(a reminder, you do not have to reply to your classmates in this section. This response to the reading should be about a paragraph.)
What do you think of these writing rules? Does one stand out to you? Why? What are your most important rules of writing?
What do you think of these writing rules? Does one stand out to you? Why? What are your most important rules of writing?
While I was reading the excerpt from Orwell’s essay, I agreed with quite a few things that were written. The questions Orwell believes you should ask yourself make sense to me because there are times when I am writing and I go back to read my paper and I myself cannot understand what I had just written. Sometimes its better to just to simply state what you want the reader to know instead of fabricating the sentence to the extreme that by the end of the sentence the main point is completely lost. One rule that stood out to me most found under Elmore Leonard’s Rules for Writing was “Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip”. I unfortunately don’t do this in my own writing, but it caught my eye because I do like to read and there are times when I catch myself reading and I skip over some small parts of either dialogue or information that I feel is just getting in the way of the actual part that is of utmost interest to the story itself. I like stories to get to the point. I do believe that detail is important when writing because detail can be used to help the audience connect to either the characters or the overall story, and if the reader feels a connection the will continue to read in order to understand or experience what the characters may have gone through. If there is too much detail in a book, paper, article, or whatever it may be, it can be easy for the reader to become distracted and bored with the writing and lose sight of the true meaning. I enjoy reading much more than I do writing because I struggle to get what I want to say down on paper the way I would like it to sound. The only way to get better is to practice, so that is what I must do.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the significant portion of Orwell’s essay, “Politics and the English Language,” I was inspired to pick a book and see if writers do indeed do think about those questions when they are writing. After reading a portion of the book, I came to the conclusion that they really do and it has not really crossed my mind until I read this portion from Orwell’s essay. The writing rules are really interesting and it is amazing how writers use those rules to make sure their readers are understanding their writing. There are times where our writing is not clear to whoever is reading it and I feel like those rules stated by Oswell will definitely help those writers. The writing rule that stands out to me is number four where it talks about using an active voice instead of a passive voice. This is because when I took my theme religious course last year, my professor would not let us use a passive voice instead of an active voice and that was a challenge for me because there was a certain way you had to read the sentence in order to see if it was passive or active. I learned a lot of English writing rules from that course besides the main topic of religion. My most important rule of writing is to be as clear as possible so that the reader can understand what you are trying to say. Another rule of writing of mine is to use words that depict a certain image in the reader’s mind because there are a lot of visual readers out there just like me.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading these writing rules many came to mind. Many in these writing rules made sense, because many of us don’t think that there isn’t any rules while writing. Being able to write with good grammar can take time and practice. These three readings included many things that we may not realize that we do and don’t do. For an example while reading Twain's Rules of Writing is the one who stood out to me the most. His rules made a lot of sense to me, due to the fact that he tries to tell us what a tale should include in order to be interested in. For example rule number 10 and 11 was very true. A reader should always be in a position while reading. Like he says the author should have that interest in the personages. We as readers should be loving the good people and hate the bad ones. Also though I may not be a big fan of reading, I always look for something to interest me and not bored me. Another that stood out to me was Elmore Leonard’s Rules of Writing. Why? Well because exclamation marks is something I need to work on. Sometimes I do get out of hand with them, although I try not to. Another reason is because I didn’t know that we are only allowed to use no more than two or three per 100,000 words. My rules of writing may be very different from these readings. I may not be a great writer, but I can be a good writer. The most important rules of writing for me are to not sound like I am talking to a friend or someone in person. Another is to not abbreviate or talk like if we were in social media. Though sometimes it’s very hard to remember, since we are used being on social media all the time. Being able to use proper punctuation is also another important rule for me while writing. Overall, I believe that writing is something very important to our society, because it’s a way that we can communicate with those who can understand us while expressing our feelings and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading these rules I was actually somewhat surprised. In previous writing classes I’ve had instructors that stress the fact that details are very important. They try to get students to be as descriptive as possible. Although I think details are very important, when I was writing in those classes I couldn’t help but feel as if I wasn’t leaving much to the imagination. Sometimes while writing I would focus so much on details that I would forget where I was going with the plot. And I couldn’t help but wonder who would be interested in reading something that sounded more like a description rather than a story. I particularly liked Orwell's rules. He seemed to stress the fact that simplicity is the best. Sometimes the writer gets so lost in trying to make his or her work sound sophisticated and rich, during that process they sometimes tend to neglect the plot or other important aspects of the story. Twain’s rules were also very interesting. He seemed to focus more on the dialect between the characters in a story. It seemed like consistency was very important to him. He also talked about keeping a story realistic. I feel like this is very important because if the reader doesn’t feel a connection chances are he or she will not continue reading. One of my most important rules of writing is to not lose my point of argument. Sometimes I get carried away with explaining my feelings on a subject and fail to get my point across. Overall, I found the rules helpful.
