Education | Writer's Pad

Writing: The Importance of Second Opinions

August 9, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

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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

Creating an Outline

January 27, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Sometimes it helps to create an outline before you attempt to write as a template to your completed project. Resumes often work in that manner, and that method could very well help you with your writing needs.

One thing to consider is to look from the perspective of a finished project like what the teacher or editor would expect out of your work. Include anything defined by the assignment, and any expectations you have for yourself. You may be in the position to plan basic context (or answers to basic questions) and play around with how you intend on introducing the concepts.

The Beginning

The beginning of academic papers should have some eye catching, attention grabbing first line. It should then summarize the paper asking the research question(s) your paper intends to answer. In addition, this is a great place to include the relevance of the topic, the scope of your research, and any introductory information the reader should know before reading your paper.

For articles such as news articles and blogs, the beginning should answer all the questions of who, what, when, where, why, etc., in the first paragraph. In addition, the most important information should go first. Try to make it eye catching, awesome, fun read to engage interest, but that’s more important to do in the headline than your first paragraph.

The Middle

Information has to be organized in a way the reader can quickly, easily comprehend. Headings are a great way to organize information so that readers can find specifically what they are looking for, and it helps focus their mind on what to expect. In addition, paragraphs should be thought of as “Main Topic” followed by “Supporting Details.” You are free to decide where the main topic goes in the paragraph.

The End

Academic papers generally require a summary answering whatever research question was found in your introduction. Articles and blogs usually end with places to find more information.

Filed Under: Education, General Tagged With: Academic Papers, Education, Essay, Paper

Online Continuing Education

December 13, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

As high school students reach the end of this stage in their educational experience, the next step can often feel daunting and even frightening. With so many options available for the next few years, many do not know where to turn for guidance on choosing the option that will help them to achieve their goals. Many choose college, as the next step, which is a great choice as they prepare to enter the working world. Students have the options of going to a traditional college or getting an online degree, which has become very popular.

A college degree is one of the best ways to set one job applicant apart from another. A degree shows employers how hard-working the applicant has been. However, for many, a college degree is simply unattainable, whether due to cost, timing, or other factors. Today many people are busy with everyday life, and the only option would be an online degree. Getting a degree online is a great way for one to boost their writing career.

Continuing education is offered at the website onlineeducation.com, students can find the degree they desire, and receive information from many of the top online colleges. Online courses can help a student develop great writing and communication skills. If you are looking for a career in writing, online schooling is one was to develop these skills.

Students can view what type of degree would be most useful in each field, as well as what it will take to obtain this degree. If you are interested in online schooling, please visit onlineeducation.com for more information about grants, financial aid and degree offered. This online education site is giving every student a chance to enjoy the college experience at their own pace and in a field of study they enjoy

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Academic degree, Distance education, Distance Learning, Education, elearning, online degree, Student, United States

Instructions Not Included

December 11, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

As my husband and I are slowly assembling all of our childrens’ Christmas gifts we’ve consistently noticed one thing. The people who wrote these assembly instructions don’t know how to write. They are all supposedly written in English, yet they don’t really make much sense. As an English teacher, I have read some bizarre things and managed to make light of it but the people who write these directions have much poorer writing skills than my students. That’s saying a lot by the way.

Worse yet, not all toys come with written instructions. Case in point, my husband and I bought our five year old the WWE Money in the Bank Ring. It did not come with any written instructions. All of the instructions were pictures. Neither my husband nor I could put it together. Luckily, our eleven year old son was able to figure it out.

The instructions for setting up the Nook I received for Hannukah were even worse. I had to go to the store and have them set it up for me. This is especially upsetting because Barnes and Noble is in the literacy business. Thank God I didn’t get a Kindle instead. Then I would have to mail it back to Amazon and receive answers to my questions via e-mail or instant message. I’ve never met anyone who’s spoken to a live person over at Amazon.

