How did you improve your writing skills?

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Strong

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I was born deaf myself and I got implanted at age 9 so till that time, my written English was terribly awful. When I was in Grade 9, my writing leveled with a sixth grader and I got the lowest mark in my English class. But that was my motive to change my priorities and started to read as much as possible. Now I'm seeing a difference in the way I use grammar and sentence structure, which were primarily my weak spots, I'm still pushing myself harder to keep reading. Nevertheless, I always get discouraged when I don't implement the new vocabulary I have learned over the past few months in my new writing skills. It's driven me to the verge of going crazy because I spent many years on this and yet my writing is not even par with your amazing written English!



How do you improve your writing skills? Is it only achieved through interminable reading of books?
 
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You write pretty well compared to alot of kids today. LOL I'd say you made incredible progress, it can be attained not just from reading. Practice and apply what you learn, write an essay or short scripts and have someone who is well versed review your work. Keep in mind people may post.in an ASL manner on this forum, that required different rules for word use.
 
You also may have to talk it, too. People who write well tend to write the way they speak. If you don't speak the language, the language can trip you up and give you away as "not one of us" to native speakers. I believe that's why we have had crazy rules in languages, to help the native speakers be aware that there is a non-native speaker present (as in the middle ages), a spy of sorts who doesn't even belong in the region and may be there to gather information for someone who wishes to bring them harm. If you don't have the verbal skills of a native speaker, that is going to "out you" to the natives. Non-native speakers tend to not be aware of the exceptions to the rule. I would hazard a guess that's why you say "la mano," not "el mano." When you make that mistake as an adult (unless they're sending in children as spies), the people who hear it will be surreptitiously contacting the village elder about a possible intruder.

How old are you now? I recall that I wasn't comfortable writing essays and reports until I was nearly two years into college, and that required an ASS-KICKING British Lit professor who wouldn't let me slide by on my papers. Since then, I've spent 20+ years writing what I have written with his thoughts in my mind.

If I say "this," then the reader will ask about "that." Well, wait a minute. I have to consider this other thing, though. The idea here is to communicate clearly to people. Don't make them have to ask you questions because you left details out or that you didn't get it out concisely, to the point.

But you're well on your way, though. It'll just take a few years to grow and develop as a writer. Keep reading, especially anything scientific (I read archaeology for fun - Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project is an example of a dig that is documented online and has photos and reports - a warning; you might want to have a tab open next to the web site for your favorite dictionary. Another one is Hopkins in Egypt Today) and fiction as well. Notice the grammar and how it reflects what people tend to say in person. Bone up on the vocabulary if you have to. Man, my stepmom SAT ON MY ASS to make me develop my vocabulary, especially before I went to college. (Thank you!) I also edit every post I make. Sometimes, I forget something. Sometimes, I realize I'm not clear about something, or I make a spelling mistake that I missed. You will often find my postings here change gradually in the minutes after I make my initial response. Did you notice that? Make that the 7th time I've edited my post.

Are you in college?
 
Don't just read, write too. Forums, blogs, short stories: all are great practice.

Two other things that I found helped me a lot were IRC and online games. Both require you to type fast and also to write as though you are talking. Take pride in everything you write, and read a lot of comedy and satire: you often find great examples of creative vocabulary use in funny writing.
 
Pay attention to English teachers while you are in school. That's how I improved my writing skills and also by reading books. Alot of deaf classmates of mine suck at their grammar skills because they didn't pay attention to class and they didn't like to read. That's their choice. They actually didn't care about it. To me, understanding English is not that hard.
 
Strong said:
How do you improve your writing skills? Is it only achieved through interminable reading of books?
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Yes. Writing skill is acquired through a lot of practice and reading a lot of examples.

(You actually write quite well here.)

When my parents found out that I was "hearing impaired" (they say the audiologist never used the word 'deaf' although that's what I am), they labeled everything in the house so I could read it.

My sister sat with me and read with me. My parents did, too. (The Hearing Impaired program apparently did not want my parents reading with me outside the classroom, which makes no sense to me.)

As I grew up, the teachers in the HI program (in grade school) drilled me endlessly on spelling. Over and over and over again.

I read a lot on my own. Often with a dictionary right next to me. So when I found a word I didn't know, I could look it up right away. I'd pay attention to how it was spelled. Sometimes I read the dictionary just to read it. It was fun to learn new words and what they meant.

I read a wide variety of subjects. That's a great way to expand your reading and writing skill -- go beyond just one type of subject. You'll be exposed to different writing styles and different words.

Some people say reading is boring. I honestly don't understand this. Reading was, and still is, my primary way of exploring the world.

If you want to get better at writing, you must write. I suggest writing a couple paragraphs in a diary every day (by hand, not on the computer) describing your day. Use a pencil so you can correct your writing, grammar, and spelling.

Try reading a news article and write two or three different ways of saying the same thing in that article.

When you describe something, like the colors of a bird you saw, try to come up with several words for the same color.

Start small and try a little more every week. Try more challenging reading. Keep two books with you and read a little out of each every day. First book, something easier and fun, like a fun novel. Second book, a really difficult to read science or history book. Read them with a dictionary next to you and use it. Why? Because your mind gains the skill only by being challenged. The difficult book will be hard to read, but as you keep at it, you'll be able to understand it better. It will start to click.

I'm probably making it way more complex than it needs to be. :) These are just ideas.

At minimum, you need to write in a journal and read a variety of stuff.
 
