Write Smarter, Not Harder: Tips from a Writing Tutor on Becoming a Better Writer
It all begins with an idea.
What are the qualities of a good writer? According to the first result of a Google search, the answer is that “A good writer must have good research skills. A good writer should know the subject of discussion deeply, have a thorough understanding of the target audience, write relevant, quality content that has a logical flow of events and still grabs the audience's attention.”
I agree that these skills are important, but each also is quite vague. The concept of a “good writer” is also vague and widely subjective. Writing for different fields of study requires different types of research, different types of discussion, different audiences, and a different set of skills, don’t you think?
So, while I don’t believe there is a strict list of criteria that defines what makes a good writer, I do think that everyone in all majors, fields of study, and occupations can become better writers.
Learning and displaying concrete writing skills isn’t just necessary for those of us in the humanities; it’s vital for those in STEM and anything in between. Not only can improving your writing skills give you an edge against your peers or those applying for the same job, but it also enhances other facets of your life, such as how you communicate with the world around you.
Although I worked as a writing tutor, majored in English, and minored in Professional Writing during my undergraduate education at UCSB, I still have so much to learn and so many ways to improve my academic, professional, and creative writing skills. But, I do feel as though I learned a few key tips over the past four years that truly took my writing to the next level, and I wanted to share them with you!
Here are three ways to become a better writer:
1. Any and All Types of Writing = Telling a Story
Whether it be a news article, a research paper, an analytical essay, or a creative piece, think of all types of writing as storytelling.
In almost all writing pieces, there is a plot, background information, characters, and dialogue. For some types, like creative writing, these may be more obvious as you’ll likely have actual characters, dialogue between those characters, a setting, and a plot for your characters to follow.
For scientific writing, this still remains true. For example, your plot is simply the information or message you are trying to convey. Additionally, you’ll have background information such as research, characters such as the sources you want to incorporate, and dialogue in the form of scientific terms, your analysis, and interpretation of your data.
Once you have each of those categories organized into an outline, your story can begin. Choose a clear central message, have a clear structure for yourself and readers to follow, engage your audience through your “characters” and “dialogue,” and embrace conflict!
Finally, find space for creativity where you can. Even in STEM writing, look for areas to incorporate your authorial voice and style. If you think of whatever you are writing as telling a story, it will become more interesting to you as you write it and more interesting for your readers once you’ve finished it.
2. Using Smaller Words Doesn’t Mean You’re Dumb
In humanities and STEM writing, there is the expectation and the goal of coming across as intelligent as possible. This desire can lead to a lot of jargon and long, boring sentences that are hard to understand.
Of course, some fancy terminology related to your field is necessary, but in most cases, you don’t need a ton of it to convey your points and still prove you’re knowledgeable. Here are a few things to consider when your next writing opportunity comes along:
Avoid nominalizations, AKA “fluff”:
Nominalization is a type of word formation in which a verb or an adjective (or another part of speech) is used as a noun. For example, “decision” is a nominalization of “decide,” “argument” is a nominalization of “argue,” and, my least favorite, “utilization,” is a nominalization of “utilize.”
Why are nominalizations bad? Because they obscure both the action and the subject of a sentence and often lead to the passive voice or bland verbs and, therefore, a bland piece of writing.
Eliminating nominalizations creates shorter, more precise sentences. Here’s an example:
The analysis of how this factor impacts X gene expression was conducted
We analyzed this factor’s impact on X gene expression.
So, while you may think that writing “the utilization of” makes you sound smarter, in reality, verbs such as “employs,” “operates,” or even “use” will keep your writing clear and concise.
Sentence variation is key:
As tempting as it seems to write long, sprawling sentences whenever you can, doing so risks confusing and boring your readers. The same is true for writing only short sentences. Varying sentence lengths and structures keep your writing alive and readers interested.
Limit your jargon:
Technical terms from your field (jargon) can be useful when writing to a specific audience; however, going beyond the necessary technical terms or writing a piece full of jargon can lead to misunderstanding and may even cause you to appear less trustworthy.
If you rely on scientific or technical jargon to convey your message, readers may feel you don’t actually understand the topic and are using jargon to cover up the fact.
Therefore, consider limiting your jargon and sticking to simple words and phrases. Not only will you show that you fully understand what you’re writing about, but your readers will thank you.
3. Read and Write More
According to legendary writer Steven King, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." The same rule applies to becoming a stronger writer even if you don’t want to write for a living.
