WRITING
The 4 macro skills in Language Learning interconnect, and the cornerstone of effective EL development has always been WRITING (EL stands for English Language, in case you forgot.) Yes, it means if you don’t write, you have little to no chance of developing the strong language command.
Writing requires massive efforts and considerable time, thus being one of the most difficult macro skills to develop. Yet once you do, it gives you an array of possibilities both academically and professionally.
Linguistically speaking, writing is the first thing to build your active vocabulary, so do write. A lot.
The very first thing you should know is that WRITING is a PROCESS, not result. And those who know the steps, get the skill pretty much easily.
IELTS preparation requires you to write, but rare instructor across CIS explains what really is expected and what writing, in effect, is. Now, to get that super secret ingredient to the skill, below are several things to bear in mind.
The writing process has 3 major steps:
1. Pre-writing
2. Writing
3. Post-writing
The Process Details. Follow.
1. Pre-writing includes...
...good reading (or research;)
...good speaking (brainstorm ideas;)
...good sources (authentic, reliable;) and
...good thinking.
2. Writing step has...
...good outline (planning;)
...good sentence variety (4 types & phrases;) and
...good grammar.
3. Post-writing step needs...
Side note: every time you meet 'good,' read 'effective.'
Dissatisfied with your writing or cannot write at all?
It never means you have no talent, nor does it mean you need one. It simply means you are missing some steps of the process. Just make certain you spend enough time on each step listed - and you will have ANY writing finished. Before writing, read about the topic, do a research of your own. Then, speak to a friend, family member, or an expert in the question to give you ideas to think about - note them down. How many times have we looked at an IELTS question, thinking we have no idea what to write about? A thorough research helps to solve the problem. When reading, carefully select sources to take info from: the Internet dumps almost 97% of unreliable data on its users. Selecting the right source plays a crucial role in delivering great results. Next, outline your work, arranging ideas accordingly to the task, and give it a go, developing your first draft. Here, make certain you achieve what is expected and include 4 sentence types, grammar range, and arcane words to attain C2. Once you finish the draft, let the writing settle down for a day or two to then revise it carefully: you will see how many mistakes you’d want to correct. Lastly, collect professional feedback from a couple of writing experts to gain valuable insights into your paper strengths and weaknesses.
Writing Develops Speaking
Each time when you take a pen and write a word or two, it makes your brain core function up to massive 70 percent. At least, I’ve been told so☺
Indeed, when you write, you add body motor function to the visual data you are receiving and enhance retention, comprehension, and long-term memory. To say more would be a digression, so if you ask, I’ll write a separate post on neural network functioning in Language Learning.
Back to the point.
Snobbish IELTS has its candidates handwriting on a piece of paper rather than machine typing (as the American counterpart, TOEFL, does.) Archaic? Probably. Pointless? Never. The experts know better, as practice shows. In fact, handwriting enables you to fully activate your long-term memory and retain language units more efficiently. Compared with writing, it takes you TWICE as much repetitions to remember a word or a phrase long-term if you simply type it. Sneaky linguistic bastards, they know what they are doing, aren’t they?:)
Finally, given that you clarify words using a professional dictionary - this goes without saying, though - and master applying the words in writing, you then happily arrive at a point where you can use the words in speaking: an effectively developed thought or idea in writing is retained to be spoken out at the right place and time.
Writing is invaluable. And there’s no secret ingredient — just following the steps:)
To those who might still shy away from writing,
My instructor, Dr. Shane Dixon at ASU, once said,
"There’s no such thing as good writing. Only good re-writing."
By this, he draws our attention to the fact that perfection does not come in one go, and we need multiple revisions to our papers.
A composer or painter does not sit down and create a masterpiece at once. Rather, they constantly look at their work and change things.
That is to say, things are never perfect the first time. Musicians, for example, have to repeatedly go back to problem areas and practice them until they feel smooth. Well, with writing happens just the same.
It's all about few things, and no need to get everything right the very first time. So...
...Explore. Plan. Create. Experiment. Revise. Change.
Development
When talking and writing, make certain you abide by the rule
"Topic → Comment."
In the other words, once you make a statement, provide a comment to the statement. Your audience always has questions to each statement you make: ensure you anticipate the questions and answer them in the comment.
"The Internet is a great resource.
/Statement/
? (the hearer might go like 'Why? What do you mean?’)
It provides massive opportunities to students globally." /Comment/
This is exactly what
"KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND"
means in action: anticipating and answering the questions your audience has to your statements.
In a text, it looks like an uninterrupted train of sentences:
"The Internet is a great resource. It provides massive opportunities to students globally…"
This is what they call Meaning Development: you literally develop your ideas into something fully unpacked unless the audience gets your message.
Practice writing even though it’s not perfect. These two in the picture have never been perfect. Not the first time, not the hundredth. And they won’t be. But who cares as long as they may create trends?
You still worry about your paper and about people laughing at you? Don’t. Publish already.
Committed to your excellence,
Rafael
