Writer's Pad

Be the Best Writer that You Can Be

August 11, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

A common trademark among good writers is doing efficient research. Some writers do a lot of research which takes up a lot of time and they may end up using a small fraction of what’s collected. Likewise, another writer may do almost no research and her writing lacks the depth of a well researched article and isn’t an enjoyable read. Research the questions you need to answer but do so efficiently to become a better and more diverse writer.

A good editing job will also help you to become a better writer, such as online paper editing sites. An impartial set of eyes is nice to have and these proofreading and editing duties are well handled by the professionals while you concentrate on other aspects of your paper. This should include double-checking all the facts in your article and omitting anything you can’t verify as fact from at least two sources. The integrity of your written pieces demands that facts are checked for accuracy.

Also, do not limit yourself to a certain time for writing. Instead, e-mail yourself ideas or write them on paper and shove it in your pocket until a time you can work the piece out. Often times, writers will have some great ideas throughout the day and expect to remember them later. Unfortunately, we get busy during the day and can’t always remember these ideas later when we want them. Write yourself little prompts so that you never forget an idea.

Accepting criticism is perhaps the most important aspect to becoming a great writer. There are some fabulous editors out there who can help you to get the most from your ideas. Instead of getting frustrated at editor suggestions, embrace them and see if they bring out the best in your written work.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Chechnya Tagged With: Arts, Research, Writing

Writing: The Importance of Second Opinions

August 9, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

You are – in your most humble opinion – brilliant. Your writing reflects a superior collection of thoughts and theories, the academic wonders that are certain to be recognized by all. You are daring with your dissections of history and philosophy, able to conjure intrigue from dull statistics. Your papers are experiences, not mere pages. Words are your carefully chosen allies, meant to sway others and prove genius.

That genius means little, however, when it’s revealed that you left a substantial amount of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in your work. This was an unfortunate and avoidable consequence.

Your inspiration cannot be denied; but it can be tamed. Your papers are praised for their inventiveness but their grades still reflect the all too easy flaws – a confusion of words, improper substitutions and poorly constructed contractions. Your cleverness cannot be questioned. Your basic language skills, however, can.

And this is why it becomes so vital for you to seek the aid of others. Don’t assume your research will compensate for weak writing. You can’t rely on a perfect theory to make readers forget the imperfect presentation. You must instead find an editor – an individual who can decipher your meanings and shape them accurately. You can go to 411.ca and search for the kind of service that you need to make your life easier.

You worry, though, that this will be impossible: your papers are complex affairs, able to be understood only by those who are as familiar with the topics as you are. This is rarely a concern, however. Unless your research is filled to technical explanations, there should be no difficulty in pointing out the problems. Language is the purpose, not what it is trying to prove.

Academia is not meant to be solitary. Just as you rely on others to for theories and experimentations, you must also rely on them to offer advice. Your work cannot suffer from improper writing. It must instead be edited. Look to those who will not simply praise your ideas but will instead make them fully logical.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Arts, Education, Language, Linguistics, Social Sciences, Word, Writers Resources, Writing

Pens and Papers VS Computers

July 13, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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The days of using traditional school supplies are gone. Writing with your hands is outdated and has been replaced by the universal penmanship of computer fonts. Computers have virtually replaced paper, pencils and typewriters.

Technology has changed the face of education in other ways, too. Students are no longer required to attend class physically. Finding online courses at elearners.com is easy. The website can assist you with finding good schools, obtaining financial aid and finding other funds for school. Online classes don’t require tons of supplies. Just having your computer is perfect for starting your classes.

Another area where technology is reducing old-fashioned school supplies is textbooks. Many schools have transferred physical books to eBooks. Students can access the information on various devices, and the digital option reduces the cost for textbooks.

Of course, you’ll still need paper. You may need to print out a report that you typed in a word-processing program. Some students like to have hard copies of their notes in case their computers crash.

Some students prefer to take notes using pen and paper. Transferring the notes to a computer file can help some students learn the material faster because they can review the information while they type it into their computers.

The world of education is changing drastically, and the school supply list you get will reflect many of those changes. While pen and paper will always have some use, computers are becoming one of the most important things to have for your education.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Chechnya Tagged With: Education, Paper, Penmanship

Hooking Your Reader From Start to Finish

July 12, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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The term academic writing may conjure up thoughts of serious sentences and dull essays. Writing an essay doesn’t need to be thought of as dull an uninteresting. By hooking your reader, you draw them into your work. Here are a few ways to engage you readers.

Selecting a topic that you are passionate about will help sharpen your voice as a writer. Your voice is a reader’s window into who you are. By developing your voice as a writer, you draw readers in, making them feel a sense of camaraderie with you through your words. Developing your voice as a writer comes with routine. A good way to hone your voice is by finding and applying writing exercises designed to increase your skill. The more you write, the better you get, and the sharper your voice becomes.

Finding a topic to write about may seem like a Herculean task. Topics seem endless. Whenever an idea strikes you, it’s a good idea to write it down. Brainstorm a subject that interests you and select the topics that are appealing and contain enough information to fuel your work.

Start your essay with an opening that will immediately grab their attention. Whether you are writing on the subject of primate behavior, the effects of music in the workplace, or math philosophy, an intriguing beginning will help readers invest themselves to move on further. The first few lines should grab the reader’s attention. If they feel you are invested in the topic, and it is worth knowing about, they will read on.

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Academic writing, Essay, Writer

How to Become a Better Writer

July 3, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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Most of us understand the importance of writing well. It can affect our jobs and careers, as well as how other people perceive us. Good writing reflects a positive light on those who are able to communicate well in written form.

