It was a dark and
stormy night... Good writing takes enormous concentration Snoopy, Peanuts
Charles Schulz, 1922 - 2000 American cartoonist |
Required and voluntary writing has a broad range of styles. A writing assignment succeeds by addressing a defined audience with content organized into an effective and/or convincing presentation. This sequence may help:
Develop your topic (1)
If a topic is
not assigned, identify a subject that interests you...
Identify your audience (2)
Use
this exercise to develop your audience and readership...
Research (3)
Develop your time
line: allow for editing, revision and unexpected developments...
Organizing with notecards
Using the "Note Card System" can be very useful...
Prewrite (4)
Prewriting
exercises provide key words, meaning, and structure to...
Draft/write (5)
A rough draft
is "a late stage in the writing process"...
Revise (6)
Before the
revising/editing, take a break to gain a new perspective...
Proofread (7)
Intentionally
separate "proofreading" from the "writing"...
Consider what type of writing is assigned, and explore what will make it effective. For example, your diary has different purpose, components and style than an essay; a research proposal different purpose, components, and style than a white paper. The better you understand the task at hand, the more successful will be your writing.
The five-paragraph essay
Getting started means getting organized.
A good place to start if
you are inexperienced in writing.
Essays for a literature class
Brainstorm the question/assignment: restate the key words...
Expository essays
When writing
an expository essay, follow these eight basic steps...
Persuasive essays
In persuasive
or argumentative writing, we try to convince others...
Position papers
Write a position
paper to organize and outline your viewpoint on an issue...
Writing for the "Web"
The
topic, its main idea, and its conclusion should be immediately
visible, locatable, or knowable...
Open book exams
In an open book
exam you are evaluated on understanding rather than recall...
Essay Exams
Before writing out
the exam, write down its key words...
Research proposals
These
recommendations do not guarantee a successful research application!
They are intended to help you conceptualize and prepare a research
proposal...
White papers
White papers
introduce your product or technology as innovative...
Transitional words & phrases
Using transitional words and phrases helps papers read more
smoothly...
Essay terms and directives
"Directives" ask you to answer, or present information, in a
particular way...
Modifiers & commas
Grammar refers
to the rules regarding the current standard of correctness...
Writing under deadline
Don't
panic: organize! Whether you are meeting a publication deadline,
over-booked, or procrastinating...
Writing Strategies Learned
Stephen Wilburs' reflections or blog on writing...
Spelling strategies
English spelling rules are complex, with many
exceptions...
Spelling rules &
exercises
American spelling rules and
exercises...
Common
misspelled words
Words commonly misspelled,or
spelled correctly but not used properly...
There | They're |
Their
pronounced the same, but spelled
differently according to usage...
Too | Two | To
pronounced the same, but spelled differently
according to usage...
"Y" with suffixes
When "y" is the last letter in a word...
Prefixes and
root words
As you go through this exercise,
note that a word's root or stem is its foundation...
Suffixes and
silent "e"
If a word ends with ...
Mapping
vocabulary
The exercise will help you
remember, use and understand a vocabulary word...
Picturing
vocabulary
Use your mouse to draw what comes
to mind about the given word...
American alphabet
recited
Actor James Earl Jones recited the
alphabet in 1.5 minutes as a test pilot for Sesame
Street...