Writing


Dramatic Writing , Dance of Language textbook Constructing meaning through writing evolves from the individual experiences of practice with the knowledge gained about form and structure, and also the various devices that aid in communicating information, ideas and emotions. One achieves the ability to write clearly and effectively in basically two ways: by gaining the tools for putting words together to express intended thoughts and by encouraging the synthesis of ideas through reading a wide range of genres. As always, audience and purpose determine the mode of writing that will be used, and frequent practice of the steps in the writing process generates growth in writing: prewriting, writing, editing, and proofreading.

Free Writing


Free writing in a journal  with little or no structure intended keeps the writing juices flowing, but little actual improvement in writing skills actually occurs. Since the writer is usually expounding on whatever is on her mind at the time, the focus precludes a serious attempt to communicate clearly with an audience. The writer is the audience in free writing. Is free writing a waste of time then? My answer would be that any kind of writing is time well spent because something useful can be gleaned from it: a new idea, a solution, new consciousness about an idea, for how do I know what I think until I see what I say?


Writing Prompts


Creative Writing



Narrative Writing



Persuasive Writing



Expository: Define



Descriptive



Literary Response



Structured Writing


Knowing the audience and purpose for a piece of writing determines the approach a writer will take in the construction of any piece. Students soon learn that school type writing has an underlying skeletal structure that is often intentionally rigid for the purpose of learning organization and clarity. Professional writing, i.e., newspapers; magazines; journals; online journalism, takes greater liberties with structure because it is usually written by professionals who have mastered the skills of communication. Having said as much, this website is devoted to student writers and growth in the language arts.

Writing, Chapter 5: Dance of Language textbook Learning to write a basic five-paragraph essay will not guarantee instant success, but it does offer students a basic method of communicating clearly. Once this structure is set, the writer can return to the document to work on more effective sentence structure and diction. In my book Dance of Language, Chapter 5 includes a detailed explanation.