Chapter 1: What is Writing Skill?

The definition of WRITING is, "To communicate specific information or ideas, utilizing the formats, language, and content."

People will judge you by your writing no matter how, so to make people able to understand your writing, you must achieve the ABC of writing which is,

A = Accessible

B = Basic

C = Clear

Writing aims to capture a thought or idea, to transfer it to a permanent format, making it tangible. Writing has to be much clearer than spoken language because it lacks the non-verbal expression to show what a person is trying to convey. Any idea can be conveyed through writing. Great care is required to ensure that our message is accurately interpreted by our audience. Every sentence should be relevant to the central goal of the message.

What is Process of Writing?

Every writer follows their own writing process, often the process is a routine that comes naturally when you are about to start a writing.

The most common Process of Writing is: Pre-writing > Drafting > Revising > Editing > Publishing.

Pre-writing - Getting ideas down on a paper / Brainstorming

Drafting - Organizing ideas into a logical format for your purpose, topic, and audience.

Revising - Revising your text to improve the order, the examples, the style, the tone...

Editing - Erasing and fixing all the errors that detract from your writing.

Publishing - Publish the final product for everyone to see.

The Principles of  Good Writing

It must be read, understood and accepted, must have clear and consistent writing. There're two major factors under consideration: 

• What makes a good writer?
• What makes a good writing?

Few questions to ask yourself to become a good writer:

1. How do I begin?
2. What is my purpose?
3. How do I make my point clear?
4. How do I create a logical flow?
5. How can I create a visual effect?
6. How do I say what I mean?

What makes a good writing?

1. Depends on the intended audience. Example:
• Letter to Mom vs Letter to President (different audience need different ways to write)
2. The Ruth Culham's shares characteristics of a good writing which are the 6+1 Writing Traits.

6+1 Writing Traits:

• Ideas
• Organization
• Voice
• Sentence Fluency
• Word Choice
• Conventions
• Presentation

There are 2 categories of writing:

1. Poor Writing
• Grammatical Errors
• Spelling Mistakes
• Complicated and Obscure Words
• Repeated Content
• Tell Lies
• Has No Direction
• Ignores The Reader
2. Good Writing
• Focus
• Organization
• Solid Development
• Clarity
• Grammatical Correctness
• Avoidance of Spelling

All the best in improving your Writing Skills.

Thank You.