“ Remember you are not a human being having a spiritual experience, rather you are a spiritual being having a human experience.”

Writing Experience shapes writing. Writing never follows a straight path. Each assignment presents a unique challenge. Each writer works differently.

The Writing Process Pre Writing Writing Post Writing

Pre Writing Realities Thoughts pass through your mind; you never have nothing in your mind. Free Writing helps you get these thoughts on paper. Many things seem awkward or difficult when you first try them. Just stick to it and do not lose hope.

Pre Writing Tricks Lists Music Clustering Imaginary Dialogue Sentence Completion Reflecting

PRE WRITING Time Location Atmosphere Triggers

Free Writing Write nonstop for at least ten minutes. Just write anything that comes to mind. If you have a particular topic, begin writing about it. Do not stop stop to judge, edit or correct your writing. Keep writing even if you think you have exhausted the topic. When a particular topic seems to be working, stick with it.

Finding A Topic Before you find the topic ask yourself Why am I Writing. Know the purpose for your writing

Some Possible Reasons Why We Write To Inform To Persuade To Entertain To Request To Express Feelings To Express Ideas

A Question of Style Think of your clothes. When you opened your cabinet this morning, you had to choose. Shall I wear something old? New? Bright? Conservative? Whatever you wear, that is your style. Same thing with writing. It is a series of choices that you make. Your words, your sentences and your paragraphs. Your clothes as well as your writing will not change and they will be in style if you do everything to make it possible to make sure it looks and sounds like you.

Traits of an Effective Writing Style FOCUS Stylistic writing displays a clear focus. It stems from a specific feeling you have about your subject. It attempts to entertain, explain or persuade. It uses one word when one word will do. One sentence when one sentence will do. It is under your control.

Prefer clear and familiar words. Small words are usually the clearest, easiest way to understand. Small words are more precise. Small words add beauty.

Use the fewest words possible Don’t use several words when one will do WORDY Concise At this point in time At the present moment At this very moment Immediately following Subsequent to At a later time Prior to In the days and weeks preceding now now then now after later before before

CONCRETENESS It is precise and colorful. It helps the reader hear and feel things. It uses specific words that describe.

VITALITY It is lively. It has energy. It has emotion and intensity. This is achieved when we speak honestly about the subject, share personal experiences and provide plenty of interesting information.

ORIGINALITY It is fresh and original. It involves risk taking.

GRACE Has no bumps or rough spots. It links important ideas from sentence to sentence and from paragraph to paragraph. It reads smoothly and clearly from start to finish. Grace is achieved by working and reworking your ideas many, many times.

COMMITMENT Stylistic writing begins and ends with commitment. If you feel strongly about a writing idea you are ready to give it the proper attention.

Common Mistakes of Style The Short One. If your writing contains many short sentences, one right after another, it may sound like a grade school book. The Problem: Our policy for makeup assignments is unfair. The teachers go strictly by the rules. They do not care about the amount of work you have. They do not care about your activities. You must complete missing work within these three school days. No credit is given after that. The Cure: Combine some of your ideas into longer smooth reading sentences. When it comes to makeup assignments, our teachers go strictly by the rules. They do not care about the amount of work you have or about your other responsibilities. You must complete missing work within three school days; otherwise, you receive no credit.

The Passive Voice If your writing is slow moving and impersonal, you may have used too many passive verbs. With passive verbs, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The man was struck by lightning. Better, Lightning struck the man.

Insecurity Does your writing have too many qualifiers? Qualifiers include, to be perfectly honest, to tell the truth, etc. Or intensifiers like, really, truly, etc. These words or phrases may suggest that you lack confidence in your ideas. The Problem: I totally and completely agree with Mr. Cruz about changing the company’s drug policy, but that is only my opinion. The Cure: I agree with Mr. Cruz about changing the company’s drug policy.

Show. Do not Tell. The Problem: Some homeless people live around Coney Island. The Cure: Under the boardwalk, a few homeless people find shelter; they hang up sheets and lay out their old clothes , empty cans and plastic bags full of things they’ve collected on the streets. Even though the boardwalk does not provide them with walls, it does give them a roof over their heads. You show by putting people in your writing whose actions communicate the important ideas for you. You show by thinking in terms of the 5W’s and H. Make sure that your stories answer these questions. You can also think in terms of the three different types of details.