Are poor written directions just another symptom of the poor literacy skills of Americans or are companies even outsourcing the writing of directions to countries where the labor is cheaper? I am all for companies doing what they need to do to save money. Lord knows I don’t want to pay any more for these products than I already pay. But at what cost? A lower cost does not always translate into a better value.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Education, English language, Writing

The Concerns of Outlining: Writing

November 19, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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It seemed wise at the time: you crafted an outline, filled it to all possibilities, all intended ideas. A dissertation was carefully detailed, left without the common errors, the refusal of needed sources. You noted all research materials; you created a thesis that could be proven (easily); and you charted out the direction pages would follow and their eventual conclusion. It was to be the easiest of processes and you were fully prepared for it.

As you began to write, however, you found yourself controlled by your outline. New notions could not be placed within it; the structure was limiting; and, though your research had led you to doubt your proposed outcome, you knew you could not change it. It was too deeply embedded within the paper. You were trapped within your own misconceptions – and your sentences were suffering for it.

There can be no doubt that outlining lengthy assignments is a worthy idea. It helps to ease confusion, allows an individual to avoid wandering prose. The concepts are instead actualized before they are even began, enabling a topic to be more thoroughly understood.

The great difficulty in this, however, is that understanding a subject does not guarantee being inspired by it. An outline forces an individual to follow a highly specified path. Any deviation from notes and their rules can cause an entire conclusion to be lost. The paper was created for a singular purpose. There can then be no injection of creativity. It’s forced instead to preconceptions.

This is both a frustration and a futility.

It is strongly encouraged then that academic writing be governed instead by generalities. Understand the intention of a paper, the resources that will be used; but do not cage yourself to any outcome. Allow for possibilities to instead be given to any page. This will ensure that you are able to prove the point you wish, rather than settling for the point you can no longer deny.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Academic Papers, Arts, Business, Education, Paper, Thesis (academic document), Writers Resources, Writing

Writing With Focus

November 10, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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You have a passion for all things historical: your time is dedicated to learning all of the little truths, the unexpected secrets of the past. You scour texts, hoping to find what others may have forgotten, to discover all of the clever notations that can be offered to your research. Your most recent paper has sprawled beyond its original intention – an assignment called for meager pages, an easy thesis. You have instead stuffed it with happy digressions, the not quite requested facts. These are to be expected, however. You believe they are necessary to establish your meanings (and even your brilliance).

Your professor, however, does not agree. He quickly destroys all the asides you have created: deeming them unneeded, unwanted and tedious.

Academic writing is often difficult for the enthusiastic student to master. There is always the assumption that others share the same interests, the same desires. This can lead to wasted efforts and too long papers, however – which can in turn lead to waning grade point averages.

It is therefore vital that all research (and subsequent writing) be conducted with one purpose: focus. All details should support a singular argument; all conclusions should be derived from solitary theses. There shall be no tangential pages, the wandering of sentences. This only serves to weaken a theory and frustrate the reader. There is far too little patience in the world to offer to rambling prose. It will simply not be tolerated.

Writers must instead channel their energies into specific ideas. All components should be relevant, proving a point rather than offering new ones. Words must be concise, technically accurate and without diversion. This will help to ensure a more competent style and a far kinder reception.

It’s all too easy to be overwhelmed by a notion. It must become common, however, to define those notions instead to simplicity.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Academic Papers, Arts, Dropbox, Education, Free writing, Microsoft Word, Writers Resources, Writing

The Cliched Response: Writing

November 6, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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It’s a struggle of words, the ever waning metaphors: you can think of no descriptions, no precise way to define a singular moment. Your research has offered all of the necessary facts; but your thoughts can’t conjure the just as necessary adjectives. There are only weak phrases and inelegant attempts – and so you place a proverb within the page instead, a familiarity. It is not meant to be permanent, only a simple placeholder. But, as you eventually finish the rest of the paper, you think perhaps it should remain. It offers an easy explanation. There should be nothing else required.

There is.

As tempting as cliches can be, they are to be avoided within academic (and even fictional) writing. You are not to substitute prose with the overwrought expressions. This offers no advantage to you and instead limits the success of your paper:

One. Reader confusion. While you can understand the meanings of a specific adage, it may only baffle a reader. Too many cliches are specific to cities or states, certain time period. These will only startle an individual from the page and leave them confused.

