Improve Your Writing Skills with These Helpful Tips

Writing (part b) John R. Woodward 1

Punctuation (ad hoc, et al., 1980s, 1980s, 1980s) 1. Print your document out ON PAPER and read it carefully. 2. Read it out loud why? ( , means a small pause for breath, some people read out loud in their heads ) 3. After many reads you start to get snow blindness , (it is just like listening to your favourite CD 100 times, and you can start to hear the next track play as soon as the current stops - your brain is predicting what comes next) 4. So, take a rest or get someone else to read it. 5. Change the font and the SIZE, the human eye looks for patterns. 2 6. selective attention test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

Deconstruct a sentence do not make long sentences 1. Look at a sentence. 2. Take it apart (can you remove anything). 3. Can you make it simpler. How long should a sentence be? 4. Is it clear who is doing what, to whom or what, with what, and where. 5. John hit the nail with a hammer in the shed. 6. John hit the nail in the shed. 7. John hit the nail with a hammer. 3

Clarity do not be ambiguous I saw the doctor Could mean. 1/ I went to the surgery for a medical consultation. 2/ I could see him e.g. on the bus on the way to work. You cannot park your car there Could mean. 1/ it is illegal (double yellow line you will be fined) 2/ the space is physically too small 3/ that is my space !!! I saw it first, but you nudged in 4 4/ a sign asking please do not park in front of my gate (no fine, but immoral)

Ambiguous Mary said Tom broke the window: this can be punctuated different ways. Mary said, Tom broke the window Mary , said Tom, broke the window Eats shoots and leaves: this can be punctuated different ways Eats shoots and leaves. (description of a panda bamboo shoots) Eats, shoots and leaves. (description of a cowboy or gangster) Be explicit, and do not allow incorrect implications. 5

Quite simply Be objective Be clear Be concise Be definite Be as explicit at you can. 6

Topic Sentences (Speed Reading) 1. Write a sentence which is easy to read. 2. The unit of writing is the paragraph make the first sentence a topic sentence - introducing the paragraph. Perhaps a summary sentence at the end. 3. Have a very clear introduction/abstract and summary/conclusion 4. People are busy, and may not read all the document (or maybe expert enough they do not need to), so reference other sections, so it is clear what is to be read. 5. Does each paragraph make sense on its own. Each sentence? 7

Be consistent 1. If you use well-behaved with a hyphen, then don t later say well behaved . 2. Have a definitive file with all these decisions. 3. This saves you from having to remember all your decisions. 4. It also helps in collaborative writing. 8

Style, contractions, possessive 1. I was told to write it is a pen Not it s a pen Why/why not 2. Dear John/Sir , ., yours faithfully/sincerely 3. : and ; how do you use colon and semi colon? 4. I was told You cannot start a sentence with because 5. because you are worth it 9

That, Which That is the defining, or restrictive pronoun. The lawn mower that is broken is in the garage. (Tells me which one) Which is non-defining, or non-restrictive The lawn mower which is broken is in the garage (adds a fact about the only lawn mower in question) 10

Formula, or Clich 1. There is often a formula for a style of writing 2. A recipe has ingredients and a method.(flat pack furniture) 3. James Bond movie big opening scene, M, gadgets, girls, car chase, crazy villain, fight scene, martini (shaken not stirred), card game. 4. You need to identify any established formula 5. e.g. define the scope of your essay, set out the questions at the start. 6. Beginning, middle, end. 7. Copy good style but do not use clich s 11

SMART deadlines and intermediate deadlines Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound 12

Where to go next 1. Books: Gwynne s grammar, 2. or COBUILD English Grammar (Collins COBUILD Grammar) 3. Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/punctuation 4. Forums: http://english.stackexchange.com/ 5. Writing changes languages change vocabulary changes. (train spotter = nerd) 13

101 writing tips http://personal.strath.ac.uk/d.j.higham/tips.html http://personal.strath.ac.uk/d.j.higham/tips.pdf http://mri.beckman.uiuc.edu/resources/writing_tips.pdf 14 JOHN R. WOODWARD

Personal Preferences 1. You need a place to write too hot/cold 2. Too noisy. With friends? Late at night, early in the morning. 3. With music. In silence. 4. Writers block go for a walk/swim/ change of scene. 5. Find out what works for you, and what does not work. 15 JOHN R. WOODWARD

An apology in a news paper. Although the Lib Dems have slipped from the public eye in recent months, we should have managed to spell his name correctly. It is, of course, Tim Farron, not Fallon. We apologise to Mr Farron and our Lib Dem reader. 16 JOHN R. WOODWARD

You will start to enjoy writing. 1. Writing can be daunting. 2. Writing is subjective 3. Writing is a life skill. 4. You will almost certainly have to do it as part of your job. 5. You will get better with practice. 6. Use a dictionary, use a thesaurus, use a word processor with a spell checker. 7. It is not what you say, but the way you say it. 17

notes May/be any/way no/body See my emails and notes from courses. label:00-writing-retreat 18

Market Research Advertisers do their market research they test their product on a small number of people You should do the same with your writing. Take notice of feedback. Most people overestimate what the audience knows. Have you ever been to a lecture/seminar which was too easy to understand most are too difficult. 19