Many ESL students want to be a better English writer. Why? They have a dream. Pass a TOFEL or ILETS test, go to a Western university, get higher scores in school. Even get a promotion at work.
The reasons are the same. Good English writing is a skill that helps international students achieve their dreams.
But here is the problem. Most students don’t know how to make their writing better.
A Big Writing Mistake
I am a writing teacher. I look at many writing books. Many books teach grammar. That’s the problem. Some people think good grammar is the same as good writing.
Yes, good grammar is important. But, grammar is only one skill to learn. There are six other writing skills that you have to learn to write good sentences, paragraphs, essays, business reports and even email letters.
To learn English writing, you have to study and practice seven skills or writing traits. I call these the Seven Writing Rules. Here are the rules.
1. Editing is Important
So you wrote a story or essay. Are you finished? No. You have just started. Now you have to edit your writing.
Let me tell you a short story. I was hired to write three chapters for a travel book. I spent six weeks doing the research. I traveled around the country, visited temples, looked at hotels and ate in restaurants. Then I spent six weeks writing. Rewriting and editing.
Here’s the message. To become a better writer, you have to learn that writing is editing. You have to learn to be good at rewriting.
Now here is a question. What do you edit? The answer is in the next six rules.
2. Have a Clear Idea
Good writing has an idea. And, the reader can understand your idea.
What is an idea? This is your purpose. It is the main idea that you want your reader to learn. To write clear ideas you should be able to write two kinds of sentences:
- A thesis. The sentence that summarizes your essay or long story.
- A topic sentence. Usually the first sentence of a well-written paragraph.
When you have finished writing something, ask yourself this question, “What is the main idea of my story?” If you can find one sentence that answers that question, your writing has a clear idea. If not, maybe it is time for another edit.
3. Use Logical Structure
Writing is like a puzzle. You have to put the pieces together.
Good writing has a logical structure. When someone reads your work, everything makes sense. To write logically, you need these writing skills:
- Have a beginning and end.
- Understand the purpose of a paragraph.
- Know how to organize a paragraph.
Knowing how to write a paragraph is really important. There are some tricks to make paragraph writing easier. I call them the “1-2-3 Format” and the “RED Writing System.” If you do not know how to write a paragraph, find these lessons on this website and practice with the worksheets.
4. Have a Unique Style
Good writing has a unique style. It is your style.
Don’t copy other people’s work. Don’t write like another person. When you write with your style, the writing will be great. Trust me on that one.
A writer’s style is like a fingerprint. Everybody has one but they are all different. How can you make your writing more interesting? Use your unique style – or voice – so that the reader knows how you feel about a subject.
Writing with a unique style means that you have to put some of your ideas into the work. Writing is personal communication because it shows the reader something about you. Once you learn to trust your ideas, writing will seem less like work and more like fun.
5. Build Word Power
Words are tools. Tools are used to get a job done. Like a carpenter who uses a hammer to build a table. But there are many kinds of hammers. Big and small. Light and heavy.
Words are the same. A good writer chooses the right word for every situation. For example, “The boy ran across the street.” That is a simple sentence. How about this one, “The boy dashed across the street.”? Run and dash are similar but “dash” gives the reader a better picture about what is happening.
Words create pictures and memories. To become a better writer, improve your word power with synonyms, antonyms, emotional verbs and lots of handy adjectives and adverbs.
6. Write Smooth Sentences
Good sentences are like music. Both have a rhythm and beat. They also have a variety of sounds. Some are short and some are long.
When you read a paragraph, study the sentences. You might see that each sentence starts with a different word. Key words are not repeated in the sentence. If you read the paragraph aloud, does it sounds smooth or rough? Good sentences sound smooth and clear – like poetry – when you read them aloud.
To become a better writer, you’ll need to be familiar with these ideas: syllables, rhyme, alliteration and variation. These tools will help you write clear, beautiful sentences.
7. Oops. Here’s the Grammar
Good writers use good basic skills. These are the things you studied in grammar class, like punctuation, capitalization, spelling and grammar.
Yes, grammar is important. Surprise! But, it is not the only skill you need to become a better writer.
The Next Step
Do you want to improve your writing skills? Maybe you have a dream. To achieve that dream you need better English writing skills.
ESL students around the world have dreams like yours. To make their dreams come true, they need to learn how to write English well.
How about you? You can become a better writer. But I will be honest. English writing takes time and effort. It is not easy, but you can learn it.
Start here. Learn the 7 Writing Rules. Read the exercises on this website and download the exercises for free. You can even take a free writing e-course.
It’s easy. Join now. Become a member of eslwriting.org.
If you have a question or want a specific lesson, leave a comment.
Good luck.