The first two tips are links, but the rest of these tips are quite brief, and will help you to continue to improve your writing skills. This page will allow to quickly search a certain writing tip you may wish to review. However, following is a link to the entire "Writing Tips" document, in case you would rather view or print a hard copy to keep close for review as you write:
Writing Tips

Decide which verb tense you will use for a piece of writing. The use of present tense creates more excitement, and is usually used for first person.  However, past tense is sometimes easier to use, especially when you are writing about the past. Make these choices before you start writing if you can. Once you have finished writing, read the piece over while only looking at your verb tenses, as this is effective editing. Make them all the same tense, if they aren’t already. Occasionally this may not be possible, and when this occurs, you need to really consider how you will write your ideas without confusing the reader.

"I" is a subject and does an action of sorts.  (I am going to the store.)
"Me" is an object and receives the action, but “me” can never do an action.  (He went to the store with me.    OR    He and I will go to the store. (Note that “me” cannot actually do anything, like go to a store!)

Sometimes, you need to mentally change the verb tense to know. Removing the compound subject or object is also a good trick to know if it is a subject or an object.

Example:
[John and] me ran fast. Remove the compound subject (John) and you will again see that “me” cannot run anywhere, as “me” does not/cannot do any actions. “Me” is an object, meaning that it receives actions instead! This then must be changed to “I” in order to be correct, as that makes “I” the subject, and “I” can do actions! I can go to the store, but if someone comes along, he/she will be coming with me. (“Me” is receiving the companionship and isn’t actually doing anything!)

You only use “seen” when it is preceded by “have, has, or had.”

Examples:

Today I see.   

Yesterday I saw. 

In the past, I have/had seen.   OR    In the past, she has seen.

If Mom or Dad could be replaced with a proper noun, they require capitals. If they have “my” in front of them, they do not.

Example: 

“Mom/Mary and Dad/Bob are nice!”  (See how Mom/Dad could be replaced with a real name here?  Mom is nice./Dad is nice./Bob is nice.)

“My mom and dad are nice.”  (You wouldn’t say “My Bob and my Mary are nice.”)

Example:

The horse is nice!  - Notice that nice is an adjective describing the noun (horse).
The horse runs nicely!   - Notice that nicely is an adverb describing the verb (runs).

Their – possessive ownership
There – placement (here or there)
They’re – contraction for they are
 
Too – means also, as well, or a large amount (ie. too many)
Two – the counting number
To – preposition that helps with placement of something, someone ( I am going to the store.)
 
Don’t confuse:
You’re – you are
Your – possessive form showing ownership by a person
 
Where – reference to a place
Were – linking verb for past verb tense
 
Our â€“ possessive form of showing ownership by people
Are – linking verb for present tense verb

When referring to an inanimate object use “that.”
Example:  It was the box that fell over.

When referring to a living person/animal use “who.”

Examples:

It was my mom who did all the work.
It was she who did all the work.
It was my cat who was smarter than my dog!

Do try to use various punctuation to bring voice to your work. For example, using exclamation marks or ellipsis are both good ideas.  Occasionally, you may use both a question mark and an exclamation mark to add voice. Try to write so that a reader has no option except to change tone of voice, should your writing be read aloud. I compare punctuation to writing as a “GPS” to traveling. The GPS tells you where to go, and punctuation tells you how to get there or in this case, how to read something.

When you write, you want to bring as much "voice" to a piece as possible. For example, don't tell me about diving into the water...MAKE ME FEEL THE DIVE...MAKE ME THE DIVER!
 
Boring:  John had always loved diving. He prepared himself at the top of the cliff and looked down into the cold blue water. Could he do it? He edged slowly forward and then jumped. He dove cleanly into the water below.
 
Better:  John had always loved diving!! He couldn't wait for his body to slice through that glassy surface...deep into the cutting cold blue of the lake! He shook out his body, in preparation for the amazing thing that was about to take place. His body hairs sprang outwards in their adrenaline rushed state! Then his toes gingerly snuck forwards, getting closer to the edge with every movement. Finally, he could sense the edge was near. His arms flung high, and his knees scrunched low...and then the damp air was rushing his face! Down, down, down, faster than he had imagined, John sliced through the atmosphere. His fingers stretched, pointing and reaching, to ensure their tips were the first to dip into the surface, ahead of his pushing body! The dark blue coolness devoured him! He had made it!!

Can you see the difference?  Don't talk about it!!  Do it!!  Make your writing "come alive!"

