Clear and Concise Gets Point Across

Hello, Followers!

This is my first post on the Writing Center blog, and as the only aspiring journalist among its ranks, I thought I would share some writing tips that are followed by writers in print media. 

In studying, I found there are parallels between academic writing and journalistic writing.  The most important of these similarities is writing clear and concise sentences.  In journalism, we are writing for the public and use a more conversational writing style, while in academia there is pressure to use complex vocabulary, but this is not necessary.  Fellow blogger Mario Perez recently wrote an entry about just that.  As long as the main point of the piece is conveyed to the reader, the prose seems to fall to the wayside.  Stay within your comfort zone when writing and it should go smoothly.

Revisions are also a very important in the success of a piece of writing.  The finished product should be polished, excluding unnecessary words and sentences.  Successful writing is all about precision.  Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”   Some easy ways of catching errors in your writing are to step away for a while and come back with a fresh set of eyes; read your paper aloud; or ask someone else to read your paper.  We use all of these strategies in the Writing Center, and I know I have had success in the past using these same techniques. 

Write in a way that is comfortable to you.  Use your own voice and don’t feel pressured to impress a reader using words you are not familiar with.  If the writing is clear and precise, the reader should leave informed, with a clear idea of what you were talking about.

--Natalie Hughes

When to Use a Word

When writing, one is always compelled by the nagging urge to expound their vocabulary exponentially instead of allow more natural language to suffice. By using words which resemble "academic" language in order to achieve an illusion of intellect, one sacrifices clarity for a flowery mess. Just because you use four syllable words doesn’t mean you will get that A. You merely need to display your ability to be concise and focused. By attempting to utilize words you are unfamiliar with, you are placing your work in the hands of the facade you endorse instead of your piece as a whole. Why sacrifice precision for quality? A teacher will more than likely commend you for a focused concrete essay than one which was fluttered with incomprehensible language. It's like sailing out to sea before you learned to swim. Yeah, it is brave, but also rather stupid. That is not to say you shouldn’t try to broaden your lexical belt, but do it with caution. If you’re comfortable with a word, go for it. Hold your chin high and proud as you exploit your linguistic excellence. Yet, if you are not that sure, stick to what you know. Clarity is all they really ask for. You can't argue against clarity. If you’re spouting words that make no sense while you are unaware they make no sense, then how could that help? Simple is sometimes best. Keep it simple and concise.

-Mario Perez

Thoughts on how to begin a paper

It is one of the most difficult parts about writing. I can imagine you sitting there, stunned, addled, and frowning frustratingly at the blinking line that seems to taunt your endeavor. The blank white nothingness presented in front of you seems exceedingly daunting as the deadline draws near. Eventually, you realize from your heavy eyelids that you have yet to get any sleep and the sun seems to be peeking above the horizon outside. It is difficult to just beginning a piece, be it creative or academic. Either way you seems to find themselves constricted by a lack of words, or thoughts, or a concrete thesis. But, you must not forget it is just the intro. Write anything! Leave yourself time to fiddle with your brain. Look at the white screen as an opportunity not a choir, "All that blank space to put whatever I have on my mind." I know what your thinking, and I do it too. You wait till the very last second that it is due to even begin to convey the thoughts you have on the topic. It may work for you, but you leave yourself no room for error. The more time you allow yourself to conjure ideas about the subject, the more likely it will be cohesive, precise, and fully developed. Give yourself the room to breathe easy. The best way to do so is to set yourself a strict schedule and see to it that you follow it verbatim--No slacking off me!

Again, just write anything down at first, let your brain work out the subject its way. That way you can get the muck, pointless material out of the way and be able to focus on the subject particularly. After a few pages of your opinions, experiences, or outside facts that you obtain you should be able to see a pattern. In the long run, after the horrid points are dismantled (don't feel bad, we all write nonsense sometimes), meaningless words removed, and unusually phrasings altered, you will be able to create a solid academic paper. Hurray! So give yourself time to get the crap out so within it the golden ideas will shine. Don't get stuck hating the blinking line, it has enough problems as it is.

-Mario Perez