On Writing Well Summary

Everybody has their own methods for writing; however, I believe there is always room for improvement. Chapter 3 in Everyone’s an Author has shown me that writing involves processes that need to be mastered through constant practice. It also revealed helpful tips on how to develop writing processes that can help write effective papers.

There are many who strive to become famous writers and although some succeed, many do not find such great prosperity. In the words of bestselling author Stephen King, “while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one,” (142). King’s thesis from his novel On Writing can be debated because with “hard work, dedication, and timely help” it is possible for a writer of any skill level to improve to become better. On Writing is intended to teach the basic skills of writing so readers can develop writing skills to progress to be better writers. If one has passion for writing, patience, and the willingness to learn they will succeed in becoming great writers.

1. At the beginning of the essay Merrill seems to be a bit bashful about poor writing. But Merrill also uses “Poor” and “Principle” in his title “The Principle of Poor Writing.” This irony shows that it can be a negative or positive. Another example of Merrill using irony can be found on page 428 “Many scientists actually do write poorly, but they probably perform by ear without perceiving clearly how their results are achieved.” Merrill’s title, introduction or advice did not tip me off because many people in today’s society do struggle with writing.

Writing can be time consuming and each author must be passionate in their piece. Vetter explains, “The truth is that writing is a blood sport […] which is why those who are any good at it look older than their contemporaries, snap at children on the street, live alone.” Becoming a good writer takes persistence and patience. As an individual

Bettering your skills of writing is extremely important because writing can help you with several different aspects throughout your life. Being a good writer can help you solve problems, learn, and triumph in school and future jobs. So how do you improve your writing? Firstly start with your mental state. You have to be willing to learn and give yourself the proper amount of time and knowledge in order to do well. Secondly, use the resources around you such as your syllabus, tutors offered through your school, and online

When I was reading Writing is Easy by Steve Martin, I was thinking if writing was actually that easy. Then I finished the article and realized that writing will never be easy. Mr. Martin examples on how to make writing easier make no sense. His tip to getting over writers block gets the writer nowhere. He says “got to an already published novel and find a sentence that you absolutely adore. Copy it down into your manuscript” (Martin). What he is saying is plagiarism. If I was to use this method to overcome writer block I would be thrown out of college. I still believe that writer block is real because even the greatest authors struggle with writers block.

How can I become a better writer? Throughout my writing experiences, I have learned I have many weaknesses along with strengths. My experiences with writing has not always been the best, but over time, with lots of practice and instructions from my instructors, I can proudly say that I have gained a better understanding on the layout of essays and papers. As well as understanding how to write correctly my goal as a writer is to learn how to overcome my weaknesses and use my strengths to my highest ability. I have many strengths, weaknesses and goals that I plan to achieve and overcome in my college career.

Writing is a practice that most of us were taught when we were young. We were taught the basics of grammar, how to form a sentence, conjunction words, how to write paragraphs and more. Although we have learned this skill while growing up and have used the skill every year after entering kindergarten, this does not mean our writing process will ensure the best work. The authors that I chose each encourage their audience to excel in the art of writing in their own way to help with the writing process.

Writing is always a struggle. You have to analyze texts, search for sources, write multiple rough drafts, check for spelling and grammar issues, cite your sources, and support your statements with facts. The list goes even longer, but this is just enough to make anybody stressed. Everyone can relate to the struggles of writing, and personally, I have fallen victim to many of these struggles. However, even though writing is very difficult, you can gain experience on how to write successfully.

big impression on who it is that you are writing to. Being able to properly explain

The second part of the book “Writing Today” discussed the importance of writing summaries, as well as how to go about writing them. Johnson-Sheehan, Paine, Shaw, and Stouck, begin by explaining that a summary’s main purpose is to emphasize an ideas main topic by first carefully analysing it. It is important to know the approximate length a summary should be before commencing the writing process in order to know how much detail the summary requires. A summary, although condensed, must accurately explain the original text. If not, it might cause misunderstandings as well as “distortions” of the material. Summaries must also be original and should primarily be written in writer’s own words, which would also their own ideas and thoughts to be present

In my childhood I was not taught the fundamentals of proper writing. Nor was it influenced in my household to dedicate time for writing. My father owned his own business, therefore, I always saw him writing inventory and receipts. As for my mother, I can recall her writing down messages from phone calls. At school I found little to no growth in my writing. When I did face a task that required legible writing I would seek help from my friend Sandra. This class is by far the first English course I have taken were I could truly say lectures are broken down enough for me to develop satisfactory growth. I am still a developing writer, but I have made a lot of progress because of influences of my own desire to learn, Professor Anna C. Morrison, and

Analysis of Stephen King’s On Writing with the guide of William Zinsser’s On Writing Well

English is a hard language to learn, for there are numerous elements of effective usage and writing. Many people, including me, struggle in writing because of a lack of knowledge. Since middle school, English was not a strong suit of mine. I struggled with the simplest of tasks often taking a considerably longer time to complete a task than the other students. Unmotivated teachers and a lack of interest resulted in remedial writing skills. To put it simply, I had little confidence in my writing and I dreaded taking the class because of the writing involved. In spite of my fears, I took the course and I was able to perfect and challenge my mediocre writing skills.

To me, the best writing is when you can't put the book down and want to keep reading more and more. It is when you can make a personal connection to whatever the characters are going through in their life. To make a good piece of writing you have to have many things, but most importantly you should have good vocabulary, punctuation, and sentence fluency so that it is easy to follow.