So how do you go about becoming a better writer? Here are a few basic tips that can help you improve your writing skills.

Take a class. There are many opportunities to take writing classes of any level. You can start with a basic writing class or even a creative writing class. Check out your local area offerings by using a search engine, such as Canada 411. In addition, many universities and colleges offer classes on a not-for-credit basis as adult or continuing education classes.

Join a writing group. Do some research or ask your friends if they know of any local writing groups. These groups are a great way to get feedback and input about your writing. You can often find groups that focus on a specific type of writing such as fiction, non-fiction, movie scripts and so on.

Read as much as you can. Find well written books on topics that you like. Examine the writing and language in those books or publications. Become more critical of what you are reading. Examine sentence structure and word usage to see if you could make improvements.

Use reference materials while you are writing. Use a dictionary, a thesaurus, and other such materials when you write.

Finally, just write. Write as much as you can every day, and soon you’ll see your writing improve.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Canada, Writing, Writing circle

Content Writing ? Is It A Viable Career Option? Why Not?

June 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Cover of Writing for Magazines

Every recession sees a large number of individuals being fired. These individuals move into unconventional professions like copyrighting and content writing for websites. Once the economy improves, most individuals revert back to their original profession.

One reason why they do so is that content writing and other such activities are not considered the real careers. Can any individual rely on such a profession to earn a livelihood for an entire life? Some people find that the world of content writing is far too dynamic for their liking.

There is always the fear of losing jobs when the search engines make a new update. On the other hand, nobody is going to stop using steel or iron tomorrow, right? Well, zero complications and instability in the job is something that we all desire. However, we all know that change is an essential part of our lives. To hide from it is not going to work.

Content writing may have changed in the past few years but that does not mean it is no longer a viable career option. People used to write for newspapers. Then they started writing for magazines. Then they started diversifying into advertising and print media agencies. Internet just happens to be one medium where content writers can participate. A person who is recognized as a financial expert on the internet can easily secure opportunities in the print world as well. The transition may not be easy but it is not impossible either.

To expect that one will have a steady job throughout his or her life without any special efforts is foolishness. If one works hard, writing is a viable career option.

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Career, content, Web search engine

Writing Tips: Ways to Brainstorm for Topics

March 28, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Whether you are writing a news article, piece of fiction or short story you will need to have a topic and an idea of where you wish to take your writing. Brainstorming is a great way to come up with a number of topics and directions that you can take that topic. Here is a look at some of the ways people brainstorm for their writing topics.

Random Listing. Random listing can work when trying to narrow down or find a topic. To brainstorm by random listing you just grab a piece of paper and start writing down any idea that comes to mind. If an idea comes to your mind you just write it down as a possible topic. It might be hard to not think about the topics that you are writing down but when listing all you want to do is get as many ideas down as possible and then you can sort through them later.

Cluster Brainstorming. Cluster brainstorming is ideal for when you have a topic and want to expand on that topic for a paper or school project. To cluster brainstorm you start with a small topic such as cats and place it in a bubble in the center. You will then branch ideas off of cats such as food, shelter, vet care, toys and other topics. You continue to branch off of each idea until you have multiple ways that you can take the topic you started out with.

Each brainstorming style is unique and can really help to narrow down the topic that you wish to write on or to figure out a direction to take a specific topic.

Filed Under: General, Writing Tagged With: Brainstorm, Knowledge Management, Writing

The Five W’s and One H of News Writing

March 24, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Part of the responsibility of a news writer is to make sure that the articles that you produce answer the five W’s. Whether the article is a hard news or soft news article the five W’s and one H will help readers understand the topic that you are talking about. Here is a look at what the five W’s and one H of journalistic writing are.

Who. All news articles need to focus on the who. Who is the article about? Who are the main characters? It is important that the writer let readers know all important information on all important characters in the article.

What. News articles need to answer what. What is happening? What is the topic? What happened? What activities were present? When these are answered it helps keep the article on topic.

Where. Readers want to know about the time and place of where the news story took place. This can include a building, street, state, country as long as it’s the location of the event the news story will be complete.

Why. News articles need to focus on the why. Why did an event take place? Why did something happen? Even if you do not have the answer you can try to present why things happened or people’s theories on why the events happened.

When. News articles also need to let readers know when something happened. Did it happen two days ago or three years ago? The day, date, time and year are all important in news stories.

While journalists are expected to answer the five W’s they are also required to answer one H. How. Writers need to present the how of the events. How something happened or how it came about.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Research Tagged With: Article (publishing), Five Ws, News style

Tips for Taking Good Notes During an Interview for a News Article

March 20, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

When writing a news story you might get a chance to interview an important person for your news article. Interviews are a great way to add insight into the topic that you are writing about or give the article a personal touch. However, an interview cannot be properly used by the writer if they did not take good notes during the interview. Notes that are taken during the interview are important to the writer because it allows them to have what was exactly said by the interviewee and allows the writer to present accurate facts and quotes.

Here are some tips that will help you take good notes while conducting an interview for a news article.

Learn Short Hand. Try to learn some type of short hand before the interview. You will want to be taking notes while the person is speaking but you will not have the time to write everything out in long hand. Short hand gives you a chance to capture everything without having to write it out by hand.

Write Small. The smaller that you write the more you can fit into one notebook page. Turning the pages of a notebook can take up time and allow you to miss out on important parts of the interview.

Always Ask for Clarification. If you missed something while taking a note ask the interviewee to repeat the answer. A great way to do this is to fault yourself and remind them that you want to accurately quote them in the article.

Ask Technical Questions to Stall. If you are still writing out notes you can always ask a technical question that you know the answer to so that you have time to finish your notes up.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Interview, Writer, Writing