April 15, 2021
Favorite Writing Tips
As the semester chugs its way along the second half of its journey, students are preparing to start their finals, which may include various amounts of writing. So, we thought it would be a good idea to give you tips for both writing itself, and the editing process that comes afterwards!
Below are some of the Driftwood staff’s favorites, which can be used for both academic or creative writing in your spare time:
Writing:
Kira—No distractions: Set your phone aside from your schoolwork to really immerse yourself into your studies with fewer distractions! Start a timer for the chunk of time you’d like to focus on writing, and don’t look at your phone until you hear that timer going off. This means no internet breaks, too!
Mal—Make an outline: Whether I’m writing an essay or a more creative piece, it always helps me to plan out what I want to say ahead of time. You don’t have to go as far as a formal preparation outline; just organize your thoughts and jot down ideas when they come to you. Having a plan to follow always makes me feel less overwhelmed!
Angel—Write more than needed: I find that I write a better piece in the end when I actually write more than is required. By doing this, I can choose the best sections of my writing and use them in my final piece. I also avoid having to write additional text after editing because my piece is still within the set length requirements, while on the other hand, if I did write “just enough” to start, I’d likely have to add more after editing.
Editing:
Jasmine—Start from the bottom: One of my favorite tips for looking over something after I’ve finished writing is to read it from the bottom up.This allows you to focus on each sentence as a whole, and your brain doesn’t skim over as many mistakes. It also is helpful for you to check if your sentences link together in a cohesive way or if they are randomly pushed together.
Olivia—Listen to your work: After I’ve finished writing an essay, I like to copy it into a text-to-speech converter and listen to the essay. While this might not help me notice any spelling mistakes, it will help me realize if any of my writing sounds clunky or unnatural. Sometimes, when you write something, it sounds better in your head than it does out loud, and hearing someone else read what you’ve written can help you notice those mistakes.
Professor Rysavy—Get a second opinion: After days of editing and tweaking the same piece of writing, I stop being able to spot mistakes, especially the ridiculous kind. That’s where a second set of eyes can prove invaluable. Find a trusted friend who can spot your spelling and grammar errors, or tell you where things are unclear. If you’re the best writer in your friend group, drop in to see the Marinette writing tutors during their virtual tutoring hours. (See “Important Campus Services,” above, for the Marinette tutors’ schedule and links to their virtual office.)