Writing skills, How can I improve it? Options

[doom_diver]

Well, my reports came out. Every teacher had good comments except on one thing: my writing skills.

The teacher say my writing skill is poor: cant express myself, not economical and alot of blabing on, not so good vocab, etc. etc.

Can anyone help me to improve my writing skills cuz I seriously want to be at least decent in school in writing.

All helps appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

[*mzkandi*]

Moved to School

[*mipadi*]

Practice, practice, practice. Write something--everyday. And read a lot, too. Reading helps a lot with writing.

[xscore]

buy a book of essays compilations. and kinda examine those. lol.
like where do they start new paragraphs, and how do they transition from one to another. =D

i have one called
200 AWARD WINNING STUDENT COMPOSITIONS
STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO WRITING A SUCCESSFUL ESSAY

i find that sat prep books help, as well. =P

[_sarcastic_]

read more and maybe join a writing class

[*mona lisa*]

Get a word of the day in your e-mail or desktop to improve your vocabulary. Also, have a dictionary by you when you're reading books and look up every single word you don't know. It will help you understand the story a whole lot better.

For improving writing skills especially for essays, always use a guide to the English language type manual. When you're editing read the essay backwards. Read the last sentence first then go towards the beginning of the essay. I usually find mistakes that way.

If you have trouble expressing yourself, try writing a journal/diary. Write whatever you want and try to make it into a story. Read it out loud later to see if it makes sense to you and change whatever you have to. This will help you organize your thoughts better.

[*Zatanna*]

^ Ditto everthing Mona said. Also, there are a plentitude of writing websites that can help out. Some sites even offer writing excercises.

[*ranniel*]

reading would be a start. dictionaries help like what mona said. and yeah practice, start writing through the different styles of writing: Minimal, Fancy and Oral. Do this and what everyone said and I'm sure your skills will improve.

[misoshiru]

by WRITING more. my english teacher told me that.

[sunissed14127]

-improve your vocablulary. Look up synonyms up for basic words that you use all the time, like "good", "bad", "happy", etc. Doing that will give you more of a variety of words to use in your essays.

- Remember to stick to the topic of the essay and don't stray too far from it, because that will make it seem like you don't know what exactly your writing about.

- Use good descriptive words

- Use things like similies, metephors, personification, alliteration, etc.


Hope that helped a little bit more and added onto what Mona said

[sprezzatura]

CliffsNotes Online!
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-110123.html
Also SparkNotes!
http://www.sparknotes.com/writing/style/

[*iNyCxShoRT*]

This may sound a little odd, but try watching more tv or even read more books to get some ideas. Eventually, you'll come up with fantasties of your own. I agree with Micheal. When you get enough ideas put them onto a paper and write them all into a short story or even write out a script. Before you know it, you'll be a pro.

-From experience.

[iminlovewithTomD...]

Read well-written books...

and if you "blab on and on and on" or whatever... then work on organizing it..

whenever you write an essay, make an outline with each paragraph, label the paragraph, and make a few bullets of what you're going to talk about in each of them.

then write them, starting with the first paragraph after the introduction, and going to the last paragraph before th conclusion. then write your introduction and your conclusion.

it's easier to write the intro/conclusion LAST, because that way you know what you're introducing and concluding.

then there are the seven habits of good writing... My grammar teacher wrote this... it's like the grading sheet thing... so it describes good and bad. (sorry if it's typed really bad... i'm doing transcription of the page... so it took a long time... and i had to hurry and junk)

