40-49

Last semester I made the horrible choice to write a research paper about fish. Seeing as I did not care about the topic, I failed that assignment. (Though, I did find out some interesting facts, like how the first fish to walk on land didn't have lungs and thus suffocated.) I also had a hard time finding sources for that paper. The quality of my work tends to lower as the semester drags on, as mad evident by my recent blog posts.

They got style!

      I have always tried to pay special attention to the way I write papers. Usually how I write doesn't match up to they way I process my thoughts, or the way I speak at all. I often find myself trying to use bigger words than I speak with, or using more complex descriptive words in my papers. I believe that I write this way because in eleventh grade my English teacher told me that in order to succeed "You have to write like you are educated." As I grew as a reader I learned that this isn't necessarily true. Many writers have written in different ways and still succeeded. This teacher wanted us to all write the same way, and honestly, it took a lot of character from our writing. 

     I always knew there were different styles of writing, but I had never heard of high, middle, and low style. However, once I started reading about it, I recognized the different styles very quickly. We use hit style often for our class papers and I use it for when I apply to jobs and programs. We use middle style for a lot of english papers, and for writing journals, or maybe even Facebook posts. We use low for texting, writing to family or friends, maybe a late night poetry writing session. I was forced to learn to write in high style, but I feel more comfortable writing in middle or low style. 

     I feel like many people my age are doing better and better at avoiding using stereotypes when writing. I feel like that may be because we are learning to be more open and accepting. I liked the list of terms to use instead of outdated terms, there were many that you don't always thing of as being stereotypical, but they are. 

     I was told that using more words is better in high school. I was taught that if you learn how to add extra words without being confusing, your paper can seem much more formal. However, it's very easy for your extra words to get tangled up and confuse your reader. I know that I, as a writer, often add a lot of extra words to my writing, and often find it hard to distinguish the line of the extra words helping my paper, or hurting it. 

Style

While reading chapters 35 through 37, I learned that writing has different types of styles. The three type of styles in writing are high, middle, and low. The high style is mostly use in a formal, scientific, and scholarly writing. The middle style is use in a personal, argumentative, and some academic writing. The low style is use in a personal, informal, and even playful writing. However, most people use the middle style because it's simple and relaxing. In addition, its more easy to understand because it has simple vocabulary. For some people the high style can be very difficult to read and to write. You might be asking yourself which style you should be using. You want to use the middle style because most people use the middle style. The middle style is the most common use in writing. Some things you need to include while writing a middle style paper are general vocabulary, slang, some dialogue, and more. Like I said, use the middle style because it's easy and you won't have trouble with it.

Style

                I honestly never knew that there were different styles of writing such as high, middle, and low. It makes sense that there would be different types of writing based on who your audience is. Reading on these different styles reminded me of how I text and email. When texting friends I’m very casual and personal like the low style, but when emailing a professor or boss, I am more formal like high style.

                A big part of your style is the language you use within your writing. It’s hard to avoid using a lot of gender stereotypical expressions (ex: mailman) when those are what we are used to using. Even if a certain word or phrase does not seem offensive to you, it’s good to be aware of how other people may respond or how they may offense to it.  This was interesting to me because I am usually very unaware of these words while writing but if you become and aware and exclude such things from your writing, you appeal to a larger audience. As the book said, a good way to go over your work and catch errors like this is by reading your work out loud to yourself. 

Sensitive Style

For the years I have been writing, I never took into consideration how I word sentences or how I say anything throughout the paper. Readers could possibly find sentences or words offending to them when it is not meant to be that way.

Chapter thirty six really opened my eyes to how careful the writer needs to be while writing a paper, book, etc. The writer needs to be sensitive to other culture. Expressions can play a huge role in offending someone from another culture. In my age group, there are all kinds of expressions that we understand and use every day. What seems to us as normal and not offending could easily be offending to another person who does not understand the meaning behind the saying. My age group needs to be aware of what we say because it could be offending to older age groups or other people coming from a different culture. That being said, the writer should always be respectful in every way possible. I think to be a great writer you need to respect others including yourself. I know I would not want to read a book, paper, etc. if it was not respectful to a certain type of group, sport, etc. I would take offense to something that bashed another thing. If the writer respects society and himself/herself they will come a long way and be a respectable writer.

