Writing tips that work for me

Learning English as my second language, I see myself write best in structured essay, such as research and argument paper. Probably due to the way I am educated in my early school year. Writing is not my strongest subject in school. It always takes me quite some time to write a piece of paper. Thus, I have come across few writing tips that have helped me in some way.

First, talk with people. My writing skills have greatly improved since I come to the States, especially during the semester I stayed in the dorm. When I am surrounded with Americans, this only English-speaking environment has forced me to express myself in the common language. That semester has not only polished my speaking skills but also helped me to think in English more often, which eventually improve my writing process. Back home, the only place I have conversation in English is in English classes. Even having friends that speak only English, the language and practice are still different than how it is spoken here. My dorm mates have definitely helped me a lot though I always had to repeat my sentences at first or just listened to their conversation. I believe that the easier way to learn a language is live in the environment that uses the language most often. Of course, that is me who come from a different background. I think conversation will help one’s writing more fluently and also motivate a writer to explore something else. The paper will cover more grounds by knowing more people’s thoughts. Experience has now played a big part in my writing. Thus, by talking to different people or just listening to others will enhance one’s ideas on writing.

Next, I need to jot down my points before I start writing. Since I write directly on my computer, I normally just brainstorm all my ideas in short sentences in a blank document for the first hour. Then I will start skipping around to expand my points whenever I think of something. Whether it is in a grammatically correct sentence or makes sense, I will just jot down whatever come through my mind. I think I like doing my paper on computer is it is easy to edit. Unlike writing on a paper, which sometimes gets untidy and hard to keep track, writing on computer is more structured. After that, I will take a break then start writing my paper.

Personally, I can’t write in a quiet room, so I need to listen to some music or switch on the TV so that I know time is ticking while I’m writing. It is just a habit that I could now even seat still for a period of time. The music or TV should not be too loud, just as a background noise. If it gets too loud, it will distract my attention and get annoying. For instance, I am watching the NBA game while I am writing this blog. Of course, it will take me longer to write a paper. So, I will time myself if I am in a rush or just plan to write earlier. I think I sometimes just spend too much time writing, which I know many people could not afford it. However, it somehow helps me write better in term of the flow of the essay.

One more thing is be comfortable when you are writing, whether it is seating under the sun, lying on the bed, or drinking coffee. Once you feel comfortable sitting in front of the computer or paper, it is when your ideas come flow. At last, everyone have different writing tips that work, but revising more than twice is the least required steps. No matter how well one writes, he or she must have revised that paper more than once. I believe revising is much more important than crafting. So, instead of going through a paper once, be make sure you have enough time to revise repeatedly before handing in the paper.