1. What Am I Supposed to Write About?!?! A Quick and Painless Guide to Choosing a Research Topic

2. What is a topic? In a nutshell, a topic is what you are writing about. Why is it important? A topic is the first step is writing your research paper. You would not go on vacation without knowing where you were going, would you?

3. How do I choose mine? What has been your favorite thing we have read? What characters have stood out to you? What authors lived really interesting lives? What are you interested in?  Your everyday interests can be found in literature! When all else fails, flip through the book for interesting texts or… ASK YOUR TEACHER!!

4. Here are some ideas… Character analyses: Macbeth, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales Authors’ lives influencing their work: Jonathan Swift, William Shakespeare, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Wilfred Owen… basically any of them! Other ideas: Symbolism, big issues (feminism, racism, etc.), comparing several authors Styles of writing: Robert Burns, Robert Browning, William Blake, Alexander Pope

5. Where do I go from here? Once you pick your topic, you have some direction!  Read up on your topic– Make sure that you know exactly what you want to prove in you paper.  Write out your thesis statement– This states exactly what you will prove in your paper.  Start doing research! -Reread your text; go to the library; do some online searches… The sky is the limit, and the more research, the better. You might be surprised at what you might find!