Types of Details SENSORY MEMORY REFLECTIVE

SENSORY DETAILS Are those that come through the senses. Sensory details are important when you are attempting to describe something you are observing or have observed firsthand. I could feel the warmth of the kerosene stove and smell its penetrating odor even before I opened the squeaky door leading to his third floor apartment.

MEMORY DETAILS Are those that you recall from past experiences. Often these details come in the form of mental images which you can use to make strong and colorful descriptions. I can remember as a kid how I walked the noisy wooden stairway to his attic room and how he was always waiting at the half opened door to take the newspaper from my shaking hand.

REFLECTIVE DETAILS Are those that come to mind as you wonder about or reflect on something. Some phrases include, I wish, I hope, dream, wonder, etc. These details bring a strong personality to your writing and allow you to write about the way things might have been or may yet to be. I wonder if he ever knew how frightened I was then and how I imagined there to be all varieties of evil on the other side of that half opened door- beyond the kerosene stove.

Effective Writing Using Metaphors Using Strong and colorful words Using Repetition

Metaphors Yikes!!! Ano yan! A metaphor is a tool for effective writing. It makes the invisible, visible. Idea: The rain came down hard. Metaphor: The rain was like a white blanket.

Making metaphors work Create original comparisons. Avoid cliches. Be clear in your thinking. Avoid vague language. Be consistent. “ in the final debate the senator dodged each of his opponent’s accusations and eventually scored the winning shot” is an example of a mixed metaphor. Shifts from boxing to basketball.

Use Strong and Colorful Words The word is the basis of effective writing, so choose your words carefully. Words become sentences. Sentences become paragraphs and paragraphs become your work. So choose your words very carefully. That means……

Choose specific nouns. Man – Writer – Poet – Pablo Neruda Drink – Nutritious Drink – Grapefruit Pain – Headache – Migraine Nouns are specific and general. Use the specific for colorful and strong writing.

Use Vivid Verbs Like nouns, verbs are also general and specific. The word looked is not the same as glared, glanced, stared and peeked. The manager looked at the employee is different from The manager stared at the employee.

Whenever possible, use a verb that is strong enough to stand alone without the help of an adverb. Verb and adverb: Joan sat down on the couch. Vivid verb: Joan plopped on the couch. Avoid overusing the “to be” verbs ( is, are, was, were….) A “to be” verb: Tess is someone who likes to play tennis. Stronger: Tess likes tennis.

Use the active verbs rather than the passive verbs. Use only the passive if you want to downplay something. Passive: Another shot was made by Paolo. Active: Paolo made another short. Use verbs that show rather than tell. Tells: Susan is very tall. Shows: Susan towers over her friends.

Use specific adjectives. Use PRECISE and COLORFUL adjectives to describe nouns. Avoid using adjectives that have little meaning. Neat, big, small, delicious, pretty, dumb, great, wonderful, amazing, nice, cute, funny, etc. The neat house belongs to my aunt. The Mexican house belongs to my aunt. Use adjectives selectively. Too many adjectives will negate the effectiveness. A tall shocking column of thick, black smoke marked the exact spot where the ear shattering explosion had occurred. CHAR!!!!!

Use the “right” words. Words have two shades. Denotation. – The literal meaning of the word. Connotation. – The emotional meaning of the word.

USING REPETITION When we repeat we mean similar grammatical structures ( words, phrases or ideas.) Its purpose is for rhythm, emphasis and unity. When used effectively, repetition can be a powerful tool in effective writing. The key point in repetition is to keep words or ideas parallel, or stated in the same way.

Parallelism For rhythm and balance: The chimpanzee, the orangutan and the baboon are three of the most intelligent subhuman primates. His room is full of smelly sweatshirts, wrinkled shorts and dirty socks. For emphasis and effect: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. For unity and organization: Let the smell of mint touch me. I am kneeling along a little stream, the water numbing as I reach for a trout. Let me a certain color and I am standing beside the threshing machine, grain cascading through my hands. Let me hear an old whirring. I am deep in the woods, following an elsuive sound, looking in vain for a last passenger pigeon…..

