Things to try to do when writing papers on literature or culture:

• Do not summarize plot or describe an artwork--not even short sections of a story. 
  
• Try to make points that are not obvious.
• Convey your opinion about what is important in the works or works.
• Try to convice the reader that your view is valid by using clear argument
• Consider opposing views, if your opinion might be controversial
• Find a connection between two or more different events, scenes, images, or passages
• Use more than one example for each point you make; and identify the distinctions between these examples
• Allow yourself to discuss your examples and their significance; try to consider multiple ways that they are significant and that they create their meaning(s)
  
• Make sure every sentence you write is about the story/novel/artwork etc. and your judgment of what it means, how it means what it means, and/or why it means what it means (or how it relates to the main theme you are exploring).
  
• Pay attention to minor details of scenery (clothing, furniture, nature, etc) and how they relates to the point you are making or the theme you are studying.
• Give a good, short, descriptive title
• type, double-spaced
• Page Numbers on each page

Things to avoid when writing papers about literature:

• No plastic covers, please
• Do not say that the author/composer/painter/architect is a great artist
  
• Do not make statements about general truths, life, or the world  (stick to the facts of your materials instead)
  
• “Love is a very important thing to all people”
• "Socialism was meant to creat a workers' utopia"
• "Russia is a land of great suffering and patience"
  
• "Russia is a huge country with a tragic history"
• "Russian culture is the envy of the world"
• “Of course, everyone hates being insulted”

(but you can say: Dostoevsky emphasizes the importance of shame and insult in people’s lives)

• Do not state the obvious

• Do not summarize or re-tell the action of the story.

Also: references and quotations must include page numbers in parentheses. References to texts or editions other than official texts should include a bibliography at the end.