If you are trying to use dialogue, this is great!!  Please review dialogue materials within your lesson materials.  Do know:

  • When you use dialogue, each new speaker requires a new paragraph. This will organize the work, and will make it easier to follow. In other words, if you begin with “The next morning,” you are showing a change of time so you need a new paragraph. If you begin with “Once we were back at the ranch,” you are showing a new location or setting so you require a new paragraph. The first spoken word of each new dialogue must be capitalized. Notice that this type of introductory phrase is always followed by a comma.
  • All dialogue requires some sort of punctuation to separate speaker tags and spoken words. The rules are a little bit “crazy” here, as you never use a period after spoken words when a speaker tag follows the words, but exclamation marks, question marks, and commas are permissible, and you MUST use one of them.  This rule changes if your speaker tag is first, and the spoken words are last.  In this case you may end with a period if you wish, and you may not end with a comma, as the sentence is now complete. So, to review, when the speaker tag is before the spoken words, you may not use a period after them, but when the spoken words follow the speaker tag you may then choose a period instead of a comma.
  • All dialogue still requires some type of punctuation at the end of the spoken words.
  • Do an internet search for examples of dialogue punctuation.
  • To quote dialogue, you will use both double quotation marks and single quotation marks. You place double quotation marks to show you are using someone else's words, and then you place only the actual spoken words within single quotation marks, as well. Example:  "'Yesterday was the best day ever!' screamed the child."

New paragraphs are always required whenever you change the topic, time, or place. In other words, if you begin with “The next morning,” you are showing a change of time so you need a new paragraph. If you begin with “Once we were back at the ranch,” you are showing a new location or setting so you require a new paragraph. Notice that this type of introductory phrase is always followed by a comma.


You also need to use a new paragraph for each new speaker when you are using dialogue/conversation in your writing. Also, always include speaker tags in formal assignment work, as even though you will read some novels, where authors do not include the speaker tags, you are still learning, and it is important that you practise this skill the way it really should be done.

Outlines are very useful tools, as they do the following:
  • Organize your ideas
  • Help you know if you have too much or too little information to include
  • Help you focus on a certain topic (if it doesn’t work in—it has to be omitted)
  • Don't forget that outlines also help you to know if you have enough supporting details about certain things to devote an entire paragraph to it, or if you need to somehow combine some of your ideas. When you combine ideas, this will then change your paragraph topic sentence to show the two ideas being expressed.

It is sometimes difficult to make both your introduction and conclusion long enough. Here are some tips for you:

Introduction:
  1. Turn your assigned discussion topic or EQ into a statement (this will be your topic).
  2. Always include a general statement that tells what you will discuss, without giving any details. Remember, your introduction is what I call the "GPS" of your essay, as it will let the reader know where you are going, but specific details will not generally be given here. For example, you need to include the title of the text to which you will refer, and the character you will use as support.
  3. You might consider weaving in a good quote that is relevant to your subject matter. Usually a quick Google search will provide this for you.  Simply look up "Famous quotes about your topic."
    Weaving Example    :      Sam White once said, “Writing is the essence of the soul!”
Conclusion:
  1. Summarize your ideas that you have presented in your previous paragraphs. Repeat your introduction ideas using different words.
  2. This is where you want to leave your reader with a “profound” and powerful thought regarding the topic of your piece.
  3. You may make reference to the quote you used in the introduction, or if you did not use one there, you can now give a relevant quote in the conclusion.  
    4. Weaving Example: "The well known (name of person) has said, " give quote here."

In order to really edit effectively, the written piece must be read over several times, while you look for different possible errors each time. While we are known multi-taskers, we are also known to seldom do this effectively. Therefore, it is difficult to read for two or more things at once. Focus and concentration is the best way. Another extremely valuable trick is to put your work away for a period of time, so that your brain receives a mental break from it. That way, when you return to it, you will have a more effective “eye” for error!

Perhaps one of the most effective editing tools is the easiest tool to use! Once you have finished editing your work as well as you are able, find a space where you are very comfortable, and read your work out loud. If your voice wants to pause somewhere, this is a clue you may need punctuation of some sort in this spot. This is usually just a comma to give the reader an indication that there will be a short pause there, and you would include some type of other punctuation, if you want the pause to be longer. Reading your work out loud will also help you to notice things such as lengthy run-on sentences and sentence fragments, as your voice will most often find a fragment to be somewhat “jarring,” and if you can’t read your work smoothly, you will know there are still some errors within it.

When writing poetry, it is really important that you bring voice to the work, so the reader feels part of the piece. I find the best way to write successful poetry is to write it, and then leave it for the day, and then return to it. You will be surprised by the number of changes you will see that should/could be made to improve the reading experience you will create.

Each and every word must contribute to the meaning. If it does not, then it should be omitted. A common error that I find students making when writing poetry, is to begin lines with words such as “And” or “Then.” You will realize that in the majority of cases, no meaning is lost when these words are omitted at the beginning of a poetry line, so please do omit them.

Title choice is always super important for all literary works, whether prose or poetry!

Never mind the colourful marks I might add to your work! The amount of colourful feedback you might receive has absolutely nothing to do with the final grade, as it totally depends on which level of writing you are working. When I feel your paper is written perfectly, in my mind, I will no longer offer suggestions! Lol…I hope you understand…keep on writing, and please know that my job is to help you continue your journey to even better writing, so even strong writers will still receive many colourful feedback suggestions!