If you read more, and it can be any style or genre of writing, you will be exposed to different writing styles, you will absorb more grammar, style, and punctuation rules, you will understand generic conventions, structures, and designs better, and you will uncover new inspiration and insight.
Then, you can apply what you’ve learned through reading into your writing. And, the more you write, the better your communication skills will become both on paper and in person. Consider setting aside twenty minutes each day to write. This can be in the form of a journal entry, your goals for the day, a thought you can’t get out of your head, or even emails you’ve been meaning to reply to!
Well, there you have it! There are countless other writing-related tips and tricks, but I think these three are a good start for anyone looking to improve their next writing assignment.
While I don’t necessarily believe that practice makes perfect, I do think that practice makes you better, and that’s the whole point of this blog post!
Finding the Joy in English: A Post for Non-English Majors
For most students, English is a love-it-or-hate-it type of subject.
If, from an early age, you discovered you were far better at learning to read and write than learning to add and subtract and could spend all day with your head in a book, I’m guessing you love it. If you’re someone who likes questions and problems with one solution, chances are you lean towards hating it. As I’m sure you can tell from the contents of this website, I am part of the former group and love it so much that I have decided to not only make a career out of English but to become an English teacher.
However, despite my biased opinion, I understand why so many find English to be a boring and frustrating subject and only take English classes because they have no choice (high school) or need to fulfill GE requirements (college).
As I will soon begin my teaching career, I have started thinking more about what kind of educator I want to be and how I can ensure that all or at least most of my students enjoy English class and hopefully find some joy in it. So far, I’ve come up with three suggestions for changing the way you think about English as a subject. And if it isn’t already clear, I’m talking about the study of literature, not the language itself.
Although this post is geared toward all those non-English majors out there, if you are already a fan of the subject, perhaps these tips will make you fall in love even more!
1. Essays: write about what interests you, not what you think will interest your professor
If I had a nickel for every time one of my housemates over the past four years told me they’d much rather pull an all-nighter studying for a test than write an essay, I’d have almost a dollar! Jokes aside, I’ve realized that a lot of people hate writing essays. Most analytical essays can’t be written in one sitting, and when you start writing, you begin worrying that what you’re writing won’t “wow” your professor.
Lucky for you, the whole point of an essay is to showcase something that you find interesting! Of course, your professor will likely provide prompts, but think of them more as loose guides or starting points.
I believe essays are an opportunity to point out something from the class you think is interesting that other students haven’t considered. In all of the novels, poems, or short stories you’ve read for this class, there has to be something that sparks your interest or at least something you want to learn a little bit more about, right? Latch onto that, and use it as the inspiration for your essay. It may not follow the prompt to a T, but I can almost guarantee that your professor will prefer an essay full of passion rather than one they’ve read a million times.
Essays are a chance to be free and creative!
2. Class Discussions: stop worrying about having the “right” answer
In most English classes, there’s always those two or three people who raise their hands to answer every question or just because they’re dying to share their thoughts. You know who I’m talking about. But what about everyone else? I think a lot of students are afraid to speak up during class discussions because they’re worried they don’t have the right answer, that their thoughts are not the same as their classmates and professor.
Good news! There is no right or wrong answer! I know this is a massive cliche that many English teachers use and also the reason many people don’t like English, but it’s true. I’ll explain a little more as to why this is really a good thing.
First, there are endless ways to interpret most pieces of literature. This is especially true for poetry, and I like to think that some of the most famous poems were written with no underlying, deeper meaning intended. Even for those in STEM who are all about evidence, proofs, solutions, etc., English classes (and essays) are a chance for you to prove your point with evidence from the text. As long as you can back up your claim, you’re correct!
Second, class discussions are a time to ask questions and voice opinions without judgment. It can be scary, but there’s a good chance something you say will resonate with others in the room or allow someone to consider something they would never have if you hadn’t raised your hand.
Finally, and this one is especially relevant for political science majors, English class is a space to debate. There is bound to be someone in the room who disagrees with what you’ve said, and that’s fine. Robert Frost isn’t exactly around anymore to tell us what The Road Not Taken definitively means, so feel free to argue away! As I said earlier, your answer is correct as long as you can back up your point.
3. Apply what you learn to your own major and interests
Contrary to popular belief, English isn’t just about books from what seems like a million years ago; it’s about connecting literature of the past and present to modern-day issues, themes, events, and ideas.