SENTENCES Modeling Combining Expanding Writing Complete Sentences Writing Natural Sentences Writing Acceptable Sentences

Modeling You may want to imitate certain sentences in your own writing because you like the way they sound or how the way they make a point. Modeling can help you improve your writing. You imitate the structure but not the content. How do you model? RESERVE a special section in your notebook to list certain sentences that you like. LIST the well crafted sentences. Focus on the sentences that flow smoothly. STUDY each sentence so you know how it is put together. Read it aloud. WRITE your own version of a sentence by imitating it part by part. CONTINUE imitating a number of different sentences to help you fine tune your sense of sentence style.

Combining Sentences Use a series to combine three or more similar ideas. The typhoon struck the small village without warning, causing extensive damage, numerous injuries and several deaths. Use a relative pronoun ( who, whose, that which) to introduce the subordinate (less important ideas) The typhoon, which was completely unexpected, swept through the small village causing extensive damage, numerous injuries and several deaths. Use an introductory phrase or clause for the less important ideas. Because the tornado was completely unexpected, it caused extensive damage, numerous injuries and several deaths. Repeat a key word or phrase to emphasize and idea. The typhoon left a permanent scar, a scar of destruction, injury and death. Use a correlative conjunction ( either, or, not only, but also) to compare or contrast two ideas in a sentence. The typhoon inflicted not only immense property damage, but also immeasurable human suffering.

Expanding Sentences The secret in expanding a sentence is the CUMULATIVE sentence. What are its parts? The main idea that is expanded by modifying words, phrases and clauses. In this type of sentence the details accumulate or build after the main clause creating a a stylistic image rich thought. Maria is laughing half heartedly, with her hands on her face, looking puzzled. Remember you can expand sentences 5 ways. Individual words: half heartedly Prepositional Phrases: with her hands on her face Participial (-ing or –ed phrases) Subordinate Clauses: while her friend talks Relative Clauses: who isn’t laughing at all

Writing Complete Sentences Rule. Except for special situations, you should always use complete sentences when you write. By definition a complete sentence expresses a complete thought. Also one sentence, one idea. However a sentence may not just have one idea but several. The trick is to get those ideas to work together to form a clear interesting sentence that expresses your main thought. There are pitfalls and errors in trying to accomplish this.

Fragment Fragment: a group pf words used as a sentence. It is not a sentence though, because it lacks a subject, a verb or some essential part. That missing part causes it to be an incomplete thought. Fragment: Lettuce all over the table. ( No verb) Sentence: Lettuce flew all over the table. Fragment: When Jose served the salad.( what happened to the salad?) Sentence: When Jose served the salad, lettuce flew all over the table. Fragment: Kristy asked, “Is that a tossed salad?” Laughing and scooping up a pile of lettuce. ( Sentence then fragment. To avoid this error, you can combine the sentence and the fragment.) Sentence: Laughing and scooping up a pile of lettuce, Kristy asked, “is that a tossed salad?”

Comma Splice Is a mistake made when two independent clauses are connected or “spliced” with only a comma. The comma is not enough: a period, semicolon, or conjunction is needed. Spliced: The concert crowd had been waiting in the sun for two hours, many were beginning to show their impatience by chanting and clapping. Corrected: The concert crowd had been waiting in the sun for two hours, and many were beginning to show their impatience by chanting and clapping. ( and has been added) Corrected: The concert crowd had been waiting in the sun for two hours; many were beginning to show their impatience by chanting and clapping. ( semicolon has been used)

Rambling Sentence Is one that seems to go and on and on And on And on. It is often the result of the overuse of the word AND Rambling: The intruder entered through the window and moved sideways down the hall and under a stairwell and he stood waiting in the shadows. Corrected: The intruder entered through the window. He moved sideways down the hall and under the stairwell where he stood, waiting in the shadows.

Run on Sentence Is actually two sentences joined without adequate punctuation or a connecting word. Run On: I thought the ride would never end my eyes were crossed, and my fingers numb. Corrected: I thought the ride would never end. My eyes were crossed, and my fingers were numb.

“If any man wishes to write a clear style, let him first be clear in his thoughts.” - Goethe Let us be clear about one thing. Writing is thinking. Before you write clearly, you must think clearly. If you are not understood, it is your fault. Worse, if you are misunderstood.

