Writing Tips

1. Have a clear understanding of your purpose before you begin. Writing without a purpose is often uninspired and mechanical. You must be interested in what you write; if you aren't, why should you expect your audience to be?

2. Consider your audience and tailor your writing style to the audience's sensibilities and sophistication. For example, if you are writing for preschoolers, you are more likely to use monosyllabic words than if you are writing for graduate students.

3. For most writing tasks, make sure your composition has a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end (also known as introduction, body, and conclusion). The introduction is your first opportunity to communicate with your reader, so make sure you grab the reader's attention and introduce him/her to the topic. Use your body paragraphs to expound on the main idea. Your conclusion is your last opportunity to communicate with your reader, so use that opportunity to drive your point home.

4. Make sure your tone is appropriate for your subject. Keep your tone consistent throughout the essay.

5. Vary your sentence structure. Too many short, simple sentences make your writing elementary, and too many long, convoluted sentences make your writing ostentatious.

6. Too many people write the way they speak. Spoken English and written English are not one and the same. Make sure that you follow the conventions of Standard Written English when you are writing a formal essay.

7. Proofread, proofread, proofread. The first draft should be viewed as the basic prototype; revision of sentence structure and word choice brings the essay closer to perfection.