A CONCISE LESSON ON WRITING, Study notes of Grammar and Composition

Download A CONCISE LESSON ON WRITING and more Study notes Grammar and Composition in PDF only on Docsity! THE WRITER'S CONSTITUTION THE REVEREND NWODO .————— A GUIDE TO PROFESSIONAL WRITING The significance of growth in all of our endeavors cannot be overstated. Continuous improvement is referred to as growth. A writer who does not grow will lose relevance because the only way to maintain recognition is to continuously improve your craft in novel ways. As a writer, avoid complacency. Never think you've gotten to the point where you've learned everything there is to know. There will always be newer discoveries and greater heights. Keep up to date, and make an effort to grow intentionally. Here are some hacks that, if used consistently, will help you become a great writer; 1. FIND A NICHE You've probably heard the expression, "Jack of all trades, master of none." This is especially true when it comes to writing. You can't afford to be a writer who can write in any weather. While it is beneficial to diversify, your diversity should be based ona specific sphere or branch of writing. | wanted to be everything in my early years as awriter. | aspired to be a storyteller, motivational speaker, Bible expositor, comedian, English tutor, and playwright all at the same time. This was due to the fact that | had not given enough thought to selecting a niche to focus on before venturing into writing. Even though | was doing well in some of these areas, | was not professional in any of them. | was more of a mediocre participant in them. However, as time passed and | realized the value of having a on my blog by mentally or physically jotting down what | intend to do and how much time | will devote to it. 4. NETWORKING The Bible says, ‘Iron sharpens iron’. Ecclesiastes 4:11: “... two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?” (NLT) This verse is one of the reasons | believe in the Bible's excellent poetic nature. It's a lovely metaphor to compare networking to two people keeping each other warm. It enquired, 'How can one be warm alone?! Indeed, how can one stay warm by themselves? How can one develop on their own? How can one improve on their own? Others are required. Man was created by God to be a socially interdependent being. Even networking has become easier as a result of social media. On Facebook, you can join writers' groups. You can find content creators by searching for writing or blogging keywords on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. Add these people up and follow their work. Follow it up with an open heart and mind. It will be even more enjoyable if you interact with their posts by liking and commenting on them! Writers love to relate to other writers! Networking, a. exposes you to a wider range of writing styles. b. Provides you with a competitive marketing advantage. c. Keeps you motivated. d. Keeps you up to date on trends related to your skill. SECTION 1.1. HOW TO IMPROVE ON YOUR GRAMMAR AS A WRITER Grammar is one of the constraints that writers face. The majority of average writers struggle to express their thoughts in grammatically correct sentences. Some people completely disregard grammar and consider it to be extremely limiting to their posts, while others overly limit themselves to their limited knowledge of grammar. As a writer, neither option is viable. In my early days as a writer, | struggled with grammar. | used to believe that grammatical accuracy was only reserved for those who studied English at the university level. However, as | began to network and interact with other freelance writers, | noticed the accuracy of their write-ups despite the fact that the majority of them had no degree in English. After making this discovery, | began my journey toward grammar accuracy. | bought a grammar book and used the internet to take grammar courses. Today, my grammatical accuracy may not be perfect, but it is unquestionably first-rate, right? As a writer, | believe you want to improve your grammar as well. It is advantageous to be extremely creative as well as professionally creative. So here are a few pointers to get you started. It is important to note that improving grammatical accuracy takes time and effort. 1. Get a tutor: Your tutor could be either cybernetic or real. On Instagram and Facebook, you can find a number of excellent grammar teachers. Use keywords to find the appropriate ones, and then follow their posts. You could also confirm their opinions from Grammar authorities such as Cambridge dictionary whenever they post. Put what you've learned into practice! Don't stop using it on purpose in your work! Here are some grammar tutors online; - @bbclearningenglish (1G) - @cambridgeenglish(IG) - @tofluency (IG) - @idiom.land (IG) - BBC Learning English (FB) 2. Get Grammar books: Instagram carousels, brief blog posts, and unverified Facebook posts will not provide you with much grammar insight. You could download or buy books o that cover Grammar in a simple words. Grammar in this context refers to basic rules of punctuation, use of parts of speech, concord, and tautology, among other things. Avoid purchasing grammar books that will take you into the depths of syntax that you do not require. Also, your best grammar book should be your dictionary. Get a dictionary for advanced learners. The Cambridge Dictionary website has also been extremely helpful in providing details and authoritative answers to a number of grammar questions. Note, One area where many writers fall short is in their use of phrasal verbs and collocations. Some words have collocations, which are words that are normally juxtaposed with to give a specific meaning. It is critical to keep these in mind in order to avoid putting the wrong words together. 