Developing Writing Skills

Developing Writing Skills

1. By Muttahir Ahmed Khan Developing Writing Skills

2. What is Writing? Subject? Knowledge? Skill? Technique? Developing Writing Skills, in general, and in a situation of teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language, in particular, has always been immensely significant and equally perplexing for both students as well as the teachers, in our part of the world.

3. Free Writing Exercise Hold your pen and be ready for writing Start writing and go on quickly, without any thought of Logic, Grammar Mistakes, Focused Thought, Writing Style, Specific Ideas, etc. Nobody, including me, is going to check or see it. Only you can opt for sharing your matter with anyone. Selection of the Best Word, Sentence or Idea

4. Writing Diary Recall the happenings of the day, before going to bed. Select the important or unusual events and things. Pen down them and their effects on your life. Express your response to and feelings about them.

5. Misconceptions about Writing In more than 80% of our so-called English medium private schools, the academic writing is mistaken for a theoretical subject that stands for learning a prescribed text by heart or by rot and to reproduce it in the examination without comprehending the meaning or grammatical structure of even a single sentence. Their students are not aware of even the basic principle that writing is a skill that is developed with practice and guidance and not a textual subject to be learnt by heart or to memorise. We often hear such illogical statements like “I have learnt three essays including ‘A Cricket Match’ and ‘My First Day at School” or “Teacher! I can’t write a paragraph on My Village, I have not memorised that. You did not dictate us this and it is out of course”.

6. To Be an Excellent Writer you must Be a keen Reader Be a minute observer Keep a pocket notebook Possess a dictionary and thesaurus. Have command over Grammar Stop procrastinating Read highly successful authors Join a writers’ group Sit in Solitude to think and imagine Revise your Writing

7. Write a Note

8. Write a Note/Story

9. Write a Note

10. Developing a Story The old woman was saying, “ Both of my children disregard all that I have suffered for their sake. I thought that my daughter would be happy to have me live in her house. She is my only daughter. You remember how I helped her to live a life free from worry. Do you know how she treated me in return ?”

11. Creating a Story Alumni Dinner, Bonfire Old students, Lapse of 15 years, Lush green lawn of University, Light rain and charming weather, Sofia is looking at sky with a smile on her face and pearls in eyes. Sheraaz plays guitar and sings “You fill up my senses…”

12. Sequence in Writing Listing and Paragraphing Instructions Guidelines Travelogues Event Reporting Biographical Essays/Notes

13. Descriptive Writing Using the most suitable words to describe a person’s or object’s appearance, physical features, shape, etc to make the readers visualise the subject. Use of more Adjectives, Similes and Nouns “He was a middle-aged tall man with thick mustaches, projecting ears, broad shoulders and a bit round nose” . “She was as fresh as a Daisy, and as calm as the sea”. etc.