For advanced high school writers and college writers the rules of the 'game' seem to change. It isn't enough to paraphrase information found via Google searches or in textbooks. Teachers talk about "original arguments" and aren't even that interested in giving feedback on grammar and mechanics. The assumption is that students can begin to work on higher level skills, since basic skills have been adequately mastered.

Throw in 'scholarly research,' MLA or APA (or other, more exotic citation systems) citation formatting, and longer projects than perhaps students are used to and the result can be a significant challenge.

But with great challenge comes great opportunity. In the right academic environment these changes can be liberating, because for possibly the first time students feel they are writing with purpose. The goal isn't just to repeat the same old character analysis of Holden Caufield in The Catcher in the Rye, but to do something original. Often, the 'rules' of earlier writing classes (like "never use 'I'") are allowed to expire, and students can find a more personal voice writing about subjects that are more important to them.

From a student's perspective, the 11trees Writers' Toolkit attempts to demystify the basics of advanced undergraduate and high school writing. From "how do you create an in-text citation for a graphic novel" to "how can I come up with an original thesis," we will dig into the aspects of writing most crucial to success.

Writers' Toolkit is a growing online resource and a powerful add-in for Microsoft Word that brings this crucial information inside the space most of us use to write.

Writers' Toolkit for Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010 is available in a free beta. We anticipate releasing a commercial version of Writers' Toolkit on in 2011 for $3. Publishers, be afraid.

>> Writers' Toolkit: The App for your English class.