3. Proofread your articles Proofreading is the process of reading and correcting written work (Cambridge English Dictionary). It is much better to edit or proofread your article after you have finished writing it. Proofreading while writing can be a major impediment to the creative process. Proofreading after writing is important because it allows you to identify areas that need to be corrected, thereby improving the grammar accuracy of your work. When proofreading, | occasionally come across collocations that | am unsure of; sentences that | am unsure of; or even words that are used incorrectly. When | notice these, | go online to look for the correction. For example, if | notice | used a word that doesn't fit in the sentence or communicates my meaning properly while proofreading, | can go online and search for words that are synonymous with the one in question. This will expose me to broader knowledge of more words for such situations. | recall learning how to use the prepositions 'at,' 'in,' and 'on' correctly. | was proofreading my resume when | came across a sentence that said, '.... Studied at the University of Benin.' | couldn't decide whether 'studied at! or 'studied in' was correct. This prompted me to conduct further research on the usage of at, in, and on. As you Oo The exact cause of writer's block is unknown. However, it is usually associated with mental, emotional, or even spiritual distress. Some scientists believe that creativity is a function of a specific part of the brain, and that a disruption in this part of the brain can result in writer's block. Some people believe that writer's block is caused by depression, frustration, perfectionism, and other factors. Some people, particularly Romance Literature fans, believe that writer's block is caused by the absence of the paranormal force that drives creativity and inspiration. Whatever the cause, the good news is that it is not irreversible. In fact, a well- known writer once said, 'The moment you reject writer's block, you break free from it." As far-fetched as it may sound, it could be true. | know a lot of writers who just give up when they get writer's block. All they do is moan about how they can't write as well as they used to, but they make no concerted efforts to rekindle their creative spirits. Here are a few simple tips to help you avoid or overcome writer's block and boost your creativity: 1. Diagnose the cause of the writer’s block. Why are you unable to write all of a sudden? Why are you no longer enjoying what you're doing? Why don't you want to go on with the story? Look within to figure out what went wrong. It could be depression at times. It's possible that it's due to stress. It could even be boredom from doing the same thing over and over. 2. Form creative habits. 'Creativity is an act, it is a habit,' a wise man once said. Your daily habits either enhance or detract from your creativity. If you're having trouble coming up with new © ideas for your work, you could try forming new daily habits and routines to help get the air back into your lungs. Habits such as; - Hanging out with friends and family members. - Interacting with other authors. - Critically reviewing the intellectual properties of other authors. - Going onan early morning walk or run. - Getting to appreciate nature more often. - Focusing on the things you love. 3. Write what you love One of the reasons some writers are slow in recovering from writer’s block is that the quest for perfection. You have to accept that in writer’s block, you might not be able to write at the same level of quality that used to before the writer’s block. This does not mean you should become lazy or mediocre. It simply means you have to accept your imperfections. Personally, whenever | am experiencing something similar to writer’s block, instead of persisting with what | want to write, I start writing my thoughts and emotions. Someone said, ‘When you have a writer’s block, write about writer’s block’. Think about your favorite football match and write onit. Perhaps you are a fan of WWE, you could also write on how WWE has been releasing their wrestlers and how the wrestling industry is losing its audience. Think of your best memories; the things that make you happy and give you joy and write on them. Don’t write to have a perfect article, write to have a real article. Write because you actually want to pen down your thoughts rather than force using your pen to determine your thoughts. As you do this, the block begins to break and inspiration will start to flow again. 4. Feed your soul When you write, you are feeding others. A tank that keeps dispensing water to people without refilling itself will dry up. If you are so focused on writing and blessing lives through your writing and you do not bother about refilling and refueling your creativity, you will dry and probably begin to experience the writer’s block. So even — So after writing, read articles from other writers. Pray, listen to a sermon, attend seminars and conference. Sign up for classes that will enhance your growth. Other tips that can help are; - Writer’s prompt - Avoid procrastination. Write when the time comes not when the feeling comes. Here are few quotes from renowned writers on writer’s block and creativity; “4 don’t believe in writer’s block. Think about it — when you were blocked in college and had to write a paper, didn’t it always manage to fix itself the night before the paper was due? Writer’s block is having too much time on your hands.” — Jodi Picoult “| don’t believe in writers’ block. Do doctors have ‘doctors block?’ Do plumbers have ‘plumbers’ block?” No. We all have days when we don’t feel like working, but why do writers turn that into something so damn special by giving it a faintly romantic name.” — Larry Kahaner “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why | say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.””—Octavia Butler “1 only write when | am inspired. Fortunately | am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.”—William Faulkner “lf you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient.” — Hilary Mantel Lh page and got hundreds of thousands of viewers within months. | have also seen those who needed to go through the process of consistent content creation, engagement and even using ads to boost their posts’ reach. Whichever category you find yourself, do not relent. Thriving on social media requires much more than posting. You need a content strategy. Here’s an excerpt from; NOTE: The subsequent tips are the creative content and properties of https://postcron.com/. 1- Create strong profiles The starting point for increasing your audience in any social network is the creation of strong profiles. These profiles should include brand images as well as profile pictures. Also you must fill out all the required details, not leaving anything out. In Twitter it goes through a small biography, link and location. Facebook wants a short description, web page, address and telephone contact. In short, fill out all the fields that you can. Before starting to generate these new users it is important that prior content exists, a few updates so that when they reach your page they can see how you operate and what content you offer. This way they can decide to follow you or not. If there aren’t any, the response will always be negative. 