Writing Skills and Students

¶ … pressure of deadlines or scrutiny of the professor, writing can be stressful and nerve-wracking. However, with a few simple tools, any student can learn how to get over any form of "writer's block" and overcome any fear of self-expression. First, it is important to be as unconcerned as possible about lofty diction: that is, using big words. Big words from a young or inexperienced writer can sound artificial and pretentious. Clarity, not fancy language, is the hallmark of good college writing.

Second, to improve their writing skills, college students should spend a few minutes organizing their thoughts before starting to actually write the words down. From formal outlines to simple scribbles on a piece of paper, organization can go a long way toward improving a writer's clarity. Finally, a student's writing skills will improve most through lots of practice: thankfully, four years of college offer just about all the practice one could hope for.

In order to write a good research paper, students do not need to use big words or fancy sentence structures; simplicity, directness, and clarity are more important. Improving writing skills does not necessarily entail memorizing the Oxford English dictionary. Moreover, good writing skills do not derive from a skillful use of Webster's Thesaurus. Dictionaries and thesauri come in handy, and in some moments can be absolutely necessary. However, solid writing means using simple words with force. Too often, writers fall into the trap of using complex words weakly.

Many college writers forget that keeping it simple is one of the primary rules of good writing. Another primary rule for improving writing skills is organization. Many teachers tell their students to compose elaborate outlines. However, for some students, writing an outline is just as difficult as writing the final draft of a paper. Formal outlines can be helpful before particularly large papers such as a senior thesis because they allow the writer to visually organize a number of different yet interrelated ideas.

Moreover, outlines greatly help writers to keep their papers on track. One of the major pitfalls of writing is going off on a tangent, not staying on topic. Outlines help writers stay on topic with visual cues. A visual cue to organize can be accomplished through less formal means than an outline, however. For example, just jotting down a few main ideas or even drawing pictures can stimulate writers and help them to prepare for a well-written and well-organized college composition.

Writing a research paper can also involve using resources for college writers such as websites, books, and weekend seminars. Grammar guidebooks can help students eliminate common problems like misplaced modifiers and the ubiquitous dangling participle. Some of the basic grammatical tools of the trade are listed on writing-based websites like the thorough "Guide to Grammar and Writing" at < http://webster.comment.edu/grammar/.>. When printed materials are too dry or simply not sufficient, students can turn to writing tutors, their professors, or to community-based writing classes.

For students who are more serious about improving their writing skills, in-depth seminars can be extremely helpful. In short, there are no hard, fast, universal rules to improving one's writing skills. As with.