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BUILD A BUDDING AUTHOR

Looking for a magic formula for good writing is about as productive as wishing that kind-hearted elves would appear during the night and write your child’s paper. By mastering fundamental writing skills, however, students can drastically improve their essays’ clarity, depth and effectiveness.

Outlines
An outline maps an essay’s direction, tracing the path its main argument will take and provides guideposts for the placement of key details. Outlines are an essential step in writing an effective essay, says Joyce Lee, an English teacher at Burlington High School in Wisconsin. "Outlines are good for making sure that your information is in order and that your argument is not jumping around all over the place," she says.

Outlines ensure that one idea flows into the next, and that the students’ arguments follow a logical train of thought. They help determine how information should be presented and which points are relevant. The structure makes it easier for students to manage common problem areas, such as the use of quotations.

"Quotes are difficult for kids," Lee says. "[Young writers] include them because they sound good, but they aren’t always sure how to introduce them." Outlines help determine where quotes are most relevant and how they can strengthen the main idea.

There is no one right way to construct an outline, says Louise McGeever, a drama teacher at Martinsburg High School in West Virginia, who has taught English on both the high school and college level. "Some people need a form ‘Roman numeral, capital letter’ outlines," she says. "For them, it’s the best possible way to get their ideas organized." Others use diagrams or charts, or arrange their notes. Over time, students develop methods that work best for them.

Students also should remember that their outlines are not carved in stone, McGeever says. "An outline is not the final draft." It is a useful guide for arranging ideas, but students shouldn’t be afraid to allow room for new ideas. The facts might lend themselves to a better order of presentation, or an entirely new perspective might present itself. Students can make more than one outline as their ideas develop.

Research
Research provides the raw material from which students can fashion their essays. "There is nothing as powerful as an interesting, unusual fact," says Penelope Mesic, an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University who is currently writing a book on how children can develop their writing skills. Facts provide students with a strong basis from which to expand their arguments. Detail provides weight and credibility to an essay’s argument and generally makes an essay more interesting. But the search for that one interesting fact or anecdote that makes a thesis come alive can often be frustrating.

Sometimes, a student can become completely stuck with no idea of where to begin. Mesic advises a simple beginning. For instance, an encyclopedia can be a solid starting point. She says, "At the least you will be able to find dates, times and places and work backward from that information."

Burlington High’s Lee agrees that moving from the general to the specific is an effective research strategy. She typically requires that students gather information from three separate sources. Teachers and reference librarians can often help students get started, she adds.

"If students can find a really good source and use it as a basic resource, often they can branch out from that point and develop other ideas," Lee says. Research builds on itself, quickening in pace with each additional piece of information.

The availability of the Internet widens the possibilities, Lee says. "Students love it. But it’s a danger too. If they want to use a source, they have to make sure that it provides accurate information," she cautions. "Kids don’t always realize that just because it’s on the Internet, it isn’t necessarily true."

Grammar
When writing essays, students should pay special attention to grammar and spelling. Subject-verb agreement errors are the most common, says Martinsburg High’s McGeever. A dictionary or stylebook can help with particularly thorny grammatical problems.

Many punctuation and spelling errors result from carelessness. "Often, students know the rules, but they’re in a hurry and focus on the content without noticing they made an error," she says. Tools such as spell check can lead to overconfidence. Just because a word is spelled correctly doesn’t mean that is the correct word. As in, "John bought himself a new care and went to the shoe with his friends."

Editing
As the final stage of writing, editing holds an important role. Most of the difficult work is done. Now it’s time to polish, prune and rearrange.

Successful self-editing depends largely on the writer’s ability to step outside him or herself and look at the material in an objective manner. "You have to look at it as though you were on a deserted beach, and it was something that washed up on the shore," Mesic says. "If you can understand everything, it’s a success."

She suggests that students strive for clarity and simplicity in their writing. Stylistic flourishes can be effective in moderation, but unneeded words or awkward constructions can stop a story dead.

Students should, "scan for transitions and make sure that one idea flows from another," Mesic says. The essay should follow like "stepping stones across a river. You don’t want to try to take a leap and fall in." Going back to the outlines shows where and why flaws emerged. Students can arrange paragraphs to ensure that ideas are conveyed effectively. But after a student has written and rewritten, clarity can be difficult to gauge. "We see what we intended to write rather than what we actually put on the page," McGeever says.

Family and friends can help by listening as the student reads copy out loud. "Often, your ear will catch what your eye doesn’t," McGeever says. Acting as a trusted reader also helps a student see errors he or she might have overlooked. Make sure, however, that your criticism is constructive. "[Writers] have to assume goodwill on the part of the reader," Mesic says. It can be frustrating even for experienced writers to accept criticism, she says. "But, remember that it’s the words on the page they are criticizing, not you [the author]."

Help students learn to edit their own work, and compare the outline to the final product to make sure everything was covered, all the questions were answered and the information makes sense. Eventually, fundamental writing skills can blossom into a world of creativity.