2- Share quality content It is important that content has a minimum quality in order to keep the audience engaged. Furthermore, the theme should be interesting and have a certain relation with your company. It serves no use to write a post about football if your public is interested in the fashion world. If it’s a text, it must have a careful format so that it doesn’t look burdensome. Without paragraphs that make them very heavy, highlighting what is important in black as well as support from images and videos. Data reflects that a good photograph can generate more clicks and also helps the content to go viral. vl 3- Invite through the friend finder This is a resource that the majority of social platforms permit. What better way to generate an audience than starting with your email contacts? Invite them to register or learn about your pages on these networks. Additionally, you also have the option to advertise to the contacts you have added, as is the case on Facebook. It is a very simple resource but many let it slip by when they don’t take it into account. On numerous occasions the simplest thing is what generates a bigger result. 4- Add visible links of your networks on your webpage This can be accomplished by adding small social network icons to the header of a webpage as well as at the bottom and in a sidebar. Make it accessible and visible to users at all times while visiting the page. Individual platforms allow you to obtain their logos to place them in the form of an icon; additionally Facebook also has the option to create a personalized logo through a generator. If you are not satisfied with what’s normal you can always turn to the photo bank where there are more modern designs created for professionals which can be given a different touch depending on what you are looking for in your style. 5- Put Social Media links in your Email signature Asmall trick that often goes unnoticed. As an entrepreneur or manager of a team you can spend a lot of hours a week sending and responding to emails. Sometimes they are people in your contacts but other times no. Your signature always will appear bellow the text so it is the perfect option to make Social Media visible by placing the corresponding links. It is always best to do it through small buttons. — o 6- Have a cross promotion of your accounts The name may implicate something complicated but it is as easy as putting up a tweet asking your followers if they are on Pinterest or another social network. And if the answer is affirmative, follow them through these platforms o have them follow you based on what the case is. Furthermore, don’t lose the opportunity of placing links as is the case on Pinterest which allows a Twitter and Facebook link. “| didn’t know that you had a Facebook account”. This is a very common phrase. Not everyone dedicates their time searching if businesses have more profiles on other platforms. For this reason you can’t fail advertising so it is always clear. @835, Thea Menagh @TheaMenagh - Mar 18 See my clients’ listings first - follow me on Pinterest pinterest.com/theamenagh/cii... eo — — 7- Follow your audience on Twitter and get involved Start following people so that they get the notification they are being followed. Additionally, don’t hesitate to start conversations with them and find a solution to whatever type of doubt they have. Also it is positive to interact in public conversations do they see your ease about the addressed issues. Of course if you see a publication that catches your attention don’t hesitate to RT. You can use the search engine to find people that fit perfectly with your target. For this it is best to use key works or specific content. 8- Use Twitter Ads If you have an advertising budget try out this system where Twitter will promote your account to a targeted audience and they can follow you this way. 9- Give likes to other pages via your Facebook site Aside from your personal profile, Facebook gives you the option to give a like and comment on other pages and publications on your business profile. It is a way to create ties with members from the same sector who create some professional relation such as a way of finding new people focused with your target. This finally is possible thanks to interaction in the comments. — o followers. However, this method needs to be used sparingly, or it might be taken as spam.” (https://socialnomics.net/2020/03/07/13-tips-to- grow-your-social-media-audience/) SECTION 3.2. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WRITING 1. How do | publish my book? There are different types of publishing. The two common ones are Traditional publishing and self-publishing. Traditional publishing involves submitting your manuscript to a selected publishing firm for review. If the publishing firm accepts your manuscript, they will negotiate a contract with you. If it works out, they will take care of everything that has to do with printing and marketing of the book. Self-publishing is more stressful though less costly. Write your manuscript, pay your editor to edit it. Pay a printing press to print it and do the distribution yourself or through a middleman. Nowadays, self-publishers publish their books on online stores such as kindle and amazon, while some sell theirs via blogs. 2. Should I self-publish or publish traditionally? Traditional publishing is best if you want to sell without having to sweat much. Self- publishing is okay if you are looking for something that is less costly. Both have their pros and cons. 3. How do I choose a writing genre? You don’t choose a writing genre, actually. Your write and your writing genre chooses you. It flows naturally. The truth is writing genres were made up by literary critics and theorists. No author sat down and decided | want to write on this genre. Write as you are inspired. 4. How dol end my story? You end it the way you want to end it, lol! 5. How do! convince people to buy my book? 6l You don’t convince people to buy your book. In fact, trying to convince people to buy it will have the opposite effect. A. You need a copywriter. B. You need to submit it to top-notch literary critics for reviews. Cc. Recommend books by other authors for your online fans to read. The more you recommend the books of others, the more you increase your own reputation among fans. SECTION 4.0. THE AUTHOR’S LAST WORDS Consistency is required in order to profit from anything written in this book. You must be consistent and persistent in your writing routine on social media and in your closet! No matter how tough things may seem to be, don’t stop writing; and D’ Reverend Divive 0c