How to write well
Like it or not, at some point in your life you will be called upon to write something. It could be an accident report, your medical history, or a letter to your child’s teacher. With English classes in the distant past, you are paralyzed with fear.
Don’t panic. Good writing involves following a few basic steps. Read on and you’ll learn how to write well. And speaking of reading, the most essential skill in becoming a good writer is to read. Read widely and often and your voyage will be off on the right foot.
Use the right tools
Developing writing skill doesn’t happen overnight. Before starting on this journey, invest in the tools you’ll need. A good word processing program trumps the pencil and a legal pad. An up-to-date dictionary and a grammar handbook are the bare minimum requirements. If you want to branch out, add a thesaurus. If you’re working in a specialized field, get a glossary of terms specific to your industry. Many of these are available in electronic versions or online. Help is as close as your desktop.
Get a map. You wouldn’t head out into uncharted territory without a map. Don’t start a writing project without a plan. First, you need to be clear as to the purpose of your writing. Who will be reading it? What results do you want to achieve? Once you’ve answered those questions, you’re ready to tackle the project.
Plan. A plan will help prevent the blank page syndrome. Spend a few minutes brainstorming. You might make a list, a cluster map, a Venn diagram, or a flowchart. You may sketch out some ideas. You may make a formal Roman numeral outline. Do whatever your brain dictates, but get something down. Once you have something tangible on paper, you’ll be able to shape it into a finished product.
Don’t gum up the works
The best writing in the world will fall flat if it’s riddled with errors. Avoid “GUM”—mistakes in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Your word processing program will catch some grammar error for you, but invest in a good English grammar handbook for heavy duty issues. Usage has to do with word choice and writing style.
You may want a friend to read over your draft before you send it off to wherever it’s going. And finally, mechanics. These are the surface details: capitalization, punctuation, and formatting. Though these may seem insignificant, don’t overlook them. A missing comma can totally change the meaning of a sentence.
Three essential parts
Most writing involves three parts: a beginning, a middle, and the end. Start out by telling your reader what’s coming. This introduction could be as short as one sentence. Develop your main idea or ideas in the body of the paper. Finish up with a summary so your reader has no doubt as to the purpose of the document.
Sentences first
Good writing starts with a mastery of sentences. We all understand the concept of including a subject and a verb: John eats. It’s when sentences get longer and more complicated that writers get into trouble. Or sometimes the problem is that sentences are too short. Either the writing sounds choppy or you may have a sentence fragment. If you are missing a subject or verb, the sentence is incomplete.
Punctuate with care!!!??
Even the most brilliantly written sentence won’t work without proper punctuation. As you add phrases to modify ideas and clauses to subordinate one idea to another, you need to know whether you need commas, semicolons, parentheses, or dashes.
If you decide to use other people’s words, you will need to master the use of quotation marks. You may also need to use commas, brackets, and ellipses to make the borrowed material flow with what you’re saying.
What’s your style?
Once you’ve mastered the basics of English grammar, you’re at liberty to break the rules. Your unique way of expressing your ideas will come across in the words you choose, the length of your sentences, and the way you transition from one paragraph to the next. Sometimes a fragment expresses an idea more dramatically than a complete sentence. As long as you achieve your objectives, your writing will be considered successful.
Add some flair
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, it’s time to branch out. Begin by adding colorful modifiers to your sentences. Let your readers experience what you’re describing by using sensory details. (Most people limit themselves to things they can see.)
Follow the example of poets and novelists: Use figurative language. Make your writing interesting. Add metaphors to make a point. Support your points with a vivid example or an anecdote. Reverse normal sentence order. Turn your writing into an adventure rather than a drudgery.
Write the way you talk?
One of the common pieces of advice is to write the way you talk. That only works if you speak correctly and make yourself understood. If you tend to ramble on in your conversations, your writing will be wordy. If you switch around from one topic of conversation to another, leaving your listeners confused, your readers will be confused as well.
Get help
Engaging a fresh set of eyes can often help clarify a confusing sentence. Find a person you trust to read and comment honestly on your writing. You may want to line up several people: one to look at content, another to analyze your style, and a third to give it an English-teacher read.
If your aspirations run to seeing your work in print, find a writer’s group. Getting input from seasoned writers is essential.
Don’t give up
Good writing requires persistence. Don’t expect fluent prose on your first try. Make an effort to learn how to write well. Then practice, practice, practice. And don’t forget to read, read, read.
