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Principles of Writing Intro

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10 views13 pages

Principles of Writing Intro

Uploaded by

domenica ayala
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Principles of Writing

Introduction

Ged Lewis
Spoken

Language
Usually spontaneous and immediate; tolerant
of redundancy, imprecision and error: only
heard once, by a limited audience

Written
Usually involves a process of revision and
polishing for maximum effect; is expected to
be free from error and low in redundancy: can
be re-read many times by a wider audience
Literature
(written
language)

Fiction Non-fiction

Genres Novel Short Story Essay Biography

Detective Romantic Persuasive Narrative Descriptive


Essay:

A short piece of non-fiction prose writing on


a single subject.
Types of essay (1):

The “literary” essay is usually first published


in a magazine, and subsequently makes its
way into a collection. Writers of influential
essays include many “big names” in
literature: Bacon, Montaigne, Wilde, Orwell,
Eliot, Woolfe, etc.
Types of essay (2):

The “academic” essay is a requirement in


many education systems. It’s used for general
training in writing and critical thinking skills
at school and university levels, but in many
disciplines it is also considered a legitimate
medium of academic expression.
Types of essay (3):

Closely related genres to which essay writing


skills can easily be transferred: the opinion article
or “op-ed” (look in any daily newspaper); the blog
post; the expository writing found in e.g. wiki
articles; the analytical report (e.g. in a business
environment); the academic research paper.
The Writing Process - applies to all genres

Ideas stage: Brainstorming (coming up with ideas)


Outline (selecting and ordering ideas)
Writing stage: Drafting (actually writing something) repea
t
Editing (improving what you wrote) a s
n eces
Post-writing: Proofreading (checking for mistakes)
ry
sa

Formatting and publishing

(Subsequently: getting feedback, re-editing?)


Considerations early in the Writing Process

What can I contribute to the field? (e.g. original ideas, an original


approach, greater clarity, or just stimulating further discussion. This will be your motivation to
write.)
Who are my audience? *
How will my audience, and the chosen medium, affect
content, register and style?
* “The teacher” is not a valid answer to this question!
Considerations later in the Writing Process

The following principles will serve as guidelines:

le
Relevance - Am I answering the question?
h i
w
a n ni Coherence - Does this make logical sense?
pl
ng Unity - Does all this belong together?
Clarity - Will this be understood without difficulty?
h i le
w
r i t in Brevity - Is this as short as I can make it?
w
g Precision - Am I providing the necessary detail?
Text organization

Sentence Paragraph Essay


Establish topic Subject Topic sentence Introduction

Say something Predicate Development Body


Conclude . Concl. sentence* Conclusion

* Optional. A paragraph with a concluding sentence is an “academic paragraph”


The Principle of End-focus
According to this principle, people expect a topic (theme) to be
followed by new information or “comment” (rheme). This general
organizing principle often leads people to pay more attention to what
comes at the end of a sentence, or of a text. This in turn influences how
we organize ideas in our writing. Define your topic first; then say what
you need to say; then, in your conclusion, restate your main idea, or
highlight (destacar) whatever you want your reader to remember. Also
keep in mind that the last thing you say (final words of a sentence, or
concluding sentence of a paragraph, or concluding paragraph of an
essay) will be more effective if it is short, simple and direct.
Write a paragraph:
1. I have never met anyone as attractive as ____.
2. It’s easy to make a(n) _______ .
3. _____ is not a well-known place, but it’s worth a
visit.
4. One of my most treasured possessions is _____ .
5. There are certain things I look for in a job / a friend.
6. Yesterday was a terrible day.
7. I chose this university for three main reasons.

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