Style

     Style. Style is the combination of tone, voice, texture, and rhythm is sentences and paragraphs. Things I learned from chapters 35 through 37 are which style to use for different types of writings. For example, chapter 35 illustrates that for formal, scholarly, and scientific writings, you should use high style. Middle style should be used mostly for argumentative and personal writings. Last but not least, low style should be used when writing personal, everyday, and informal works. In chapter 36, I learned that respect should be given to all of your readers. Being inclusive and using stereotypes are common in writings and our everyday lives. For example, we almost always think of nurses as being women, when that is not always the case. So, instead of using “her” or “his,” use “their.”
     I learned in chapter 37 not to use abstract subjects and objects, and instead use more specific subjects and objects. Also from chapter 37, I realized that wordy sentences are not always better than shorter, more to the point sentences. Another major point that stuck out to me was to cut your first draft by 25 percent or more because we tend to be wordy in order to lengthen our word count on papers faster. Also, mixing your writings up between lengthy and short sentences can keep your reader interested by not being so repetitive with same length sentences throughout your writing.

Memory Game

Chapter 36 was especially helpful because writing professional papers can be challenging when you can’t express your thoughts the way you would like to. I never realized how commonly I am stereotypical in my papers. Naturally as young writers we are hesitant on how to word things but so oblivious to what’s stereotypical and what is inclusive. Something as simple as saying “postman” can be considered offensive.

You see crude language all the time in novels but should you use it in your college papers? If you question it, your instinct is probably right. I have mentioned this touchy subject to my professors and I’ve come to conclusion that it depends on your teacher but you most likely shouldn’t use profanity and play it safe. Chapter 36 gives perfect examples of this.

Sentence structure is key to a well written paper. I think this is especially hard because it is a lot to remember. From prepositional phrases to clauses, I have done it all. As a student, papers are such a hassle. You either try too hard or too little. Chapter 37 is a prime example of the difficulty that goes into writing. It is definitely something all students should practice.

Your writing is about to be stylin'

Style is something we all have an innate ability to use and hear. Sometimes it can be difficult to explain why a sentence sounds wordy, repetitive, or just not right. There are multitudes of styles out there to write anything from technical research papers to funny articles meant to be a joke. Learning to truly use these styles are the appropriate times and what they encompass will allow for a more specific and clear paper that serves a greater influence in the purpose it is written for. As our culture has evolved, being “politically correct” has become increasingly important. Using gender neutral nouns and racially correct terms are important to be taken seriously and seen as an educated individual who truly knows what they are writing a paper about. Failure to use these terms could cause your audience to disregard anything you have to say about your topic as you can be viewed as bigoted or even biased. However in the end style plays a less obvious part when reading a paper but when reviewing and editing your paper it plays a vital part that can have a huge influence on how your paper reads and how it affects your audience.

The Variety of Everyday Writing

            Writing has always been formatted to professional and informal writing.  Each style of writing portrays different meaning.  Providing a high style of writing is for professional aspects, as where a low style is used between friends.  It’s always more challenging to write with a high style of writing, because grammar, correct spelling, and sentence structure are applied.  In my experience, I’ve always balanced my writing with high and low style.

            I found chapter 36 the most interesting chapter, because it explained how in today’s culture, people have become extremely sensitive to certain terms.  When a person says “stewardess or postman”, it’s not to offend people.  Improvising the way you word a term, will allow you to be more efficient in avoiding stereotyping.  I never really thought about terms making people feel uncomfortable, and that’s why applying this information will be beneficial for everyone.  If you have a sense of doubt that a word shouldn’t be in a paper, then try to find an alternative word to express what you want to point out. 

            Always be clear and concise with your writing to ensure that you have the maximum quality.  Nobody wants to read a paragraph that’s repetitive!  Change your writing from a spark into a wildfire!