Sure, some of the stuff you read is extremely outdated or was written in old English and, therefore, really hard to understand (thanks, Shakespeare). But, at the same time, you will also likely be exposed to contemporary literature that is extremely interesting and relevant to modern-day life and relationships.
Even likelier is the chance that something you read or some discussion from class will translate over into your other courses, your job, or even a conversation. Look at English as a way to improve your critical thinking skills and provide a new perspective to your field of study. There’s bound to be some relationship between what you talk and write about in English and whatever you do in your other classes or in life.
In fact, most of the English classes I took at UCSB focused on some of the most urgent issues in society today, such as climate change, immigration, and education, and also timeless themes like love and our connection to the world around us.
So, although English is defined as the study of literature, it’s really more than it seems because literature is also history, science, technology, philosophy, and art all in one.
Now, even if you’ve read all the way through this post, I don’t expect to have completely changed your mind about English. I get it; it’s not for everyone! However, I hope that, at the very least, the next time you have to take an English course, write an essay, or read a book, you’ll give it a fair shot.
So, You’re Applying to Grad School
So, you’re applying to grad school!
Whether you’ve taken a gap year or several and are ready to take the next step, or you’re chomping at the bit right after finishing your undergraduate degree, there are plenty of reasons for wanting to earn your master’s. Maybe you want to qualify for higher positions within your field of work. Maybe there’s the potential to earn a higher salary. Maybe you’re ready for a career change, and earning you’re master’s will expand your horizons. Or maybe you’re a bit of a nerd like me who wants to prolong your academic career and/or isn’t quite ready to enter into the professional world (also like me).
Whatever the case may be, grad school offers a variety of opportunities.
When I began applying for English master’s programs this past summer, my mind was immediately flooded with traumatic flashbacks of applying to undergrad, complete with vivid imagery of sprawling personal information pages, seemingly endless personal statements and statements of intent (is there a difference?) and, of course, a few mental breakdowns over which college was the right choice.
I would love to relieve all of your anxieties and promise that applying to graduate programs is a stress-free process, but lying is bad! However, I will say that the process is very similar to that of undergrad, so at the very least, you somewhat know what to expect.
Still, as someone who has just completed the process and will begin my graduate-student journey in the fall (go LMU Lions!), I understand how overwhelming it can be to find the time and drive to start those applications.
In the hopes of easing some of that gut-wrenching stress, I wanted to provide a guide of what to expect and tips to help you stand out as an applicant. Enjoy!
Research and Prioritize
Before getting started with your applications, it’s important to decide which schools you want to apply for. Just as with undergrad, there are endless options, so it’s essential to do some research. This can consist of narrowing down where you want to go to school, discovering which universities have the best programs for your area of study, and focusing on the schools that you’re most likely to be accepted into.
Juggling all of these factors can be quite the balancing act, so I recommend creating a list of four to six schools and separating them into three categories:
Dream schools – Your top choice schools. The schools that tick all of your boxes. Although institutions such as these often have challenging admission criteria and can be extremely competitive, it can’t hurt to apply!
Target schools – Schools with strong programs in your area of study. Schools that you feel you have a solid chance of getting into. They may not tick every box, but you’d still be happy to attend, and hey, maybe they have a fantastic location!
Safety schools – Your backup schools. These are the programs you feel confident you’ll get into.
When I applied to grad schools, I submitted six applications, two of which fell into each category. Initially, I had a huge list of programs I wanted to apply for, but after browsing each school’s English program website, speaking to a few current students and alumni, and deciding I wanted to stay in California, I was able to come up with a strong list.
Another thing to consider: you don’t have to stay in the United States! If you’re someone who feels like studying abroad or your summer vacation in Europe changed your life, looking at universities in other parts of the world could be a great option. Oftentimes, it’s much cheaper too!
2. Check Admissions Criteria
After finalizing your list, it’s crucial to check each one’s admission criteria.
Most grad schools will require the following:
Your application form
Your undergraduate transcript
A personal statement and/or a statement of purpose
Test scores such as the GRE
Letters of recommendation from professors or employers
While the majority of grad schools share the same admission requirements, some elements can vary between universities. For example, some may not require a GRE score, some may ask for a copy of your resume, and some may have a minimum GPA requirement.
In my experience, some schools only required two letters of recommendation while others required three. Additionally, if you’re applying for an English or writing program, you will also need to provide one or more writing samples.
