Another Introduction Post in My Pursuit of Knowledge

ENG-190 Research and Persuasion 2025 (Oct – Dec)

In this introduction post for my first college English class, I had to introduce myself and then discuss my history with researching by answering a few questions. The opening paragraph might seem familiar.

Hi, I’m Deborah (she/her)!

I’m a graphic designer by trade, and a writer by passion. So much so that 20+ years after getting my design degree, I’m back at school for a BA in creative writing. I spend my days working on a medical journal, and my evenings writing… or trying to write… or pretending to write… As a writer, I enjoy the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Octavia Butler, classic Stephen King, Peter David, and the illustrations of Dan DeCarlo. I love storms, champagne, Old Time Radio, and 70s Blues and Soul music. Thanks to an interesting childhood, I’m afraid of escalators, bill collectors, and sometimes fresh produce.

As a writer, I’ve been doing research all of my life— beginning with my first foray into a dictionary (courtesy of Charlie Brown and our local grocery store) when I was probably six or seven years old. Consequently, that was also my first journey down a proverbial rabbit hole as well. Next came the ancient set of Encyclopedia Britannica my dad got from work; I used to wake up in front of the bookcase with my face stuck to those pages. Then came the brand new set of World Book Encyclopedia in middle school… and more and more and deeper and deeper rabbit holes and sleepless nights. In those early days, research for me meant asking a parent a question, being told to “look it up,” and then later being ambushed by said parent demanding to know “What did you learn?” All through middle school I was a pro at research. I knew the card catalog and the Dewey Decimal System. I was skilled at using The Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature, and even the Yellow Pages to learn whatever I wanted to know. And then came high school and my first true research assignment
(… dun dun dun…)!

What was the purpose of your research?
- I chose to do my research paper on Witchcraft. My purpose was to learn Witchcraft.
Who was your audience?
- My audience was my sophomore year English teacher…. and, of course, myself and anybody else I could impress with my soon-to-be deep knowledge of Witchcraft.
What specific steps did you take to complete your research?
- I looked up Witchcraft in our myriad encyclopedias.
- I searched for magazine articles on Witchcraft with pictures of Witches.
- I pored through the occult sections in three different libraries.
- I studied the true, eye-witness accounts memorialized in antique wood-cuttings and other early paintings.
- I read religious comic books that told of the “well-deserved” punishment all Witches would receive.
- I watched The Crucible, I think on PBS.
- I wrote a thick deck of 3×5 note cards with the “facts” and spells I found.
- I bought a pointy hat.
What parts of your process worked well for you?
- I learned the brutal history of Witches in Europe and the early American colonies.
- I read a lot of faery tales.
- I learned Magick spells.
- I got to show off my pointy hat.
Did you have any trouble finding the needed information? If so, what did you do?
- I did have trouble finding any usable spells or contemporary information on Witches or Witchcraft; and some of the facts were quite contradictory depending on the sources. So I did what any smart writer would do. I made stuff up. What could the teacher say? It’s not like she could prove me wrong. Right?

So… yeah… I got a D on that first draft that I worked so hard on. It seems my subject was too broad and unfocused. I didn’t have a proper thesis statement. My sources couldn’t be verified. I missed all the opportunities to elaborate on anything for extra credit. My pointy hat came from Spencer’s, etc.

I didn’t do a second draft. The spells I cast on my teacher had no effect. I just took the D and haven’t tried to write a research paper since.

Yeah… I still feel some kinda way about it.