Style

After reading these chapters I see where I need guidelines on my style, tone, and clarity. Having reminders regarding the expressions that I use or how to write without being too wordy will help me be more specific. As I read and prepare more for upcoming assignments I can use these tips to provide a stronger paper with a new approach on style and tone. The styles such as high, middle, and low seem to set up the personality of the paper or other specific writings. I was unsure of the three styles (high, middle, low), but the example for each explained the format or when to use each style. Ideas from reading inclusive and culture sensitive does help me to think about better ways to express complete respect to the readers especially when addressing or documenting about specific cultures or people groups. Overall, seeing and understanding these styles will improve my sentences and will give me a stronger foundation leading up to paragraphs and completed papers.Usually when writing papers, I do not use a specific style. Now with these various styles and lessons, I can strengthen my writing and can benefit from these chapters. How To Write Anything helps me realize the little things in writing and how important they can be in the process.

Writing Styles and Consideration

My friend Aubrey attends Grad school at ETSU and is working on her master’s degree in biomedical science, requiring her to writes many high style papers. While I was at her house a couple months ago, we read over the beginning of her thesis, which she will need to finish to graduate. The style was very dry and honestly, quite boring. When we finished reading her paper, she explained the meanings of what I read in a more relatable fashion. Formal papers are personally hard for me to truly become interested in, and I find myself swinging to middle or low styles for my papers if I am allowed.

Writing is a fantastic way to express myself and how I feel about a variety of topics but, there is a fine line between sharing my ideas and being considerate of others. Although, I am slightly feminist, I respect men and do not want to take away from their strengths to gain my own. Similarly, I never want to tear down another person or group of people to make a point. In my opinion, the most beautiful writing is often times drenched in humility and grace. C.S. Lewis, for example, was a man who had the qualities of such writing. I admire his work and hope to possess a small portion of the gift he had in his literature.

Writing Styles

There are three main types of writing styles. Those styles are called high, middle, and low styles of writing. Most everyone loves to write in the middle style because it is laidback and easy to read. The middle style is most common to see in your readings, unless you are reading a scholarly essay. It is safe to say many people like to write in the middle style!

The middle style is the most used style of writing. The middle style of writing is used to target any audiences, for its vocabulary is known to be fairly simple. Though in a high style writing sample, the vocabulary is much more difficult and can be understood by few. Not to mention, the middle style is laid back compared to the high style. Though with that being stated, the low style is the most laid back of any styles of writing. The middle style can be seen as general talk, rather than formal and uptight writing. With the middle style you have more room to be flexible in your writing. A writer can write about almost anything in the middle style. A writer can write about something serious like a loved one that passed away, or they can write about something humorous. There is no limit to what a writer can writer can write about in the middle style!

The middle style of writing can be noted to be one of the favorite styles among writers. Laidback writing is well liked by many, especially if the readers can fully understand the story!

Casual Analysis

                I like how the book starts by saying, “We all analyze and explain things daily. Someone asks, “Why?” we reply “Because . . .” and then offer reasons and rationales. Such a response comes naturally.” This gives an excellent example of what a casual analysis is. Which is a “cause” and “effect” of something. It’s good to start with an issue that is new to you. At the same time, one with sufficient evidence. After choosing a decent topic, find your audience, and draw them in.

The book makes an excellent point when it says, “don’t jump to conclusions”. I feel like that’s very good advice when writing a casual analysis. If you start jumping to conclusions instead of doing research, your evidence for claims will be off. 

What Makes Your Writing Unique

Chapter 35 goes over writing style. I just recently finished applying for colleges and I needed to use high style with very formal writing. This can definitely be a challenge to change your writing style. Middle style is nice and clean but I feel it’s understandable by any kind of audience. When writing anything you have to consider the style that best fits the audience and the topic you are writing about. Low style really shows the way your brain really works at its most simple slang terms. 

Chapter 36 goes over many things to consider in order for your paper to simply not sound dumb. I have changed my wording in papers before just to make sure it doesn’t sound offensive in any way. Sometimes we are so use to the way we speak it is easy to offend people without intention or even noticing. I was surprised our book basically told us that races can talk about themselves and say things that other races would not be allowed to say. This is really all about courtesy and staying on the safe side so people don’t get mad at you. 

Chapter 37 is saying that you don’t have to be too wordy. Sometimes it just makes people confused or to where they don’t care. One thing that is important to not sound stupid is remember to not repeat keywords too closely.  

