What are some good writing tips?

Answer 1

There is always going to be some gray area between what "good" and "bad" writing is because it is based on opinion. However, there are some things you can do to be assured that you have come up with the best piece possible.

For Academic Writing:

• First, create a list of topics you are interested in writing about, whether these topics are for a class or for yourself. If you are passionate about your topic, then that passion is likely to translate into your paper.
• Second, gather research and data to back up your topic. The worst thing a person can do, especially in the case of an academic paper, is to just start writing without looking up background information. In order to gain credibility, you must first have sources and knowledge to back up your thesis.
• Then I would recommend creating an outline. Not only will this save you time in the long run, but it will also give you an idea of what you want your paper to be about, step by step. This way, your ideas are in order and ready to be written out.
• Once your research is done and your outline complete, write the introduction in a way that you find interesting to read. You can make for an interesting start to a paper by coming up with an attention getter, such as providing imagery or a statistic that is related to your topic. Last, write the paper. Since you have your research, outline and introductory paragraph all written, this last step should be no big deal. Just remember to proofread the paper and have a peer review it. After this, you'll be all ready to hand in the paper for an A+ !

For fiction:

• remember to "show, don't tell" - avoid long blocks of description and show things happening instead -- if a character has a certain emotion, show what their body language is instead of just saying "they felt ___"
• an outline is a good idea if you have a longer story or a book -- you can also use index cards with one scene written on each card -- this way, you can tack them onto a corkboard to see what comes next.
• write descriptively -- show the reader what things look, sound, smell, and feel like!
• write what you know - either write about things you have experienced, or be willing to do lots of research so that you really know the topic you're writing about.
• keep writing! The more you write and practice your craft, the better you get!