Two. Detract from importance. Academic writing is meant to prove a certain point. Such proof, however, cannot be found in proverbs. These will only lessen a conclusion and will not offer the needed potency.

Three. Lack of creativity. You are not defined to simple folk humor, the too often mimicked sayings. Choosing to rely on these therefore does not allow you to offer your own inspirations. They mark you instead as dull.

You have completed all of the vital research. You have crafted a strong thesis. You cannot therefore undermine all of those efforts by allowing these commonalities to seep into your writing. They are not to be used beyond casual conversations. They must instead be replaced to far more precise (and interesting) phrases.

Academia demands competence, not cliches.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Cliché, Education, Film, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl, Style Guides, Twitter, Writers Resources

Limiting Favored Expressions: Writing

November 4, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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You have been raised on the thesaurus, taught always to seek out the uncommon phrases, the unexpected twists of rhyme. There is no lack of inspiration within your vocabulary – it is composed instead of clever adjectives, the subtle differences of words. And you choose always to use those in your academic writing. History is not to be tamed to parchment dry recitations. It’s instead to be drenched in your own shades of brilliance; with particular offerings of your favorite expressions. They provide character, drama. They will therefore be appreciated; and they are… for the first dozen times.

The utilization of familiar phrases is common within the many genres of writing – including academia. Among the technical meanings and statistical offerings, students seek to flavor pages with personality. This is understandable.

It is also, however, problematic.

When unique expressions are used frequently throughout a paper (even a lengthy one), they begin to lose their importance. They instead distract the reader, reminding always that they have been offered before. Their power diminishes with each occurence and they change into tediums. None admire them – they are instead deemed frustrations.

And it is vital then for all students to censor themselves. While certain words cannot be refused (the precision of years, names and specific events), descriptive phrases must be examined carefully. Their purpose is to encourage the reader, providing validation to a point. If they are applied to all minor details, however, that validation becomes impossible. There is no distinction between the necessary and the meager. They instead blur together and cause a paper to fail.

Strong editing is therefore needed for all academic writing. Understand what phrases you tend to favor and highlight them as they are used. This will quickly verify their frequency and if they must then be replaced. Be deliberate with your decisions and spare your pages repetition.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Academia, Academic writing, Communications, Education, Linguistics, Phrase, Social Sciences, Writing and Editing

The Importance of Reading Aloud: Writing

November 2, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

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Pages sprawl before you, the seemingly infinite collection of words and research. A paper is finished: a tribute to its topic, the answer to a demanding assignment. All criteria was met. All rules were followed. And you’ve crafted a flawless idea that will offer equally flawless praise. Your peers will be impressed; your professor will be pleased. It should be the greatest of rewards… until you mumble through the opening paragraph and find sudden mistakes.

These were not discovered by your computer (or even by own your initial scrutiny). They were instead overlooked and deemed worthy. You’re mildly horrified – knowing they could have been missed, kept within the thesis and weakening its meaning.

Reading academic papers aloud is vital to the process of completing them. Too often are simple errors left inside the text, ignored by tired eyes and restless thoughts. Traditional editing is not enough. It must be replaced to vocals – and the reasons for this are as logical as you strive to be:

One: Reveal mistakes. Your mind is a clever creature, able to automatically seek typos and comma misplacements, correct them as you read. But such corrections can be instinctual rather than recognized. This can allow you to miss possible problems. Speaking the words, however, makes the process more deliberate.

Two: Learn flow. The rhythm of your paper is vital to ensuring the comfort of your audience and the absorption of your thesis. Reading paragraphs aloud helps to find any awkward sentences or structures.

Three: Examination of emphasis. The utilization of italics and underlining techniques is common. It helps to energize points and mark them as important to the reader. When speaking, however, you can discover when these tricks have been overused. You will find yourself exaggerating words too often and this can help to eliminate unneeded emphasis.

Never trust what can be seen. Instead allow yourself to experience what can be repeated. Your writing will improve because of it.

Filed Under: Academic writing, Writing Tagged With: Arts, Child, Education, Learning, Reading, Student, Teacher, Vocabulary