Chapters 29 & 30

When writing a paper It's always a good idea to start with an outline. Outlines will help you plan your paper. Outlines will help you organize your thoughts to make writing easier for you. Most students are not a fan of an outlines, to be honest I'm not a fan either but I will say this, it will help you a lot! Write down some ideas of what your paragraphs going to be about and it doesn’t mean you have to include every detail in your outline, just write down some words that will help you stay organized and not get lost. When you are done writing your outline, you can start writing your paragraphs with details but remember not too much. In some cases without an outline your thoughts get all mixed up and your ideas will be all over your paper. Which really you don't want that because it can messed up your paper. Since the flow of your paper is really important, an outline will help you create a good flow for your paper. Some students believe, when making an outline it takes less time to write a paper. It is since you have all your ideas ready.

A paragraph about outlines, an outline of a paragraph

    A outline. Gross. The idea of a outline turns he heads of most and repulses most students. Many students only do outlines when required for a grade. When in reality the outline, even in its most rudimentary form, drastically increases the quality of the paper. Using an outline can help eliminate repetitive ideas, join similar ideas, and organize ideas into a form most beneficial to both the reader and the writer. Joining both outlines and paragraphs together can form an extremely powerful paper in which the reader is persuaded to an idea, told a riveting story, or educated on a subject using the two ideas together is remarkably beneficial.

    Paragraphs have formed a very different role and style as we've all gone through school. They gone from 4-5 sentences to 6-10 sentences and now enough sentences to be move the paper in a forward direction. Forming ideas into paragraphs allows for the information to be broken down into logical sections and allows the reader to have a break to digest all of the information presented to him or her. Usage of the paragraph can be extremely powerful in persuading the reader as it can increase the readability of the paper by following a map presented in the introduction to the reader.

Outlining and Paragraphs

            Before doing any paper you always have to brainstorm on what you want to write about.  After brainstorming these ideas, creating an outline would allow us to organize ideas into the proper structure.  Usually when I write a paper, I just brainstorm on the topics that I want to write about.  In my opinion, I feel that if I was to incorporate outlining into my papers, then it would allow me to be more efficient in organization.  The examples that were provided in the material were helpful and interesting. 

            Outlining simple ideas for a paper allows the audience of readers to understand the comparison and contrast of the topic that is provided.  Once the outline of the paper is created, then it would be a lot easier to implement the information in your paragraphs.  When reading chapters 29 and 30, I didn’t understand why it informed us to create an informal and formal outline.  Wouldn’t it just be easier to get it over with and create the formal outline? 

            In my experience I never had a problem with paragraphs.  Some people believe that they should base their paragraphs with a few sentences.  I usually keep my paragraphs 5-6 sentences, then I begin a new paragraph.  Paragraphs are just a way to manage your writing and give readers a break from continuous reading.

Outlines/Paragraphs

On the subject of outlines, I’m afraid I don’t have much to comment on. I have used outlines regularly now for most of my adult life. Life is so much simpler when you have a plan of action outlined; whether it be the details of a business meeting you have to lead or simply charting your course of progress through lengthy material you have to read and dissect. Outlines are the way to go.

Ironically, I can go on about paragraphs for awhile. Leaving high school I had wrote one type of paper. The stereotypical five paragraph essay, with an introductory paragraph followed by three paragraphs supporting your thesis and ending with the obvious conclusion. All paragraphs must five to seven sentences long… What a bunch of crap! I don’t know how many times I was criticized by so called “educators” who said my style of writing would not be successful in college because I was not adhering to their guidelines.

Imagine my surprise when my college professors told me to quickly abandon this style of writing that had been beaten into my skull, even more so for me because of my “mule” like stubborn qualities. This would lead me to write about the flaws of high school educators who I can say, for myself, did a really poor job of preparing anyone for college! But I have to write about paragraphs instead so maybe another time.

It is important to note that paragraphs are essentially outlines. Just lengthier and more in depth. I’m sure that is the reason for this week’s blog assignment. So organize your thoughts in an outline, identify the transitions, and then just elaborate on it in essay form. Simple as that. Don’t worry about paragraph length or word count; if you feel the idea of your paper is shifting, simply start a new paragraph. Give your readers an indication that you are moving on from one idea to the next. And when you’re done, seek out your old English instructors and scold them for being inept and poisoning your mind with faulty writing techniques designed to make THEIR life easier.