To write clear sentences avoid Incomplete comparisons. This happens when one leaves out a word or words that are necessary to show exactly what is being compared to what. Incomplete: I get along with Tina than my sister. ( Do you mean you get along better than Rosa that you get along with your sister… or that you get along better with Rosa than your sister does?) Corrected: I get along better with Rosa than my sister does. Ambiguous wording is wording that is unclear because it has two or more possible meanings. It often happens when sentences are combined. Ambiguous: Mike decided to take the new car to the drive in movie, which turned out to be a real horror story. ( Hmmm. What turned out to be a real horror movie, Mike’s bringing the new car or the movie?) Clear: Mike decided to take his new car to the drive in movie, a decision that turned out to be a real horror story. Indefinite reference is a problem caused by careless use of pronouns. As a result, the reader is not sure what the pronoun is referring to. Indefinite: In To Kill a Mockingbird, she describes the problems faced by Atticus Finch and his family. ( Who is she?) Clear: In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes the problems faced by Atticus Finch and his family.

Misplaced modifiers are modifiers that gave been placed incorrectly making the meaning unclear. Misplaced: We have an assortment of combs for people who have unbreakable teeth. ( People have unbreakable teeth?) Corrected: For people, we have an assortment of combs with unbreakable teeth. Dangling modifiers are modifiers that appear to modify the wrong word or a word that is not in the sentence. Dangling: Trying desperately to get under the fence, Paul’s mother called him. ( The phrase trying desperately.. appears to modify Paul’s mother.) Dangling: After standing in the line for five hours, the manager announced that all the tickets had been sold. ( Who was standing for five hours?)

Writing Natural Sentences The greatest temptation for writers is to use big words. We think that writing simply is not effective writing. Nothing can be further from the truth. The best writing is ordinary and natural, not fancy or artificial. Be honest. Be sincere. Be yourself.

Avoid Deadwood. It is wording that fills up a lot of space but does not add anything important or new to the overall meaning. Wordy: At this point in time, I feel the study needs additional work before the subcommittee can recommend it to be resubmitted for consideration. Concise: The study needs more work. Flowery language is writing that uses more or bigger words than needed. It has too many adjectives and adverbs. Flowery: The cool fresh breeze, which came like a storm in the night, lifted me to the exhilrating heights from which I had been previously suppressed by the incandescent cloud in the learning center. ( CHAR!!!) Concise: The cool breeze was a refreshing change from the muggy classroom air. Trite expressions and cliches. They are overused and stale. And as a result, they sound insincere and artificial and lazy. Trite: It was raining cats and dogs. Natural:

Jargon. It is language used in a certain profession or industry. It is very technical. Jargon: I am having difficulty with these employee mandates. Natural: I do not understand these work orders. Euphemisms are words or phrases that are substituted for another because they are considered less offensive. Euphemism: I am so exasperated that I could expectorate. Natural: I am so mad, I could spit. Wordiness occurs when a word ( or a synonym for that word) is repeated unnecessarily. Redundant: The team won eight straight games in a row. Concise:

Writing Acceptable Sentences Nonstandard language is language that is often acceptable in daily conversation, but seldom in formal writing. Avoid the use of colloquial language such as go with, wait up. Colloquial: Can I go with? ( substandard) Can I go with you?( standard) Double Preposition: Avoid using double prepositions: off of, off to, in on. Reggie went off to the movies. Reggie went to the movies. Slang: Avoid using it. Hey dude, what’s happenin? Double Negative is a sentence that contains two negative words. Because two negatives make a positive, this type of sentence can take on a meaning opposite of what is intended. Double Negative: I haven’t got no money. Corrected: I have no money.

Shift in construction is a change in the structure or style midway through a sentence. Shift in number: When a person goes shopping for a used car he or she (not they) must be careful not to get a lemon. Shift in tense: The trunk should be checked to see it contains a jack and a spare tire that are ( not should) in good shape. Shift in person: One must be careful to watch for heavy, white exhaust or one (not you) can end up with real engine problems. Shift in voice: As you continue to look for the right car ( active voice), many freshly painted ones are sure to be seen. ( passive) Corrected: As you continue to look for the right car, you are sure to see many freshly painted ones. Inconsistent Parallel Construction: Inconsistent: I like reading, singing and to sleep. I like reading, singing and sleeping.

