I don’t like to write
. . . but I love having written!
I am Miss. S. A. Writer, your guide to grammar, writing and research. Students frequently inform me that they don’t like to write. They don’t like all the time required to get their thoughts on paper. They don’t like having to make their writing conform to “all those stupid rules.” They don’t like hearing the criticisms of their peers and teachers. They don’t like receiving papers “bloodied” by their teachers’ red pens. They don’t like seeing the words, sentences, and paragraphs that they placed on their papers overruled by comments of “frag,” “agmt,” “RO,” “logic,” “punct,” or other problem indicator. I listen to the students, and as they speak, I nod my head in agreement because I share their sentiments. Writing, for me, is a painful process. My mind races with ideas, and my thoughts run in all directions. It takes me forever to gather them and get them down on paper. When I finally accomplish that goal, I look at my work and think “What a mess!” It takes me hours to write a paper and get it to an acceptable level—not necessarily perfect, but something I can live with. In college, my professors always complimented my work, and my grades indicated writing excellence. I’ve published a couple of pieces, so apparently I do write well. Although I can accept that fact, I still don’t like to write . . . but I love having written. I enjoy the satisfaction of completing a task. I enjoy seeing other people read my words, accept them, and validate my thoughts by their acceptance. I enjoy moving people to laughter, tears, introspection, action, or whatever emotion the piece evokes. I love the power of the written word.
Why do I tell you all this? Whether you like writing or hate it, you can write—and you can write well. You may have much to learn about writing, but you can learn. If you already write well, you can become even better. Even the most successful contemporary writers—Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Danielle Steel, Maya Angelou, and others—readily admit that they learn something new with every project they undertake. Writing, like any other skill, requires practice. So, let’s begin.
Writing is a process that consists of five steps: prewriting, writing, revising, editing, and publishing (also delineated in a PowerPoint presentation). Each step moves you closer to your final product.
· Prewriting: Generating ideas and details
o Questioning
o Freewriting
o Listing
o Diagramming
o Outlining
· Writing: Assembling ideas and details into sentences and paragraphs
· Revising: Working with content—reorganizing sentences and paragraphs, adding details, deleting superfluous details, including transitions—to achieve your writing purpose
· Editing: Proofreading and checking sentence skills: grammar, mechanics, punctuation, and usage
· Publishing: Printing your final paper
This process is recursive, which means that the steps may be repeated as many times as necessary to achieve a satisfactory final product.
HOT TIP: When proofreading, read your paper aloud. Read only what is on the paper; do not add words that are not on the paper or delete words that are there. Reading aloud enables your ears to pick up problems that your eyes overlook.