DeafBadger said:
Yes. Writing skill is acquired through a lot of practice and reading a lot of examples.

(You actually write quite well here.)
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+1

It also takes a good eye to see how words are used.

Not only do you need to read the context, but the art of recognizing sarcasm, exaggeration, and other forms takes awhile to learn.
 
I don't know about others, but, for me - Poetry served a reason to contribute to my writing skills. In poetry, it requires you to use your critical thinking skills to form out the mood, idealogy, interpretation of conveying your message to your audience.

Reading is another thing. Books are a great tool but closed captioning on the television/movies are also helpful because it gives you a better idea of how to recognize different writing style as well.

I, too, still have a long way to go to improve my writing skills. I think you're doing just fine and you'll get there! Just remember, English is always changing all the time. :)
 
Wirelessly posted

You are doing fine, did you know there are plenty of Americans that are illiterate? It's true, there are people out there, who are adults and stil talk like their teenagers. I am speaking in general, we lost our handwriting skills and schools don't teach penmanship anymore. I love creative writing using ink and paper and I still love writing notes to people and sending cards. I like that old-fashion ways then a text message , I mean how creative can this really be?
 
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Rio said:
Wirelessly posted

I am speaking in general, we lost our handwriting skills and schools don't teach penmanship anymore. I love creative writing using ink and paper and I still love writing notes to people and sending cards. I like that old-fashion ways then a text message , I mean how creative can this really be?
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Times ch..ch..change. At my workplace, USPS, there are fewer and fewer greeting cards than before due to internet (e-greetings). That's why Hallmark stores are out of business locally. Internet steals people's jobs. Sad!
 
When I was like 13, I started a blog on a virtual world. I did that for two years, part of it with an online friend who helped me improve. (He helped me out with tips, then somehow by luck, when I told him about my condition, he told me he had a online deaf friend, so he understood).

For two years of blogging, it has really improved my writing, and I had alot of fun with it.

I lost my interest in blogging unfortunatley, but it's one of the main reasons my grammer is improved.
 
Rio said:
Wirelessly posted

You are doing fine, did you know there are plenty of Americans that are illiterate? It's true, there are people out there, who are adults and stil talk like their teenagers. I am speaking in general, we lost our handwriting skills and schools don't teach penmanship anymore. I love creative writing using ink and paper and I still love writing notes to people and sending cards. I like that old-fashion ways then a text message , I mean how creative can this really be?
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Are you saying that precisely the same amusing message is somehow better if written by hand as opposed to sent electronically?
 
Here is what I use:

Handwriting:
I study calligraphy (I'm left handed so this is a major challenge)
I study Spencerian penmanship for old documents you can down the book here:
Spencerian key to practical penmanship : Spencer, H. C. (Henry Caleb) : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

After 1915 ish, U.S. moved to palmer method which is what most of us older people learned. You should be able to write as fast as you can type (debatable)
The Palmer method of business writing : a series of self-teaching in rapid, plain, unshaded, coarse-pen, muscular movement writing ... : Palmer, A. N. (Austin Norman), 1859-1927 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

Modern penmanship is really manuscript print now given computers so school kids don't learn cursive as much, but I stil think it is valuable.

Grammar:
I get most of my grammar stuff from the web.
This is a good site that helps with comma, preps everything really
Guide to Grammar and Writing

Pronunciation:
To learn this I believe you have to go back to what was once latin and if you could hear when you were younger(I'm not sure how someone who is deaf learned to pronounce) this will work for you:
I use John Sargeunt's book:
Society for Pure English Tract 4: The Pronunciation of English Words Derived from the Latin : Sargeaunt, John : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

You can download all the books in several formats. I don't buy new books from amazon, but I'm not against it if it is more helpful. I think the older books are more precise in my opinion.
 
Strong, if you are left handed don't worry about it. All left handed people are at a disadvantage in writing because the system is intended for right handed people. It takes us more time. Really, it is what it is..

You need to have a LOT of patience with it....
 
Strong said:
Wirelessly posted

I was born deaf myself and I got implanted at age 9 so till that time, my written English was terribly awful. When I was in Grade 9, my writing leveled with a sixth grader and I got the lowest mark in my English class. But that was my motive to change my priorities and started to read as much as possible. Now I'm seeing a difference in the way I use grammar and sentence structure, which were primarily my weak spots, I'm still pushing myself harder to keep reading. Nevertheless, I always get discouraged when I don't implement the new vocabulary I have learned over the past few months in my new writing skills. It's driven me to the verge of going crazy because I spent many years on this and yet my writing is not even par with your amazing written English!


our writing skills? Is it only achieved through interminable reading of books?
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As someone with a B.A. in English and M.Ed. in Education for teaching English, I tell my students, those who don't read, can’t write. Reading is essential to understanding how language works and if you read well, your writing skills will follow.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
Strong, if you are left handed don't worry about it. All left handed people are at a disadvantage in writing because the system is intended for right handed people. It takes us more time. Really, it is what it is..

You need to have a LOT of patience with it....
Click to expand...

These days most people use a PC, so hand writing is no longer required as it used to be. Even at work, hand writing is rarely used.


Laura
 
I used to be part of a writing circle, and we would share writing (usually a 10 page story) with each other and edit them.

I've also seen some success with reading the story out-loud: It helps me catch any unnatural or run-on sentences.

I also like to give the writing some time: Hide what I wrote for a month or a year and see if it's still good and meaningful when I've distanced myself from it.
 
Read. It is through exposure to other writing styles that you gain the skills to express yourself.
 
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