I am all for reaching for the stars when it comes to academic endeavors, but when applying for grad school, I found that staying realistic is key. To put it simply, you don’t want to waste your time applying for schools whose admissions criteria you don’t meet. Reading through each program’s admission criteria page thoroughly can save you a lot of time and effort!
3. Fill out the Application Form
Ugh, the part that procrastinators like me dread. Unlike applying for undergrad, there is no one-size-fits-all application like the UC application or the Common App. Each grad program will likely have its own website and application form, and they can be quite lengthy.
Of course, there is the tedious portion during which you’ll have to input all of your personal information, extracurricular activities, and academic history. This may seem like busy work, but it is imperative that all of your information is correct.
When I received my first rejection email, I convinced myself it was because I had missed something or made an error in my application. This didn’t end up being the case, but it would’ve sucked if it had been!
4. Prepare for the GRE (if necessary)
Although it is less common today, some schools may require a GRE (Graduate Records Examinations) Subject Test, which measures your skill level and knowledge about your field of study.
You may want to consider getting started early and either finding your own study materials or enrolling in a preparation course. In my opinion, it’s always better to be over prepared!
None of the schools I applied for required a GRE score, but it is still fairly common for those in STEM. Even if you have an incredible GPA, sending in a good GRE can help you stand out against other applicants.
5. Personal Statement vs Statement of Purpose
Most grad school programs will also require a personal statement and/or a statement of purpose. Though they may appear to be similar, there are a few key differences:
Personal Statement:
A personal statement is your opportunity to “wow” the people looking over your application. Just like the one you likely had to write for your undergraduate applications, this is a short essay focusing on your professional, academic, and extracurricular experiences.
In my opinion, the personal statement is also a chance for you to be creative and showcase your personality or a unique aspect about yourself. It’s storytelling! Consider starting with a childhood memory, a critical moment in your life, or even something completely random about yourself, and weave it into a SparkNotes story where you hit on key achievements and ambitions that express to your readers who you are as a student and an individual.
Statement of Intent:
A statement of intent, while a bit more boring than a personal statement, is just as important. This is also a brief essay, but it centers around your reasons for applying to a program. The content of this statement should be a bit more detailed with a clear focus on what you intend to research, what experience makes you the best candidate, and why this university is the one you want to attend.
To make each university feel special, I recommend reading through the each program’s web page and mentioning specific projects they’re working on that you’re interested in or inspired by. Bonus points if you also mention a few faculty members you’d like to work with!
And remember, it’s not a list of your research projects or academic achievements, but rather a chance to explain (and convince) the admissions committee what you can offer them, why you want to attend their specific program, and why you are the best candidate.
6. Update Your Resume
While you may have a professional resume ready to go for jobs or internships, many grad school programs will require an academic resume.
Try to include all of the following:
Contact information at the top
Professional experience that is directly related to your program
Ex: Writing Tutor for English programs
Ex: Research Assistant for Biology programs
Education History:
Your major (and minor(s) if applicable)
GPA (overall and within your major)
Your most relevant and important undergraduate courses
Campus engagement (extracurriculars, clubs, organizations)
Honors and awards
To make sure your resume stands out, you may also want to take into consideration it’s design. This can include creating contrast through choices like typeface, font size, line thickness, and color, making sure all of your headings and bullet points are aligned, using the same format for each section, and organizing your experience from most to least recent.
Difference is your friend, and consistency is key!
7.Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation
Gathering your transcripts and letters of recommendation can take time, so get started early!
Recommendation Letters:
Many of my professors like to remind students that they are just as busy as we are, so I would recommend asking them for letters at least a month in advance. Chances are you aren’t the only student asking them!
Additionally, although it can be a bit daunting, try to ask for a letter in person rather than over email Not only will this remind them who you are (if you don’t feel like the two of you are especially close) but I feel like it’s more respectful and personable. Also, if you’re someone who likes to plan in advance, try to take multiple courses taught by the same professor so that they have a good understanding of you as a student and an individual!
Transcripts:
I would apply the same month-in-advance deadline to requesting transcripts as well. Many schools will accept a copy or scanned version of your official transcript, but some will require your transcripts to be sent directly from your university. Check the admissions criteria and deadlines!
8. Click Submit and Relax
Once you think you have everything submitted, double-check and then triple-check. Then, once you’re absolutely 1000% certain everything is in order, click that submit button.
Congratulations, you did it!
Now, all you have to do is wait. As tempting as it is to check your application status every day, most universities will give you an decision date.
It feels hypocritical to write this, but try to relax. The worst is over, and the best is yet to come!