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ReplyDeleteI think these writing rules should be kept in mind when trying to write. They are made to remind the writer what their purpose is. They also remind writers to keep their writing short and simple but descriptive. A writer should always write with meaning. As Mark Twain stated in his rule number five, when writing a conversation between two characters make the conversation as realistic and meaningful as it could possibly be. The conversation should have a purpose in the writing and should interest the reader. A rule that stood out to me the most was Mark Twain’s eighteenth rule. The rule reminds writers to use a simple, straightforward style. This rule stood out the most because I have never tried to keep my writing simple. I would always get carried away in describing every detail in my writing. This is probably why some of my essays were not as straightforward as I wanted them to be. For example, throughout my essays, I would be off topic because of how descriptive I was. I would start writing about a certain topic and end up writing about something completely different. I never in my mind thought about being straightforward. My rules of writing focused mostly on grammar. I would always ask myself am I using and spelling the word correct, is that sentence a fragment and can it be more descriptive. My rules of writing focused more on grammar when they should have focused on what I was trying to write about. From now on I will keep these rules in mind for my next writing assignments.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading Orwell’s essay. While reading his essay I found myself nodding and agreeing on his thoughts about a scrupulous writer. He explained that not in each paragraph but in each sentence a thorough writer will ask himself at least four questions. Could this be true? I couldn’t agree more. I believe that a truly scrupulous writer will in fact think and try to make it as clear as possible about every sentence he/she writes. According to Orwell not only would a thorough writer ask himself at least four questions but usually ask himself two more like how to make a sentence shorter or to avoid anything ugly. He also explains some rules on word phrases. These rules I haven’t really herd of but were fantastic! I usually try to use a long word instead of a short word. Rule number six was probably my favorite. I really enjoyed reading Twain’s Rules of Writing. I agree that a tale shall accomplish something and arrive somewhere. I don’t like reading or watching movies where nothing is accomplished and it happens more than usual too. Twain goes into great detail about how to successfully write a tale. Some people don’t understand that a lot goes into creating a wonderful tale. Elmore Leonard also goes into great detail about some rules for writing. I giggled at the part Elmore talked about keeping exclamation points under control because I tend to use them more than needed. After reading all these great readings I learned that I have a long way to go to become a great writer. I may not be a perfect writer but these readings give a platform from where to go. Writing is a great tool to express tales, knowledge and experiences and if we truly learn how to express ourselves with writing then the possibilities are ultimately endless.
