My OperaHomeschool fundraising The Importance of Writing Well
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 11:08:29 PM
The adage that you should focus on your first impression is the leading reason to learn to write well. Writing well means paying attention to not just the mechanics of English grammar and punctuation, but to the nuances and elegance of the language itself.
Writing skills are used to make first impressions throughout your life; everywhere from email to introductory letters to accompany your resume to business writing. You wouldn't write the cover letter to your resume in text message style abbreviations (or at least I urge you not to).
There are all proven techniques to assist you in writing well and making yourself understood.
1) Know who you are writing for before you even begin. Keep in mind what your intended audience knows about the topic already. Don't waste their time by reiterating the basics. If you are writing for mechanics, you don't need to explain what a wrench is, for instance. However, if it is technical writing, such as instructions which you are writing, then do give the basics and go step by step. 2) When writing, remember the advice of your English teachers. Come up with a theme and work from there. Know how you will end your piece and just write. You can go back and edit or rewrite later. Begin with the most important point. 3) When you go back to rewrite, don't worry about simply tossing out the first part of your piece; even a few hundred words. This is common - many writers use the first few paragraphs to warm up.
Habits to avoid:
After you have finished and rewritten your piece, then do a find and replace for *ly.* is the wild card character telling your word processor to find and replace and word ending in "ly". You can replace this with a word you would not be using in your piece; turnip, for instance. If your sentences work without this adjectival form, then leave the word out entirely. Otherwise, find a better adjective.
When possible, always write in the active voice. Remember, show; don't tell. For example: "Brooke ran from her pursuers as fast as she could, her heart racing, as her mind sought any means to evade capture." This is the active voice. And: "Running, Brooke's heart raced as she attempted to evade her pursuers." That would be the passive voice - active definitely reads better and is more likely to attract and retain the attention of your reader.
Lastly, read anything you write out loud. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, will weed out awkward, horrible prose like reading it out loud. Do this enough times, and you'll "hear" the words in your head. Once that step has happened, a lot more of your writing will get better with practice.
Writing well is a sadly neglected skill. It is hardly taught anymore, but all of the tips given here used to be commonplace instruction taught beginning in junior high, where they belong - rather than in college courses where they are encountered now.
Penned by Danise B. Keasda, a proficient teacher for over 12 years. She has been studying on home schooling since the 90's. She specializes in helping families find resources for writing lessons and paragraph writing exercises.homeschool fundraising: homeschool fundraising ideas
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