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How to Write

Mtende Moyo & Gavin Prothro

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Basics of Writing

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What is Writing anyway?

WRITING /ˈrīdiNG/ (Noun)

“a group of letters or symbols written or marked on a surface �as a means of communicating ideas”

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Topic (Know what you’re talking about)

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  • Assigned Topics / Self-Selected Topics�
    • Self-Selected vs. Assigned Writing Topics: Which is better?�The Effects Topics Have on First Graders' Writing Performance
      • Kelia P. Buchanan (Volume 2, Number 1, 1-2001)�
  • Background check your sources
    • Bottom of Wikipedia

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Drafts (You have to Start Somewhere)

  • Focus on getting your thoughts down and the big picture
    • You can always delete/revise later!�
  • When making big changes, create a new draft
    • Makes it easier to retrieve or look back on later�

Example.docx, Example_A.docx, Example_B.docx, ect.�

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EXPLORATORY vs. EXPLANATORY

  • Using writing to understand thinking
  • Investigate issues
  • Main Aspects
  • Focus ideas

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  • Using writing to help reader understand
  • Selecting and presenting examples
  • Answer questions
  • Teaching

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Common �Problems

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Time Management

  • Assess your workload
    • Wordcount, deadline�
  • Set a Schedule
    • Try to finish before the deadline for revision�
  • Work in Sessions

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Citation

  • Review syllabus
    • Different teachers require different formats�
  • Plagiarism is punished�
  • Citation Machine�
  • University of Toronto Libraries

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Writer's Block

  • The Effects of Various Variables on University Students’ Writer’s Block Levels
    • Kemal Zeki Zorbaz
      • 6% of the first-year students surveyed never had writer's block
      • 24% nearly always had writer's block
      • 70% of students experienced writer's block occasionally�
  • Take a (reasonable) break
    • Sleeping, walking, thinking�
  • Write anything

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Steps to Improve

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Prewriting - What happens before you write

Prewriting can include

  • Choosing a topic
  • Reading about your topic
  • Taking notes
  • Organizing your information
  • Analyzing what you rea

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Also keep in mind

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  • Where you write
  • Who your audience is
  • The medium you write in

December

7th

WWII

WWI

Revolution

Hamilton

History

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Drafting/Composing

  • Don’t worry about perfection
  • Give yourself a time limit
  • Fill pages, even if it’s bad

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Revising

  • Take a break after drafting
  • Ensure you are on topic
  • Organize sensibly
  • Polish your wording
  • Imagine you are someone else reading
  • Proofread
  • Have others proofread

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Grammar

  • Be thorough
  • Use resources, (spell checker, dictionary)
  • Keep expectations in mind

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Works Cited

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/revise/

https://www.grammarly.com/grammar

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09720073.2015.11891820

https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=251103&p=1673069

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