Workshop Gives Writing Tips

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   Gateway Student Support Services held a writing workshop Feb. 27.

Photo by Eric Bell

Write it Right -Phyllis Waldron teaches students steps to good writing through editing. “Don’t rely on spell check,” Waldron said.

   During the workshop titled “Write it Right! How to Write Anything Better,” Gateway Counselor Phyllis Waldron provided students with several steps to improve their writing skills.

   “First, one should practice the techniques for prewriting,” Waldron said.

    Freewriting, the first technique of prewriting, consists of setting a timer for 10 minutes and writing everything you can think of. The techniques following prewriting include asking questions about the topic and brainstorming, which will help find a purpose for the writing.  Students collect the information from brainstorming to make a list in order to organize their ideas.

   When writing a first draft, Waldron provided three main points:

• Each paragraph should have a topic sentence stating the topic and your feelings about the topic.
• A well-developed paragraph has three parts:  a well-focused topic sentence; a unified, specific supporting thesis; and transitions to show how the ideas are related.
• Don’t worry about good grammar at this point because the point is to just get your ideas on paper.

   The next series of steps requires students to check their writing closely for grammatical errors. Errors commonly repeated include:

• Subject-verb agreement.
• Unclear pronoun references.
• Punctuation.
• Misspelled words and typos (Don’t rely on spell check to catch every mistake).
• Sentence fragments and comma splices.
• Format.

   “For example, the format for a complaint letter starts with how you have been a customer for many years, list examples of positive experiences, and then ease into your complaint,” Waldron explained.

   With the rise of technology, people now send over 130 billion e-mails daily.  Waldron supplied information concerning steps to writing an effective e-mail. 

• Casual language and emoticons are OK to use with friends, but use more formal language when writing business e-mails.
• Keep your message focused and readable without using fancy fonts and colors.
• Remember etiquette and avoiding typing in all caps as this signals SHOUTING.
• Use standard English. In other words, stay away from things like “TTYL,” “BTW” and “LOL.”
• Avoid lengthy e-mails since most e-mail readers have a short attention span.

   Waldron explained further how writing should have a clear purpose, a good lead sentence in every paragraph, good word choice, sentence fluency and convention. Most people have an audience in mind when they write. Students need to share their writing with someone, such as a tutor, which provides important feedback.

   Senior Leslie Hellard, a Business and Finance major, said, “One problem I have is using first and third person. My husband, a history teacher, tells me I write the way I talk.”

   When hearing Hellard’s problem, Waldron suggested she read “Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White.

   Gateway Student Support Services’ next workshop takes place March 13 in Harris Hall 200. The workshop is entitled “Lifting the Cloud of Depression.”

   For more information, contact Gateway Director Tawana Greene at 460-1310 or e-mail at jonesta@uamont.edu.

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