how can i improve my writing skills?

Question

essays for college applications and so on

Answer 1

Well well well....
I've seen some of the answers that people have given to your question, and yes, they are right, but not right 100%....

READING IS JUST ONE STEP TOWARDS GOOD WRITING!

Yes, you've gotta read,that way you will discover many types of writing and presentation styles and various forms of narration.

Anyway here's a list to help you out; to discover different styles like:

1. Narration: Pick up fiction. Read works from different authors on the same theme(say detective stories) and then compare.

2. Presentation: Read from scientific journals like Scientific American, National Geographic, etc. Here you will see that many scientists or researchers will try to explain complex theories in simple language so that the layman can understand. Pay special attention to the examples the authors present.

3. Narration: Pick up two newspapers of the same date, they are sure to report atleast two common news articles (Probably the headlines will be connected to the same incident), there notice how have the two authors described the same event.

OK THAT WILL BE SUFFICIENT....

Now come to step 2:

Now that you have understood how people present information, you try it yourself......but how are you gonna do it?

The best part about step2 is that you can do it almost anywhere, without anyones's help!!

Think about a particular scenario, say.... imagine that you are stuck in a traffic jam and a cop comes up to you, what will you ask him? Talk to yourself out loud.

There may be a million such scenarios, your imagination is the limit.

After step2 you will discover that you have acquired the ability to express your ideas..... do more work and refer to LONGMAN's "Essential Language Activator", this book will blow you away.... if you have an idea, this book will give you the exact phrase or word for it!

Now that you have done all the preliminaries, its time to start sharpening your sword. Yes you must now put all your ideas and thoughts on paper. In the beginning DO NOT worry about cogency, or transition or grammar..... just make sure you get your idea clearly....get it read by any of your friends, ask them how much they understood.

Then once you've mastered your rough skills, its time to use that sword to kill the enemy - your fear!

Get into professional writing, there are many books, for example, "Teach yourself: creative writing". This book is another mind blower!

And as far as essays for college applications are concerned.... thats gonna be a cake walk for you, but make sure what the readers want from it. To understand more about college application essays go to the website www.statementofpurpose.com.

So take care, best of luck and please, please.....DONT 'JUST' READ!

PS: Even I am applying for Grad school in the US. I live in INIDA, so if you wanna get in touch.....just zap back at me!
[e-mail]

Answer 2

First of all...practice. Writing is a skill that is best improved when you get lots of practice. One of the ways you can practice is by getting a workbook on essay writing, and organization. You can find workbooks on-line or in any major bookstore. Also familiarize yourself with the requirements and expectations of essay writing, by reading successful essays written by other students. Again you can find these on-line or even from some of your teachers at school. If you need more help you may want to look for a tutor. Community Centers and Churches sometimes offer free tutoring if you are unable to pay. Also you can ask your Language Arts instructor for additional help, or for information on local resources. You can also improve your writing by learning to be an active reader, actively analyzing the text as you go. Reading varied and challenging Literature is also helpful in helping you improve your writing, because it expands your vocabulary and exposes you to more complex grammatical and conceptual structures.

Answer 3

i have found the best way is to read a lot.

also its really good to have someone else read what you write. other people give better input. when you read what you write, you often miss mistakes. if a sentence doesn't flow or fit in...you might not catch it as someone else could (you know what message you were getting across, or what feel you were going for, or how you want a line read...but someone else won't know those things).

several drafts are a good thing.

good luck.

Answer 4

read and read and read and pick out new words and learn what they mean. Use big nice words..it will always boost your mark up higher.
p.s.: be creative

Answer 5

u just have a practice by writing it on a sheet of paper everyday ...

Answer 6

Read!