ReplyDeleteThe writing rules from Orwell, Twain, and Elmore Leonard all touched on making a clear and easy to read story that doesn't go too far into oblivion. Whether it’s the words a writer uses to describe a place or the characteristics of a person, all explanations should not go into great detail and lose the reader. To me these writing rules are what I struggle with the most when I’m writing a story or even an essay for a class. I tend to place extra words or explanations when it’s unnecessary in hopes of filling the required page or word length of an assignment. After reading these writing rules I understand that it’s better to say what you need to say and not draw out a long and lengthy explanation when a short and clear one gets right to the point. A rule from Twain that I liked is the use of good grammar when writing. Even though this is one of the easier ones to fix, I still find myself writing the same as I do when I’m talking with a friend. Sometimes I’ll catch myself using the words “like, just, that, and because” in places they don’t belong. For example it was like 200 degrees in Bakersfield yesterday.” The rule that stood out the most to me is from Orwell’s essay when he explained “Never use the passive where you can use the active.” This is the rule I break the most when writing any kind of paper. I’ll still use passive and present in the same paper and sometimes won’t catch it until a friend or professor reads it. For me, not using passive in my writing has also become one of biggest rules. The rule I set for myself is when I’m writing a paper and I go back to re-read what I wrote, I pretend the paper is happening now instead of in the past.
ReplyDeleteI think some of these writing rules are different than what my perspective about writing is. For example in Orwell’s essay the first part about making a sentence I do not follow these rules when writing a sentence I do not ask myself so many questions while creating a sentence. The only question I would relate to would be what I am trying to convey and what I am trying to say to my audience. Imagine how long it would take to ask each of these questions while writing every sentence on your ten page paper. I’m sure many of us would turn insane if we would have to follow these writing rules. I don’t think these writing rules are equivalent to our form of writing because the rules seem over complicated for what we write. In Twain’s essay I agree with his writing rules about tales because each tale needs to have a beginning and an end. Along with each character should be well represented and described in order to have a good vivid image of the story being told. With Leonard’s rules of writing I don’t go by those rules either because I do believe there should be a detailed description of characters, where a situation is happening, or what the situation is. The four questions Orwell describes as being a scrupulous writer by asking himself or herself is just too much. I felt as this part of the writing was what stood out for me the most. There is no way we can do that when writing a long paper for each one of our classes. I believe some ordinarily rules for writing are grammar, spelling, punctuation, organizing our ideas before writing, be clear about each description, use image when describing something in order to have a complete understanding about it, use formal language, word choice, and be consistent in your writing.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all three author's writing rules, it made me realize that although there are similar views, everyone may have a different approach or view on what is important in writing. They all believed that writing should be simple, straightforward, and without many descriptions. However, Twain believes that the characters involved in the story should be described well enough for the reader to be able to deeply comprehend how the character would react given certain situations. If one is to keep their writing simple and with minimal details or descriptions, how will the reader get to know the characters on a deeper level? I do understand where Orwell and Leonard are coming from though. If the details or descriptions do not help the story, they should be omitted. What I got out of these readings was that you have to be careful of what you write. Be careful that you are not adding unnecessary words, you are using the right words, and making sure that descriptions or details you use, add to your story. The best thing you can do to improve your writing is to be as straightforward and as simple as possible. But what stood out to me was Leonard's rule of using exclamation marks. I tend to use them way too often, so when I read that they should be used no more than two or three times every one hundred thousand words was astonishing to me. With social media and texting, it has made writing more casual, and therefore more difficult for us to switch from slang to formal writing. I have had instances where I had to stop myself from using "..." or "!" a lot in my writing because I had gotten so used to using them in such a casual setting. So, make sure that you catch these mistakes as well. But, as long as the paper is well organized, has good grammar, has a clear point, and isn't redundant, you will have a successful paper.