Outlining the Paragraph

          Chapters twenty nine and thirty cover outlines and paragraphs.  When I was in elementary school and beyond I remember constantly writing the five paragraph essay.  This became on of my least favorite types of writing. The outline is the beginning of the writing process for most, but it is not everyone's favorite part of the process.  I think that and outline can be a helpful tool when writing, but to me it is not always necessary.  I feel like outlines can be utilized but are not the most important part for me personally.  When I write i typically don't use an outline, I tend to do an overall brainstorm and then go from there.  Using an outline may be a step I use to improve my writing skills in the future.  

           Paragraphs are the objective of chapter thirty.  They have always been one of hardest parts of the structure for me to grasp. Knowing when to break for paragraphs is extremely important but also another hard part for me. Paragraphs are a way of breaking up long blocks of text.  Even though they are supposed to break up the monotony, , they need to flow and make sense as well.  The text talks about how to build the structure of your narrative or other types of writing.  Paragraphs should be arranged logically,  if this doesn't happen the entire piece may not make sense to the reader. in my experience with writing there have always been rules set forth as to the length of paragraphs.  I have been taught that they need to be certain length, for example at least 4-6 sentences.  Chapter 30 covers how there is not necessarily a correct length but rather it's more important to follow the structure. Both outlines and paragraphs are important when writing but to some they may be harder to understand and use.

casual analysis

In chapters five and seventy go over the topic casual analysis, which is basically just a cause and effect paper. I've never written one before this class and never even knew what it was until I took this class. Casual analysis demand persistence, precision, and research. When writing one of these papers you should qualify your claims and exclamations sensibly. You're topic should be one that has affected you personally or might have some effect in the future. But don't be afraid and let it stop you from exploring new topics. These papers are especially about keeping your audience informed about what is going on in the world. These chapters really opened my eyes to what I was supposed to be doing on our assignment. Those chapters showed me to write a great casual analysis you have to do a tremendous amount of research on the topic. Luckily, for us, we have the internet at our disposal and can do research on a variety of different websites and webpages to get information from. From these informative chapters I now know the proper way on how to write a casual analysis

Outlines and Paragraphs

Outlines and paragraphs. First off, I have never been a huge fan of writing outlines, and quite honestly, I do not think that anyone is. Whenever a student is instructed to write an outline, for example on a certain chapter in their history book, or an entire book for English, I think that their most common response is “ugh.” Well, at least that is how it is for me. I think that maybe the reason we are like this is because we do not know how exactly to write an outline, or possibly that is just me. What I found useful in chapter 29 was after listing ideas, that you should look for relationships within your ideas and group them together. 

Secondly, paragraphs have always been a shaky part of writing to me, simply because I never know how long they should be exactly. Some teachers will say 4-6 sentences, others will say 5-7. After my reading of chapter 30, I also realized that my paragraphs are not always organized logically. I find myself being scattered in my thoughts throughout my paragraphs. I will undoubtedly take all what is in these two chapters to heart, but mostly the points that I feel like I struggle with the most and what I could use that would be most helpful in my writings.

Outlining Paragraphs

     I found these two chapters to very insightful and helpful to my writing abilities. Chapter twenty-nine was really helpful to my outlining skills. It really opened my mind to the importance of outlining. An outline creates structure for a paper before any drafts. Writing a paper while following an outline proves to be less difficult than free writing a rough draft. It keeps you from going off topic. The key to a good outline is to have good headlines. You should be able to look at the headline and start writing right away. The headlines of your outline should remind you of the points you need to make in that section of the paper. Having specific guidelines to follow makes writing so much easier. Chapter thirty really focussed on on the makeup of paragraphs. It is very important to have a paragraph that gets a point across or leads to a conclusion supporting your writing.  Without connecting paragraphs then the paper does not make any sense. These chapters have definitely provided information that I will use throughout this course.

Outlines & Paragraphs

Throughout these past five blogs, I have noticed that some of the main points are very popular. They are simple yet extremely important in the writing process. How to Write Anything breaks down everything you need to know step by step. When I write an outline, I usually list a few ideas and important key topics and that completes my outline. Because of chapter 29, I can now create a better and stronger outline for my next writing assignment. Chapter 30 tends to talk about what a paragraph should really be and what it should consist of. This shares how to develop and design a strong supporting paragraph and tells how to lead into an informing piece of writing.