Good Ideas:
6 - The paper is clear, well supported with imaginative ideas that have been thought out. There are details to help imagine the scene. There is a focus to the writing because the writer knew what they wanted to accomplish. The thinking is original. I wasn't bored s i read. The writer took a perspective to telling the story that captured me. The writer really found the interesting ideas. The important questions about the ideas the writer rote about were answered. The box of ideas about the topic was opened up and the reader was shown what was inside. The writer really brought out the human elements and amplified them to capture reader interest.
4 - The ideas show promise, but the writer didn't completely capitalize on the opportunity to find the elements of interest for the reader. Some details were given, but there needed to be more expansion. General observations aremade without specifics. A blend of the original and the predictable because there are some good ideas and other ideas that miss the mark with the reader. The writer could have chosen a perspective in writing the story that would have given the piece more interest. Moments could have been exploded that remained hidden to the viewer.
2 - There are many unanswered questions... sketchy ideas. There is not a clear sense of purpose. There are many missing details, dialogue, and thoughts that left the reader in the dark. There are things listed but not expanded on. The interesting ideas were not found. The ideas were quite predictable.
Organization:
6 - There is a definate beginning, middle, andend. The writer gains the reader's interst right wway, and guides the reader from scene to scene or paragraph to paragraph. The writer knew where they were going. Ideas that are next to each other are closely related. There is a clear logical progression of thought. The writer brougth the piece to a satisfying conclusion. The reader didn't have to think about how everything fit together - the ideasflowed easily towards a natural conclusion.
4 - The reader is able to manage his or her way through the text without too much confusion but there is a sense of the writer not being totally sure of where they are going. Contains a recognizable beginning and end that somewhat attempt to gain the reader's interest... but it doesn't quite pull the reader in for the introduction and doesn't quite leave the reader feeling satisfied for the conclusion. There were recognizable paragraph divisions but their ability to point to one main idea missed the mark a bit.
2 - The writing lacks a clear direction. The beginning doesn't give the reader a clear idea of what is to come, nor does it gain the reader's interst. The ideas are random and haphazard. The reader is forced to make leaps towards finding order. There is not a conclusion that brings the writing together. There is a lack of internal structure in the piece.
Powerful Words:
6 - The words convey the message in an interesting, natural, and precise way. There are well-spun phrases that capture what the writer was trying to get across. The words seem just right. You can tell that the writer was paying attention to the words so that they impacted the reader when he or she read them. The words produced images and feelings in the mind of the reader. There are powerful verbs to carry the action. Striking language often catches the reader's interest. Unnecessary words are not found in the writing.
4 - The language is function but lacks punch. The words get the message across but they do not stir the imagination of the reader. There are a few overused expressions and words that seem a bit vague. There are words that could be edited out. In some cases, the words did not seem natural. The words did the job but they lacked the flair that would make them memorable.
2 - The language is very vague... The writing seems redundant in many areas. It's hard to see the picture or feel anything about the topic because of what words the writer used. There are many overused expressions and some words are used incorrectly. There are many words tha need to be reduced out of the text. The writing seems flat because the words didn't give the writing a 3-D Quality.
personal voice
6 - The writing is individualistic... the fingerprints of the writer are everywhere. The writer did a lot to make the reader feel like an insider. The writer was really involved in the writing.The reader feels an interatction with the writer. The writer did a good job of bringing the topic to life. it made the reader feel something when they read it.
4 - The writer is sincere and willing to share ideas with the reader but this relationship is a bit distant. The writer is safe but it doesn't have the personal touch that makes the reader feel a part of action. Some of the ideas attracted my emotions, but overall, the writing failed to make the connection with the reader. The writer didn't really reveal themselves a great deal in the piece or attempt to reveal the character's human qualities.
2 - The writing seems distant... almost like the writer was writing it just to get the assignment done. The writing didn't really connect with the reader. The writing is flat, lifeless, and mechanical. The writer really needed to put him or herself into the piece and write with some passion.
Smooth Writing
6 - The writing has an easy flow and rhythm when read out loud. Sentences are well built and varied. The ideas easily flow from one idea to the next. There are not places where there are bumpy spots in the writing. The writing sounds natural, nto forced. The reader didn't have to pause and reread things. The writing is connected.
4 - The writing flows along... there are a few bumps in the road. The writing may be onsidered adequate... but not musical. There are a few spots where the reader had to make the transitions for themselves. The writing could vary the sentences a bit.
2 - Paper is difficult to follow. Trouble spots are numerous and make it difficult to get into the piece. Sentenes are choppy at places and the writing doesn't flow. Related ideas are not grouped together and there isn't an effort to make the sentences hold hands. Some of the sentences seem isolated from each other.
Rules of Grammar
6 - Grammar and punctuate were accurate. Teh paragraphing was sound and reinforced the organization of the writing. Spelling was generally correct. Only light editing needed before publication.
4 - Reasonable control over standard conventions is shown, but there are noticeable errors in grammar. Misspelled words are numerous. There are a fewfragments lurking in the writing. The grammatical and spelling errors are a bit distracting.
2 - There are grammatical and spelling errors throughout the piece. The writer probably didn't spendd much time proofreading the work. The reader must read once to decode and once for meaning.
Presentation:
6 - The writing was typed, had an engaging title that captured the piece, was double space, had a font that was easy to read and looked neat, and the look of the piece was professional.
4 - It looked fairly professional, but there were a few things to improve, like font, centering, enough space between lines..

yeah, there's no number 2 for that one.

anyhow, that's the last one..

if you want me to type anything more that he wrote (man he wrote a lot of other stuff! he's writing a book so yeah..) then just tell me :]

[doom_diver]

wow everyone thanks (dint expect anyone to post so recently!)

Well I_heart_blink, if you have any free time that you will like to give up, please write more :)

[AngelinaTaylor]

One thing you can do to start: read. A lot.

[*ECD & C0*]

Practice, practice, practice. Write something--everyday.

keeping a journal and trying to use harder bigger words really helps

[jue]

When I had ELA, my teacher would teach us to first brainstorm. And then using the ideas you got from brainstorming, start writing the paragraph of whatever is it that's being written. Also have a thesaurus/dicitonary near you. It's always helpful. And I guess, just practice everyday and read.