Presentation
Presentation is literally how the piece of writing looks on the page. If the reader can’t tell what you are trying to say because your handwriting is careless, too slanted, loopy, or tiny, it makes the task of understanding your message just that much harder, or even impossible. Handwriting is an important qualify of the final presentation of your piece and so, if you have problems here, think about writing your piece on the word processor so it is easier to read.
Using a word processor can be a big help in presentation. Watch out, however, for overuse of all those really cool fonts (2 per page is usually the maximum) or overuse of pictures, graphs and charts. Remember, the whole key to success in working with presentation is to make your piece INVITING to the reader – not cause them a migraine!
Here’s another tip for making your paper look good as the reader prepares to take the plunge…use lots of white space to set up your text in the best
Voice
Voice separates writing that is read from writing that is not read…Voice is the writer revealed.
- Donald Murray
Voice is YOU coming through your writing. It’s what gives your writing personality, flavor, style – a sound all its own. Only you can give your writing this special touch because no one else sees the world quite the way you do. Pretty neat, huh! Your voice is as distinctively yours as your fingerprints.
Honesty is important to create in your writing. You must say what you truly think and feel – not what you think someone else might want to hear. This takes courage. You must write from the inside out from that part of you that’s in touch with your feelings. This means you need to know yourself, listen to yourself, and trust those thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, the very act of writing will help you discover what you truly think and feel. It’s risky, a bit scary, and exciting too.
Think about your reader as
Word Choice
I do not choose the right word, I get rid of the wrong one.
- A.E. Houseman
As you read and listen to other people speak, you cultivate a rich vocabulary of precise and colorful words that let you say exactly what you want – not come close, but nail it right on the head. This is the essence of good word choice. Every new word increases your power.
“But there are so many words to learn; where do I begin?” you might ask. In his book, On Writing Well, William Zinsser says, “Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum…flail, poke, dazzle, squash, beguile, pamper, swagger, wheedle, vex. Probably no other language has such a vast supply of verbs so bright with color.” Learn to develop a critical eye toward the verbs in you
Sentence Fluency
“Clarity, Clarity, clarity. When you become hopelessly mired in a sentence, it is best to start fresh…”
- Strunk and White
The Elements of Style
Read what you write aloud and listen to the rhythm of the language. Do you like what you hear? Does it make you sit up and take notice, or are you lulled to sleep by the sing-song sameness of each sentence pattern? Writers who read a lot notice that they develop a feeling for sentences that some people call “sentence sense.” It’s that sense that there’s more than one way to say a thing – but some ways just sound better than others.
Your sentences should be clear; they should make sense. Cut the deadwood. Don’t say: “At this point in time, we feel we are a
Conventions
The first editor of any piece is always the writer…
- Nancie Atwell
In the Middle
EDITING. Conventions are the rules of language ~ Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar/Usage, Paragraphing, and Capitalization ~ that make your text correct and easy for others to read. When you follow the rules, readers don’t need to waste energy mentally editing; they can pay attention to your clever ideas, creative organization, unique voice, vibrant word choice, and lyrical fluency.
Conventions are different from the first five trais (Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice and Sentence Fluency) because to improve those traits you have been learning how to revise ~ how to rethink and re-see your work. Editing is fixing ~ making sure the text is as error-free as possible. The purpose is to make your paper readable to someone else. Sometimes mistakes in conventions get in the way and keep the reader from understanding your message.
Organization
I look back and forth and see potential endings and title and leads. I’m looking for a trail through the material I have…
- Donald Murray
Without a clear trail, your ideas collapse or crash into each other. It is the organization that gives your writing direction and it helps the reader move through the ideas in a purposeful way.
Begin with a strong lead so you hook the reader right off the bat. Don’t settle for “Once upon a time” or “My paper is all about dogs.” Think about your lead working like a fishing lure or fly that dangles right in front of the nose of a fish until it just can’t resist and take a big, committed bite. Ahhh, gottcha!
If you take a look at your whole piece of writing, it should carefully build to the most important moment or point you are trying to make. Tos
Ideas and Content
We don’t want [the writer] to describe every ride at Disneyland, or tell us that the Grand Canyon is awesome…If one of the rides at Disneyland got stuck, or if somebody fell into the awesome Grand Canyon, that would be worth hearing about.
- William Zinsser
Ideas and Content is what you have to say – the reason for writing your paper. Everything about your writing begins with that message. If you can choose your own topic, pick something important to you, that you know a lot about. If someone picks the topic for you, look for a way to connect it to your own experience. That way, you can use what you know.
This is one of the secrets ~ keep it small. If you topic is too big (like “Animals of Africa”) you’ll wind up trying to tell too much and not be able to focus on any one idea long enough to make it clear. Skinny it down (“Why Lions Hunt in Pairs”) so you can handle it. Put in
]]>Ideas and Content
We don’t want [the writer] to describe every ride at Disneyland, or tell us that the Grand Canyon is awesome…If one of the rides at Disneyland got stuck, or if somebody fell into the awesome Grand Canyon, that would be worth hearing about.
- William Zinsser
Ideas and Content is what you have to say – the reason for writing your paper. Everything about your writing begins with that message. If you can choose your own topic, pick something important to you, that you know a lot about. If someone picks the topic for you, look for a way to connect it to your own experience. That way, you can use what you know.
This is one of the secrets ~ keep it small. If you topic is too big (like “Animals of Africa”) you’ll wind up trying to tell too much and not be able to focus on any one idea long enough to make it clear. Skinny it down (“Why Lions Hunt in Pairs”) so you can handle it. Put in the kind of details to show you pay attention