I believe when we all write outlines, we think that it is automatically fully helping our ability to share and create our thoughts. If I use the tips and steps given, it will only stronger my thought process and my ideas for the writing. We can all write paragraphs; however, it is up to us whether the paragraph is strong or weak. The most interesting part about writing is that we get to choose what we want the outcome to look and sound like.

Outlines

Outlines help a lot with writing. When you know you have to write a paper, the best way to start is by making an outline.

As a writer, I have never really started with an outline. I always start writing without having a plan. After reading about how helpful outlines can be, I have decided to begin using outlines. With outlines you can list key ideas that you might forget about and if anyone is like me, I forget all the time. Writing key ideas down will help me to remember the ideas but also to stay on track while I am writing. That is where a more formal type of outline comes in.

Having an outline and then changing it into a more formal one will benefit by writing in many ways. Like I said, I will be able to stay on track. I will also be able to go back and look at my outline to see if I have left anything out. Staying on track is important to me because I tend to ramble on in my papers. Also staying on track will help the reader to understand what is going on throughout the paper.

The chapter “Outlines” was eye opening to me because I have never been to big on outlines. It showed me how much they help and benefit your writing process.

Outlines!

All great writers before writing start out with an outline. This is a brainstorming point about what you are going to write about. Outlines are best known to organize your thoughts to make writing whatever you are writing easier for you. So before jumping into writing a paper for your English class, take the following points into consideration of your outline!

Your outline should be simple, not detailed. Write down the main ideas of each paragraph, then go into detail in your actual paper. This allows the writer organize the paper to make it flow properly. The flow of your paper is the most important aspect of one’s writing. With an outline it can be accomplished to have a good flow in your paper. By having your thoughts organized into an outline, it helps the writer keep on track with the piece of writing. In some cases if you don’t draw out an outline, your thoughts are mixed all together and can be detected in your writing. Though if you are required to write out a more formal outline, it is more detailed than a regular one. You should put a little detail on what your paragraph will be about, but not too much.

Outlines are God’s gift to writers! They make the writing process ten times easier than jumping straight into writing anything. So before jumping straight into writing a paper for your English class, take the time to plan it out. You may just find that it takes less time to write the paper with an outline! Happy writing!

Where it all begins

Everything has to start somewhere. There is always a place to start. When writing a paper you have to start with  and outline. An outline can be as formal or as informal as you want it to be as long as you understand it and can gather your thoughts from it. An outline helps you get organized and ready to start writing it is like warming up before a long run. You should make a hierarchy of your ideas and make note of the important or the better ones. You can slowly move to your formal outline for your paper. Your formal outline is going to be like a map for your paper and help you navigate though writing your rough draft. All roads must lead to home right? Well all paragraphs must lead to another point. Once you start writing you must make sure all your paragraphs can transition one to the other. Make sure that you give enough details behind each idea and paragraph you have. Make sure that your paragraphs are in a good order and flow properly. It is very important that your paper reads naturally and with a flow to it. Start where it all begins and follow the helpful tips in chapter 29 and 30

Doughnuts or a Run?

While reading chapters 29 and 30 I thought of how the advice given in the book applies to living life as well as writing. To be successful, I need to have solid plans and an outline of how my future will look. Of course, plans are subject to change and develop with how reality plays itself out. When writing a paper, having a concrete idea is beneficial for confidence and structure.

In Sociology, my class recently learned about culture and subculture. Culture is a term for a group of people who abide by certain values, norms, and want a select kind of material items, while Subculture focuses on small groups who live or participate in things that are not mainstream. In a similar way, subordinate ideas fit into a larger topic but are separated in a paper.

Every choice I make will lead me somewhere whether I want it to or not. Choosing to eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts would cause nausea while choosing to go for a run would led to a healthy mind and body. If either of those options were repeated often enough it could change my life. I would continue to gain weight or I would continue to lose it. Likewise, choosing to study promotes good grades, which will eventually help me get a good job. Paragraphs are like this. I need to make sure I think ahead and understand where each sentence will lead. I believe having purpose in writing and life will bring about to good things.