It has been a number of years since I last attended a writing class, and much of what was emphasized then is currently of much less significance. In this writing class, much of the emphasis is placed upon content, where as in my previous college writing class there was less emphasis on content and much more emphasis placed upon the structure and organization of the content using the "MLA" format.
As I stated before, this writing class has taught me a great many ways of improving upon my writing. Most notably, I have learned that "considering your reading audience" is crucial to effectively conveying your thoughts and opinions. I realize that if your audience is caught-up trying to understand unfamiliar words or terminology then the opportunity for understanding is lost. My first essay was considered "dense" because I chose to use fancy, but unfamiliar words in my writing which caused the reader confusion. In my successive writings I made every effort to keep the writing as uncomplicated as possible.
Another very important aspect of writing effectively is emphasizing your own "voice" otherwise known as the "you say". I have found in reading other student's writings that when they emphasize their own voice it makes the paper all the more engaging and holds my attention a great deal more than it otherwise would. Having realized the importance of the "I say" in writing I now make every effort to include as much of my own voice as possible. Comparing my first essay to my later essays illustrates how I have learned to personalize my writing. With my first essay my writing was unattached, and while I regurgitated facts, and referenced others opinions, I never placed any emphasis on my own thoughts or opinions. Whereas, in my latter two essays I emphasized the "I say", using my own voice. I have enjoyed writing much more since applying this technique because the writing becomes my own.
In addition to using your own voice, using the opinions of others, otherwise known as the "they say" can further your arguments, thus reinforcing and strengthening your position. With clever use of the "they say" a writer is able to chose quotes, statistics, or other reference material, to support their own opinion. This is a powerful tool to use in writing because the more you have in support of your "idea", whether it be right or wrong, the less inclined the reader is to disagree with you; that is of course if you can effectively argue your position, regardless of the amount of information you have in support of your position.
Writing is a never ending learning process, but using these the three aforementioned concepts I am confident that my writing effectiveness has improved tremendously.
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