Assignment Two: Rules for Writing

My roommate and I were talking today about what makes good writing, specifically in a school setting. We discussed how teachers should grade writing and what exactly the grading standard should be. I considered what makes a paper worthy of receiving an “A,” but also worthy of being deemed good writing. I decided that the following rules should be followed in order to write well:

1. Write to your own ability. If you try writing to impress others with big words or supposed synonyms that you don’t know the exact meaning of, chances are that you will make a fool of yourself. Write about what you know, or at least try to make connections back to what you know if you are writing about an assigned topic. Not only will this allow you to write more in-depth, but you will also enjoy what you are writing about.
   
2. Revise grammar and sentence structure. Grammar and sentence structure determine the flow of your writing as well as how well your reader will be able to comprehend what you are trying to say. I guess you could say that grammar and sentence structure are the backbone of all writing. Without correct grammar and sentence structure, your writing will just be a bunch of jumbled up thoughts.
   
3. While keeping in mind rules one and two, also try to challenge yourself. Consider weight lifting for a moment. Lifting weights will damage the muscle just enough to allow it to rebuild itself stronger than before. Writing is no different; you should be pushed out of your comfort zone once in a while in order to improve. While you should write to your own ability and keep grammar and sentence structure in mind, your writing will never improve if you don’t take a few chances. Don’t make your whole paper a challenge, but try to incorporate an idea or a word that is just above your comfort level. Have others revise your work in order to catch mistakes, and then watch as your writing improves and expands.