In summary Be complete. Avoid fragments, comma splices, run-ons and rambling sentences. Be clear. Avoid incomplete comparisons, ambiguous wording, indefinite references and misplaced and dangling modifiers. Be natural. Avoid deadwood, flowery language, euphemisms, wordiness trite expressions and cliches, and jargon. Be grammatically correct: Avoid substandard language, double negatives, shifts in construction and inconsistent construction.

Writing Paragraphs It is a unit of thought. It can be compared to a building that is made up of separate and smaller units, ( called sentences).

The Topic Sentence Most paragraphs contain a sentence somewhere that strongly states or suggests the focus or topic of the sentence. It can be found at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a paragraph. A simple formula for a well written topic sentence would look like this: Music helps people relax. A limited topic ( Music) + a specific impression ( helps people relax) = a topic sentence.

Writing the Paragraph A quick guide! Select a topic that interests you. And a topic that can be covered in one paragraph. Write a topic sentence that clearly states your topic and the specific impression. List the details you plan to cover in your paragraph. Determine the purpose of your writing. Generally there are three reasons for writing or communicating: To inform, to persuade and to entertain. Write down your paragraph as honestly and naturally as you can. Let your creativity and personality be your guide. Use a variety of sentence beginnings, lengths and types. ( we will discuss this later!) Read the first draft. Revise, revise, revise. Proofread for grammar, punctuation, usage and so on.

Types of Paragraphs Narrative. Tells a story of one kind or another. It has a plot, a clear progression- a beginning, a middle and an end. Descriptive. Is the type in which sentences work together to present a single clear picture of a person, place, thing, or idea. Expository. Is one that presents facts, gives directions, defines terms and so on. This type of paragraph is used to explain facts or ideas. Persuasive. Presents information to support or prove a point. It expresses an opinion and tries to convince the reader that the opinion is correct and valid.

Paragraph Unity Every sentence in a paragraph should be closely related to the topic sentence and should fit in well with the other sentences. The whole point of all the sentences is to bring UNITY to the paragraph. The sentences must run smoothly and logically. And in order to do that we should be aware that a well written paragraph is made up of three levels of details.

Three Levels Level One. Controlling Sentences name and control the topic. Music helps people relax. Level Two. Clarifying Sentences help male the topic clearer. Music helps soothe the tension and stress that people undergo. Level Three. Completing Sentences add specific details that explain or describe the topic to the reader. Muscles are loosened and tightness disappears as one starts to listen to the arching melody of a violin, the lonely note on a piano and the moaning of a cello.

Methods of Arranging Details If your writing flows smoothly, it will most likely have an inner logic or flow. However arranging details that make up the paragraph can be difficult at times. So we need to arrange the details in the way we see fit. In the way that would best bring out our purpose in writing. There are several ways to arrange details.

Chronological (Time) Order. This is effective for narrating personal experiences, summarizing steps and explaining events. Details are arranged in the way order in which they happen. Order of Location. Is useful for many types of description. It helps provide unity by arranging details left to right, right to left, top to bottom, edge to center, near to far, etc. Illustration ( Deduction: general to specific) is a method of arrangement in which you first state the general idea ( TS) and follow with specific ideas to support the main idea. Climax.( Induction: specific to general) is a method in which you present the details first followed by the general statement or conclusion drawn from the specific information provided. Cause and Effect arrangement helps you make the connections between the result and the events that precede it. The general statement ( cause or result) can be supported by specific effects. Comparison. It is a method of arrangement in which you measure one subject against another subject that is often more familiar. State the main point of the comparison early and the likeness ( details) in a clear fashion. Contrast uses details to measure the difference between the subjects.

Adding Variety Word Variety Use your own vocabulary as much as possible. Your best words will those that sound as if you are simply talking to your reader. Use synonyms to avoid monotony of using the same word or phrases. Sentence Variety Vary your sentence beginnings. Rather that start with the usual way of subject, use modifiers, phrases and clauses instead. Vary the length of your sentences to suit the topic and tone of your paragraph. Short sentences, for example are better for explaining complex ideas or for adding dramatic effects. Longer sentences help show relationships between ideas. They also read more smoothly.