Better writing

One homework task that most people dread is writing a composition.  And even those who like the idea don’t always write well.

If we have to do it, it’s best to enjoy it. Which means first thinking about the task in a positive way.

Let’s tell ourselves:

  • I’m going to do this well
  • Someone is going to enjoy reading it

This means we can’t just start writing, finish and send it.  We need to find resources:

  • Ideas
  • words
  • structures

Ideas

The blank page or screen in front of us can’t give us ideas.  But there are thousands of people out there who can.  So let’s search the internet to see what other people have written on the subject.  Reading a couple of articles and making a few simple notes will make the job easier and more exciting.

Words

Meanwhile, we can copy some relevant words from the texts we’re reading. Only words, though, not blocks of text!  (You can’t do that in an exam.)  When we use those words in our composition, it will give us a sense of achievement – one of the greatest feelings on earth!

Structures

Next we have to remember that if we’re writing a composition, we’re probably training for an exam.  Examiners are only human: they get bored easily and can be a little bit subjective as a result.  So we need to give them variety.  Let’s think of all the structures we know, especially more difficult ones that we’ve learnt recently, and use them.

Don’t start writing yet!

We’ve got some ideas, some words, some structures.  Now let’s get some help from Nature.  We’ll leave the task for a day or two and let it grow in the back of our minds.  Given a little time, we’ll soon be looking forward to putting our thoughts into …

… action!

Once we’re ready to start filling that blank page, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the person who’s going to read it.  The task description will make it clear who that is: a magazine reader, a tutor, the boss of a company, a friend, someone interested in seeing a film, etc.  What would please this hypothetical person?  If we think we are that person, it will be easier to write in a suitable style.  So let’s imagine we’re not writing but reading.

How much to write?

The task description will have told us how many words we need to write.  Let’s be realistic: what can we say in, say, 190 words?  Perhaps not everything we would like to!  The reader has to be able to follow our ideas, so we have to develop them and connect them in a convincing way.  This requires …

… planning

Let’s make some notes.  We’ll divide our ideas into four of five paragraphs, and think how many words we can write in each paragraph (perhaps depending on the complexity of the ideas).

Next we need to ask ourselves how one idea fits in with another.  This will tell us how to connect our paragraphs together convincingly, so that the reader can simply follow our train of thought.

And enjoy!

After all our preparation, we’ll be feeling much more confident.  Writing is then easy.


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