	BUILD A BUDDING AUTHOR Looking for a magic formula for good writing is about as productive as wishing that kind-hearted elves would appear during the night and write your child’s paper. By mastering fundamental writing skills, however, students can drastically improve their essays’ clarity, depth and effectiveness. Outlines An outline maps an essay’s direction, tracing the path its main argument will take and provides guideposts for the placement of key details. Outlines are an essential step in writing an effective essay, says Joyce Lee, an English teacher at Burlington High School in Wisconsin. "Outlines are good for making sure that your information is in order and that your argument is not jumping around all over the place," she says. Outlines ensure that one idea flows into the next, and that the students’ arguments follow a logical train of thought. They help determine how information should be presented and which points are relevant. The structure makes it easier for students to manage common problem areas, such as the use of quotations. "Quotes are difficult for kids," Lee says. "[Young writers] include them because they sound good, but they aren’t always sure how to introduce them." Outlines help determine where quotes are most relevant and how they can strengthen the main idea. There is no one right way to construct an outline, says Louise McGeever, a drama teacher at Martinsburg High School in West Virginia, who has taught English on both the high school and college level. "Some people need a form ‘Roman numeral, capital letter’ outlines," she says. "For them, it’s the best possible way to get their ideas organized." Others use diagrams or charts, or arrange their notes. Over time, students develop methods that work best for them. Students also should remember that their outlines are not carved in stone, McGeever says. "An outline is not the final draft." It is a useful guide for arranging ideas, but students shouldn’t be afraid to allow room for new ideas. The facts might lend themselves to a better order of presentation, or an entirely new perspective might present itself. Students can make more than one outline as their ideas develop. Research Research provides the raw material from which students can fashion their essays. "There is nothing as powerful as an interesting, unusual fact," says Penelope Mesic, an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University who is currently writing a book on how children can develop their writing skills. Facts provide students with a strong basis from which to expand their arguments. Detail provides weight and credibility to an essay’s argument and generally makes an essay more interesting. But the search for that one interesting fact or anecdote that makes a thesis come alive can often be frustrating. Sometimes, a student can become completely stuck with no idea of where to begin. Mesic advises a simple beginning. For instance, an encyclopedia can be a solid starting point. She says, "At the least you will be able to find dates, times and places and work backward from that information." Burlington High’s Lee agrees that moving from the general to the specific is an effective research strategy. She typically requires that students gather information from three separate sources. Teachers and reference librarians can often help students get started, she adds. "If students can find a really good source and use it as a basic resource, often they can branch out from that point and develop other ideas," Lee says. Research builds on itself, quickening in pace with each additional piece of information. The availability of the Internet widens the possibilities, Lee says. "Students love it. But it’s a danger too. If they want to use a source, they have to make sure that it provides accurate information," she cautions. "Kids don’t always realize that just because it’s on the Internet, it isn’t necessarily true." Grammar When writing essays, students should pay special attention to grammar and spelling. Subject-verb agreement errors are the most common, says Martinsburg High’s McGeever. A dictionary or stylebook can help with particularly thorny grammatical problems. Many punctuation and spelling errors result from carelessness. "Often, students know the rules, but they’re in a hurry and focus on the content without noticing they made an error," she says. Tools such as spell check can lead to overconfidence. Just because a word is spelled correctly doesn’t mean that is the correct word. As in, "John bought himself a new care and went to the shoe with his friends." Editing As the final stage of writing, editing holds an important role. Most of the difficult work is done. Now it’s time to polish, prune and rearrange. Successful self-editing depends largely on the writer’s ability to step outside him or herself and look at the material in an objective manner. "You have to look at it as though you were on a deserted beach, and it was something that washed up on the shore," Mesic says. "If you can understand everything, it’s a success." She suggests that students strive for clarity and simplicity in their writing. Stylistic flourishes can be effective in moderation, but unneeded words or awkward constructions can stop a story dead. Students should, "scan for transitions and make sure that one idea flows from another," Mesic says. The essay should follow like "stepping stones across a river. You don’t want to try to take a leap and fall in." Going back to the outlines shows where and why flaws emerged. Students can arrange paragraphs to ensure that ideas are conveyed effectively. But after a student has written and rewritten, clarity can be difficult to gauge. "We see what we intended to write rather than what we actually put on the page," McGeever says. Family and friends can help by listening as the student reads copy out loud. "Often, your ear will catch what your eye doesn’t," McGeever says. Acting as a trusted reader also helps a student see errors he or she might have overlooked. Make sure, however, that your criticism is constructive. "[Writers] have to assume goodwill on the part of the reader," Mesic says. It can be frustrating even for experienced writers to accept criticism, she says. "But, remember that it’s the words on the page they are criticizing, not you [the author]." Help students learn to edit their own work, and compare the outline to the final product to make sure everything was covered, all the questions were answered and the information makes sense. Eventually, fundamental writing skills can blossom into a world of creativity.