ONCE UPON A TIME…

Most of the students feel safer writing than speaking. I admit it. We feel confident enough because of the more time to think and revise. Although writing has lot of prestige in academic life, the most used in ordinary life is speaking. That does not mean writing is not important. Writing is an important skill in a language and we should practice it in our English learning process. 

There are many types of writing which depend on the purpose and the person who are addressed to. For example, personal writings, like diaries and study notes will not follow the same patterns and structures as communication writings such as letters, instructions or reports.

Writing and speaking had always had strong differences between them. Nonetheless, technology has changed those tough dissimilarities. That’s why there are written texts with oral characteristics. Consequently, we find tolerated mistakes, unfinished sentences or missing subjects in chats. 

Writing strategies

Writing a text signifies time and effort. You cannot pretend to write perfectly from the beginning. There are four steps to follow in order to write a text:

Be careful with…

…the layout, because it is the design of writing, the way it looks like. Visual presentation is so important that we should be cautious with it. So, if we write a letter, we cannot forget the greeting or the closing; if you are writing an opinion essay, and introduction and a conclusion are necessary. 

…the register. Before starting you should know what kind of text you want to write and who is addressed to. For instance, a formal letter cannot be chatty and conversational or a short story should use descriptive language. Then choose the correct vocabulary and register and finally all you need is inspiration!