I still remember what my writing teacher said in a composition class when I was a student. He told us to remember the word "KISS" when writing, i.e. Keep It simple and Short. I think this peice of advice has some truth in it. We should remember to use clear and concise language to express our ideas. Like a good picture, good writing provides us with food for thought and it also enables us to enjoy reading.
Andrew Wilson - a British teacher of English
There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.
Ernest Hemingway
Writing is just work, there is no secret. if you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your toes -- it is still just work.
Sinclair Lewis
what is good writing?
Good writing should be distinct in following aspects:
1. Appropriate style for the purpose: We all know we write for different purpose, such as for communicating our feelings, for job applications, for political activities, for school assignments or examinations, and so on. These different kinds of writing certainly require very different formats, layouts as well as the language used to achieve the intended purposes.
2. Clear organization: It is important that readers can follow your thoughts or know very well what you are talking about, say, in this section, what you are talking about, and what it has to do with the next section.
3 Effective use of expression: Original and effective ways of saying or explaining something will not only make you thoughts clear to other people, but they also make your writing more enjoyable,enlightening and thought - provoking. Even the very best writers often have to work hard to makke the words come out just night.
4 Reader - oriented: When you write, always have your readers in mind. Are you writing to a close friend of yours? Or are you writing to the head of department or the manager of a company? For the former, you often writing in a casual and personal way. For the letter, however, your writing should be more focused, polite and formal, So your choice of words and style differ with reference to whom you are writing to. I prefer to read something with the above features, in particular, I consider appropriate style to be most important.
Linda Hu - a postgraduate student
Sometimes, well, it seems quite difficult to define "good writing" but I'll try. In my opinion, good writing, first of all, is good thinking. Before I write, I often spend quite some time working out the draft in my mind; I make mental notes, so to speak. Then, I often remind myself to stick to the topic I'm writing about. I try hard to find the correct vocabulary and grammer to express my ideas, by this, I don't mean you have to use big complicated words, or "flower language". In fact, I like to use simple words and short sentences. As long as they help to achieve my communicative purpose effectively, they are fine. lastly, good writing requires revisions. Experienced writers, like great modern Chinese write Lu Xun, all say that they make repeated revisions on their work before they feel satisfied. This was also what my father often asked me to do when I learned to write. My ather is a teacher of Chinese and I think he's certainly right.
Pauline Zhang - an undergraduate student |