ReplyDeleteAs I read each of Orwell's, Twains, and Leonards rules of writing it is safe to say that they all agree that when its comes to writing the writing should be kept short, simple and straight to the point. Most writers think that if the writing is lengthy it is better, however it is not about the extensiveness of it, but keeping it simple and meaningful. First off one rule that Orwell points out is to never replace long words when small ones can be used that'll do the work. When I'm writing i always tend to this mistake and i often do it to make the sentences and paragraphs look longer. Another of Orwell's rules of writing is cutting words out especially when its unnecessary to the reader. As writers we often get carried away and start describing things like places or characters. For example Jimmy wearing long, blue socks with dots, this which is super unnecessary to the writing and in no way helps the main idea of an essay,article, journal and etc. This example also applies to Leonards rule of keeping excessive character description out. Lastly a rule that stood out to me is Leonards rule of skipping. If you're the writer and you skim you're writing and skip parts, it is certain that the reader will do the exact same thing. If it is not important to you it won't be important to them. Applying each of these rules to you're writing can make things tough however if some of these rules can be applied it can make the writing from informal to formal. I definitely struggle when I'm writing for example not using correct grammar or punctuation. Also, since i am constantly texting i tend to use a lot of acronyms like OMG,LOL and sometimes i catch myself using these in my formals writings. I also tend to have so much trouble when it comes to writing and expressing all of my ideas on a piece of paper and often times i get lost in my own writing. Whenever i do write i always ask myself will this be important to the readers? Does this make sense? Now when i write i always have this motto about keeping things short, sweet and to the point.
ReplyDeleteThe set of rules I like best are Orwell’s. I agree with keeping writing simple, although I love the Shakespeare’s writing, most of us can’t write like him. Orwell’s rules to keep things simple remind me of something Morrissey said in an interview about Oscar Wilde. Morrissey explained that before he read Oscar Wilde, he thought a good writer was someone who used an arrangement of words that couldn’t be understood. After reading Oscar Wilde, he realized good writing is getting your point across. I’ve noticed whenever I try to over embellish my writing, it hurts the effect I want it to have on my reader. I liked Orwell’s rule of using active over passive as well. I’ve noticed my writing is much stronger when I use active speech, because it captures the reader’s attention better.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Mark Twain’s rules are similar to Orwell’s. Mark Twain is much more specific than Orwell’s rules are, but overall they have the same agenda.
I disagreed with most of Leonard’s rules. I feel like most of them were tedious, and steered writers away from the main rule; making your points clear. The only rule made I would take away is to use exclamation points sparingly. Their purpose is to make an impact on the reader, which can’t be made if every other sentence ends in an exclamation point.
It’s funny how when we think of great writers, we think they just start writing and gold comes out. These rules remind us that they are human, and even the greatest writers struggle. Most of their rules were the same: Be direct, don’t overcomplicate writing, and leave out anything unnecessary to the story. When you put it into that perspective these rules can be applied to our everyday lives as well.
There is truth in all of these writing rules. However, I feel that some rules may be emphasized more than others depending on the type of writing. For example, if you were to write more of a scholarly essay, such as an academic journal or a research paper, it would make more sense to follow Orwell’s advice. Typically, when reading these type of writings, the reader is looking to get the straight facts for his/her research paper or further study, and is disinterested on the author’s creative style of writing. Therefore, using clear and short sentences would be the most useful. The reader would definitely be frustrated if sentences were way too long and unnecessarily decorated with adjectives. Yet if you were to write some kind of reflective essay, journal entry, novel, or any piece of writing that had a storyline or that focused on the writer’s opinion, it would make sense to follow the writing rules similar to those of Twain’s in order to better capture the reader’s attention and imagination. I feel it is important to have basic writing rules; however, I do think that at times we should take them with a grain of salt. For example, in Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain breaks the common writing rule of using the correct English grammar when the characters speak. He does so in order to illustrate the dialect of the characters better and set a strong setting. If he were to follow the basic writing rules that most people have, his characters would have seemed less vivid to the reader. In my opinion, if we were to abide by a set of writing rules religiously and never deviate from them, then writing would be boring and there would be no such thing as writing style. If I had to define my writing rules, I would say that I usually follow something close to Orwell’s advice when writing research papers and Twain’s when I write anything with a storyline. I would never follow Leonard’s advice, since most of his rules are unnecessarily particular (never opening a book with weather, using a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue, and using an adverb to modify the verb "said” and avoiding prologues).
