Three Steps to Better Writing

I. Paragraphing

-- ONE idea per paragraph

-- Idea must be one you can develop

-- Idea must be expressed in the topic sentence

-- Anything that does not support or clarify the idea expressed in the topic sentence should be:

1. deleted

2. be considered as the topic of another paragraph

3. be incorporated into the existing topic sentence

-- last sentence does not need to sum up the paragraph

-- develop your topic sentences by brainstorming on scratch paper the ideas you want to cover in your essay

-- draw arrows between the ideas that seem to relate well; this helps you organize your essay before you even begin to write

II. Active, vivid, and precise verbs

-- Active voice is nearly always better because it gives your writing punch and precision

   “Who did what to whom.”

   Subject of the sentence does the action

   How to spot passive voice?

   Be on the lookout for the verb “to be” + “by”

    “The finicky Professor is annoyed by students who write in the passive voice.”

     Instead:

   “Students who write in the passive voice annoy the finicky professor.”

-- Avoid the weak verb “to be” whenever you can.

    Don’t say, “She was successful.”  Say, “She succeeded.”

    Don’t say, “Another example of Wilson’s idealism was his determination to create League of Nations. ”

    Instead, say, “Wilson’s determination to create a League of Nations also demonstrated his idealism.”

    [A sub-rule here: always lead with your point. Don’t keep the reader waiting.]

-- Don’t “waste” your main verb.

    “Hitler was a main who ruled Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945.”

In this case “Hitler was a man” is the “guts” of your sentence – not an especially good use of your main verb. Instead, say:

“Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945.”

-- Give your writing precision by choosing just the right verb

    “conceded” vs “acknowledged” vs “admitted”

    “said” vs “explained” vs “mumbled” vs “thundered”

    Ask yourself: “What exactly is my subject doing?”

    Picture the scene in your head, then use verbs to create a mental picture in your reader’s mind.

    Don’t dress up a weak verb with an adverb – find a better verb.  Don’t say, “said quietly;” say “whispered.”

III. “No Repeats”

-- Vary your word choice. Don’t use the same words over and over.

    Check on the printed page to make sure you’re not repeating the same words too often. 

-- Eliminating “repeats” will also enhance precision

    BONUS RULE:  “ K. I. S. S. ”

 -- No “inter-office memos.”  Avoid the “In this paper I will…” construction.

-- Don’t annoy or distract the reader by intruding your own voice into the story. This means avoiding the first person “ I.”

--Don’t tell the reader what you’re going to do, just get to it.      

-- Prune excess or flowery words and imprecise, confusing phrases

     For example….

Don’t say, “utilize” à say “use”

Don’t say, “Because of the fact that” à say “Since”

Don’t say, “The mistrust that Stalin held…” à “Stalin’s mistrust”

“in terms of” à ????  (avoid this phrase, it confuses more than it clarifies)

COMMON ERRORS

-- Make sure your nouns and pronouns agree in number

“party,” “government,” “United States” take the singular “it.”

“The Communist party had always valued abject loyalty.  In fact, they insisted that everyone wear red underwear.”  “they” should be changed to “it.”

-- Do not use contractions in formal writing.

-- It’s vs its

  RULE OF THUMB: since you will never use contractions, you will never use “it’s” (which means “it is”) So, “its” is always right. If you find an “it’s” in your paper, change it to “it is.”  If it sounds weird, you’ve made an error and the correct form should be “its.”

-- Failure to attribute quotes.  When the voice of the paper changes from your voice to someone else’s, the new speaker must be introduced.

WRONG:

“Throughout the years of the NEP, restaurants flourished in St. Petersburg as they had before the revolution.”

RIGHT:

“Throughout the years of the NEP,” one historian has noted, “restaurants flourished in St. Petersburg as they had before the revolution.”  

-- Spell out numbers up to 100 and round numbers thereafter

 Exception: percents  à  93 percent.

-- Spell out numbers over 100 when they begin a sentence.