Upgrading Your Writing from Coach to First Class

Writing allows you to share your thoughts in a special way that attracts all sorts of people. As once said by essayist Anaïs Nin, “we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”  Several people, I’m sure many of you as well,  use writing as an outlet; a way to share their feelings in an unspoken way. A big aspect of writing is the understanding that there is always room for improvement. Within a given text, there can be technicalities or ways to elaborate on a given idea. Enhancing one’s writing can be as easy as changing a few words or adding a sentence to support a claim. To improve one’s writing, it is vital that an author shows grammatical strength, provides strong and concise claims, and has a thorough understanding of organization.

Improving in grammatical strength is vital to excelling in writing essays. Grammatical strength shines through in writing, sharing the author’s knowledge and level of professionalism. An easy way to give your writing a boost is by spicing up your word choice. By using a stronger and more intellectual vocabulary, the audience may be more intrigued about the given topic. Another aspect of grammar that is key to improving writing is correct comma usage. Commas clear up confusion for the reader and create more confidence in the text. The statement, “this idea is uncommon, but offers a new translation style” (Fekete Macbeth Essay), exemplifies an incorrect use of commas. Commas are easily mistaken (when used in writing), but are fixable with a few simple rules. Making small changes takes one’s writing to a new level of professionalism, where readers can develop newfound respect for the author. In addition to grammatical strength, providing strong and concise claims shares necessary information with the audience.

Claims that are strong and concise in writing clear up confusion for the reader. Claims introduce the topic in writing pieces and give readers a sense of what the author is about to divulge into. *Remember! These statements must be direct and to the point.* The statement, “while the readers may initially attribute this battle to genetics, Maia Szalavitz explains the importance of other factors” (Fekete Short Story Essay), does not provide a clear opinion. To boost this statement, the author should specify the unclear pronouns, such as “this,” and list a few of the factors rather than writing “other factors.” Additionally, this statement is weaker because it does not share a clear opinion, but rather immediately looks to other sources for guidance. It is beneficial for the author to only share their opinion in the claim so that the audience gets a sense of how the author feels. Revising your claims is as simple as sharing your opinion - and only your opinion! Immediately, the reader is aware of your opinion and receives an idea of what the following context will be about. A final aspect that helps to revamp one’s writing is organization, which can even be expressed through claims.

Organization shines through in many aspects of one’s writing and has a large impact on the effect a writing piece has on an audience. In fact, it’s not much different than life in that sense. Remember when your mom asked you to clean the house before guests came over? She wants to make sure everyone knows you guys are organized and put together. Organization is a rather large topic and can enhance a text in several small ways. In an essay about the Atlantic Slave Trade by Detective Fajita, the topics are organized as labor conditions, cultural assimilation, and then traveling to the New World. If she chose to organize these topics by chronological order instead, her writing would be more straightforward and simpler for the reader to follow. Another way to increase organization is through concision. By condensing phrases and sentences; it clears up confusion for the readers. The statement, “Szalavitz closely relates the levels of poverty and alcohol abuse, composing a mutual increase between the two” (Fekete Short Story Essay), is not concise and therefore can be obscure. To make the sentence more concise, the author could simply state, “Szalavitz relates poverty and alcohol abuse, composing a mutual increase.” That way, an equal amount of information is shared in a more compact manner. Organization can be ameliorated in many ways, as simple as taking words out of a sentence or using a rational order of explanation in writing prongs.

Having an understanding of grammatical strength, concise claims, and organization can entirely revamp a piece of text. Simple skills such as using more difficult vocabulary can bring writing to a new intellectual level that attracts an entirely different crow. Using correct grammar gives the reader an idea of the personality of an author and their level of education. Think about it. I’m sure you’re one of two types of people. The ones that can’t tell the difference between “your” and “you’re,” or the ones that can’t stand when people use it wrong. From that, you can get the teeniest idea of someone’s personality, right? It is also important to be concise so that a reader does not get distracted through the course of the text. Organization is vital to a text. The audience must be able to follow along without much of a challenge, or else they will not be inclined to pursue the text further. All of these techniques put together can greatly enhance a text without taking away from its original meaning. Perhaps the most beneficial way to boost one’s writing is simply through rereading and never hesitating to make changes.