ReplyDeleteWhat stuck out most to me in this week’s reading from Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” where he states “could I put it more shortly?” This is important for writing because it is a sign of understanding if one can explain it simply. However in this regard I disagree with Orwell when he says “never use a long word where a short one will do.” This is good in theory but in practice it can be a sign of mastery of language when one uses words that fit the meaning regardless of length. Another rule I believe is important is to “keep your exclamation points under control,” as stated by Leonard. This can be seen over used in much of today’s literature often found on best seller lists. To me the biggest rule of writing is to keep out noise, or words for the sake of having words.
ReplyDeleteI found that Orwells, Politics and the English Language, was very interesting. It usually takes me a good hour or so before writing a essay of just throwing around ideas on a piece of paper. What takes me such a long time is getting my ideas in order and in which order I am going to put them in. I also try and figure out what is a necessity in the essay and what I can trim down and what I could take out completely. The best way to keep the reader interested is to keep in all the good parts of an essay and taking out all the run ons. Orwell states that to keep the reader interested the writer must build the essay to keep the essay interested and keep the essay moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI found Twain's rules to be very interesting because almost every rule he listed describes what I look for when reading a novel. Twain's rule number five stood out to me because it's very important in series. Series of books prolong the story; however, there will come a time when there isn't anything left to be said by the author(s). In that case, series will come to an end. As a student, the professors that I had always taught us how crucial attention to detail was in writing, so after reading these rules I learned it's possible to over analyze attention to detail. On the other hand I find myself using Orwell's writing rules. Before I start a paper I always ask myself, " What am I trying to say". I'm glad to see that it's in the writing rules because I feel it's important to be as prepared as possible. I can't necessarily agree with Elmore's rules because some things need to be emphasized; however, I do notice as a reader I do skip over passages a lot, yet the story still falls into place for me.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the section from Orwell’s essay, “Politics and the English Language,” it made me think of how I am when it comes to writing papers. From my stand point, I find it somewhat difficult to write a paper because I’m constantly thinking of what I can say to make the paper sound intriguing. The rule “never use a long word where a short one will do” stood out to me the most in Orwell’s essay. I often catch myself trying to fit in synonyms which are longer than the short word that would be preferred. I understood Twain’s Rules of Writing because his rules are basically why I struggle with writing. I would consider myself to be a decent writer even if I struggle, but the reason why I struggle is because I want to be a great writer. When it comes to papers I think a bit too hard on how not to make each sentence bland, and to help provide readers with a sense of emotion. For many people, they can agree that the way they speak with their family, friends, and through social media is not how they express themselves through papers. Because we’re so accustomed to these new made up words that are so-called “in,” or just how we speak on a day to day basis, we want to try to sway away from that when it comes to papers. Although the way we speak on a day to day basis can be intriguing, we want to be able to please the reader on a more formal basis. My most important rules of writing include being able to explain topics and/or situations clearly without having too much or too little information, allowing the information to properly flow, and to make sure I’m grammatically correct. Even if I try my best at these things I will occasionally slip up, and that’s where the benefits of having someone else proof read your paper comes into play.
ReplyDeleteOrwell's rules of essay writing seem to apply largely to the rules of imagery. It restricts extraneous information and requires the writer to create only essential details in order to condense the story and hold the readers attention.
ReplyDeleteTwain's rules of writing apply a lot to the personages of a tale. He wants each participant in the story to have a purpose and be a necessary portion of the story. Twain also includes rules that are similar to those of Orwell's regarding the omission of unnecessary information. He values writings that are clearly focused and direct in order to "eschew surplusage." The only big difference between Orwell and Twain's rules are that Twain directly addresses the usage of correct grammar. This is the hardest thing about writing for me. It is difficult to understand when to use semicolons, colons, and commas.
Elmore Leonard's rules for writing are very short and condensed with very general statements. Some seem to be rules of personal preference, not necessarily rules that are taught in English class. For example, Elmore says to avoid going into detail about descriptions of characters. This is not strictly a wrong thing to do, but can be helpful to keep in mind while writing. Another example is writing "all hell broke loose" or "suddenly." These are not incorrect statements, but can sometimes contribute to unprofessional sentances.