Class 6- Rules of Writing (Hawthorne Day 1)

            Today was my first day as a student mentor at Hawthorne Public School in Ottawa, Ontario. It was a whirlwind of a day: finding a new school, getting a tour, and worrying how well I could help these students. We are working with John Harder's grade 8 Gifted class and I am paired with a student named Edward. It is surprisingly a really good match- we are both in the gifted program since grade 3, we both play instruments, we both love Latin, and he speaks Mandarin (a language I studied for 3 years in high school).

            Edward and I retreated to the library where he showed me some samples of his writing on his tablet. I was pleasantly surprised― he was very articulate and intelligent for his age. I read through numerous written assignments and found zero grammatical or spelling errors. I was at a loss for how to help him; his work was easily Level 4 material. I began asking him how he felt about his writing, if he did any creative writing during his free time, or if he had any personal goals for his writing (either for scholarly purposes or private). Again, I had little suggestions to make because Edward hadn't formed any personal goals. So, my task this week is to find resources that could help him improve his writing and how he feels about writing in any subject in school.

            Here are some helpful tips from resources I found:

Elmore Leonard (from here):

- "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip."

- "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."

Stephen King (from here):

- The magic is in you. “I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.”

- Don’t worry about making other people happy. “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”

- The research shouldn’t overshadow the story. “Remember that word back. That’s where the research belongs: as far in the background and the back story as you can get it.

- You become a writer simply by reading and writing. “You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”

More writing tips (from here): 

- Try not to edit while you're creating your first draft. Creating and editing are two separate processes.

- Learn the rules of good writing... then learn when and how to break them.

- Write as if you’re on deadline and have 500 words to make your point. Then do it again. And again. (I especially like this one because it emphasizes concision and efficiency)

- You are what you read.

- While editing, use a text-to-speech software to listen to your writing.

From this website:

- Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, emassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass. -David Ogilvy

and lastly...

- Don’t take anyone’s writing advice too seriously. – Lev Grossman

            Ultimately, you have to determine what works for you. Of course reading and practicing writing as much as possible will have a positive influence on your work; there is no set formula that produces a quality writer. My advice for the students I work with is to try things out, be creative, and always take a break and edit your work with a fresh mind.