Good writing is clear writing. To be clear, you need to know the purpose of the writing assignment.

Like audience, purpose in a university setting is problematic.  For most of us, we write in order to get good grades.

While that is a sort of purpose, it is not a purpose that will help us write clearly and communicate effectively.

Here are some purposes that will help us write clearly:

to inform

to show understanding

to persuade

to show results

to entertain

to analyze

Instructors will communicate the purpose of the writing assignment explicitedly, implicitedly, or not at all. Regardless, it is up to you to write with a purpose fully in mind. 

Some writing has more than one purpose; decide the main purpose, and then all other purposes should serve that purpose.

Know your purpose and write with purpose.

Good writing is clear writing. To be clear, you need to know your audience: who is this piece of writing for?

The wrong answer is the instructor.  Although instructors may grade the writing, they are in fact not your real audience. If you think the professor is your audience, you may become unclear by using “big” words to impress them. Big words are not for impression but communication.

You may also feel that you need to impress them with your ideas—ideas you don’t have, which you may be then tempted to borrow” from other places. 

Who is your audience? I believe it is most helpful to think of your audience as your classmates: those who have heard the same lectures, read the same textbooks, and are of similar intellectual level. Write for them. Use words, ideas, structure, and development that will appeal to them.

Know your audience and write for them.     

Creating a schedule that works is key to a successful term. If you feel stuck with a bad schedule:

·       Speak with a faculty student advisor… always a good idea.

·       Take what you need to take; shuffle any electives.

·       Don’t take more than 2 courses with labs per term; a lab is essentially another course.

·       Reduce your course load. Really! Particularly if you are just starting university, you need time to adapt.

·       If there’s a class you’re dreading, think about whether this is the best time to take it.

 Ask yourself, “Am I excited about the term?” If not what can you do to make it  so. 

Starting class in the fall is exciting – and a bit nerve-racking. Making the most of your first classes gets you on track with your work early, and reduces your stress. These tips may help:

▪        Go to class! Even if you just review the syllabus, this is vital information for succeeding in a course.

▪        Review the syllabus so you know what to expect and what to ask.

▪        Arrive (a little bit) early and sit up front.

▪        Take notes – write or type them on your syllabus to keep track of important information.

▪        Be prepared to work – some profs might even lecture.

▪        Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

▪        And, keep an open mind – you never know what you might learn or who you might meet!

Writing Tips: Keeping Things Clear, Part 2

What makes a sentence clear?  As we noted in our previous post, readers tend to respond well to statements that feature a clear, concrete actor and a simple, vivid action.   That’s because such sentences are like miniature stories – they’re easily imaginable.

One way to unleash the power of good, concrete verbs (or action words) in your sentences is to avoid turning them into long, ponderous, abstract nouns – that is, words indicating people, places and things.  Nouns that have been “converted” from being verbs often end in -tion, -ment, or -ance.

Consider this: Identification of the problem involved a set of inquiries with respect to the governance of the province by elected officials.

Ugh.  It’s like government-speak, right?  But drill down into some of those long nouns and you’ll find a vein of clear, vivid gold – in the form of action words (identify, inquire, govern). They identified the problem by inquiring how elected officials are governing the province.

Check out this entertaining TED video from Helen Sword on the dangers of “zombie nouns”: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beware-of-nominalizations-aka-zombie-nouns-helen-sword

Here are some additional tips for creating a class schedule that won’t keep you up at night:

• Reduce your course load. Really! Lots of students do this. Reducing your course load is an especially wise strategy if you are just starting university – you need time to adjust.
• Make sure you have enough time between classes, especially if you are on the north/main campus as running across campus for an exam is never fun!
• Aim to balance courses that you consider (or expect to be) hard with those that come more easily to you – just remember that easy doesn’t necessarily mean less work.
• And, ask yourself: am I excited about the term? If there is a class you are dreading, think about whether this is the best time to take it.

While most students completed their fall/winter class schedules months ago, many are still ‘shopping’ or ‘juggling’ courses, or generally worrying about the fall term. If you are feeling stuck with a bad schedule:

• First, speak with a faculty student advisor – always a good idea.
• Consider alternative schedules – what are the pros and cons?
• Take what you need to take, and shuffle any electives.
• And, don’t take more than two courses with labs per term – a lab is essentially another course.

Try to fix it now, so your fall term starts off on the right foot.