor doesn’t expect, or see all that often from other students, will make your paper stand out, and separate it from all the others out there. This tactic might work:
“Cannons awoke anyone in the Sharpsburg area when the battle started around 5:30 AM. Two guns that surely awoke soldiers and citizens alike were the twenty parrot rifles being fired from 2 miles east. These 20-pound cannon were invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott just two years earlier, and with a barrel that weighed in excess of 1,800 pounds, it was the largest of the field cannons used by either side during the Civil War.”
Notes
Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Jones, Terry L. Historical Dictionary of the Civil War. Scarecrow Press, 2002. p1047.
O'Neill, Brian (May 15, 2011). "Passions stirred anew for an old log house". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
Pritchard Jr, Russ A. Civil War Weapons and Equipment. Globe Pequit Press, 2003. p 82
Sears, Stephen W. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983.
“Cannons awoke anyone in the Sharpsburg area when the battle started around 5:30 AM. Two guns that surely awoke soldiers and citizens alike were the twenty parrot rifles being fired from 2 miles east. These 20-pound cannon were invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott just two years earlier, and with a barrel that weighed in excess of 1,800 pounds, it was the largest of the field cannons used by either side during the Civil War.”
Notes
Eicher, David J. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Jones, Terry L. Historical Dictionary of the Civil War. Scarecrow Press, 2002. p1047.
O'Neill, Brian (May 15, 2011). "Passions stirred anew for an old log house". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
Pritchard Jr, Russ A. Civil War Weapons and Equipment. Globe Pequit Press, 2003. p 82
Sears, Stephen W. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983.
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