MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Memoir links, for your pleasure:

NAS science memoir series

For pre-meds, read this on shamans and doctors

Plant scientists might like this on trains and photosynthetic bacteria

Memoir-like, James Sylvester Gates interview from On Being.

Will be a memoir eventually.....York and Chaos Theory

Sharks and Eugenie Clark, lots of good quotes here

Finally, this wow book by Noble prize winner John Mather

Arrangement pattern for review:

Into

Definiton/description/background/context

Author expertise/bio

point 1

point 2

point 3

Critique

Conclusion

Paragraph transitions: Think pearls beaded upon a string. Think train cars coupled. This UCSB guide is helpful with words that serve nicely as transition elements.  This writing guide emphasizes the value of repeating key words as a transition strategy.  You have two approaches:  tight and loose.  One "loose" transition variation relies on meta discourse, including the counting strategy.  You also have implied.

Phrases:  stacked modifiers and dangling/misplaced modifiers. More on stacked modifiers from Grammar Girl. MF or GG also takes on misplaced or dangling modifiers: start here; then, this, for some joy to help you remember.

Let's look at a visual way to remember the dangling modifier problem. This visual is courtesy of a former student, H.S. 

Piano. from Paul Rayment on Vimeo.

Piano. from Paul Rayment on Vimeo.