Writing Boot Camp: Day 5

1. Writing Boot Camp: Day 5 Writing with Style Writer’s Inc., 125-132

2. Review Content and Quote Analysis • Underline lead-in of quotes: does it identify speaker (if applicable) and situation? • Double underline quotes: Are they 5-7 words? Do they address your topic/argument? • Triple underline your analysis of quotes: Are they 2-3 sentences? • Circle your literary devices in your analysis: Do you explain how and why the quote is used to explain your argument.

3. What’s your writing style? • Read your paragraph • Circle words that you feel are a part of your style • Define your writing style

4. Key Stylistic Reminders • Be purposeful: Kurt Vonnegut says, “It is the genuine caring [about a subject], and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.” • Be clear: Keep things simple, orderly, and direct in your writing. Stylistic writing does not play games with readers, making them try to figure things out. • Be sincere: Do not be uncertain, phony, or pushy. Be honest and heartfelt.

5. Sentence beginnings and length • Variety is the spice of life: • Highlight and write all sentence starters • Count and chart the number of words per sentence

6. Remove the following: • Contractions • A lot • Stuff • Things • This shows… • Everyone • Everything • Very • Really

7. Using strong, colorful words • Specific nouns: some nouns are general (vegetable, pants, computer) and give the reader a vague, uninteresting picture while others are specific (okra, corduroys, laptop) and give the reader a much clearer, more detailed picture.

8. Vivid Verbs • Get rid of all PASSIVE verbs (is, are, was, were, am, be, been, being) • Even verbs that are active can be improved: • Looked- stared, glared, glanced, peeked, or inspected • Hashim sat down on the couch or Hashim plopped on the couch. • Greta is very tall or Greta towers over her teammates.

9. Specific and Strong Adjectives • Strong adjectives can help make the nouns you choose even more interesting and clearer to the reader. • Avoid adjectives that carry little meaning: neat, big, pretty, small, cute, fun, bad, nice, great, funny, and so on. • Use adjectives selectively. Using too many adjectives will get in the way of your writing. For example, “A tall, shocking column of thick, yellow smoke marked the exact spot where the unexpected explosion had occurred.

10. What about an adverb? Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs • Many adverbs end with ly • Many adverbs answer the question “How?” • These are adverbs •   Eating quickly (modifying a verb) •   Trying very hard (modifying an adverb) • A really big show (modifying an adjective) Don’t use needless adverbs Before using any of these words, check to see if they add anything to the sentence (Really, very, absolutely, extremely, quite, actually, somewhat, rather) • I am really happy to see you • Grammar is very boring • You are absolutely correct • Her language was extremely crude • You are quite intelligent

11. Using the Right Word: Writer's Inc., 491-500 • Affect, effect • Already, all ready • Alright, all right • Altogether, all together • Continual, continuous • Farther, further • Good, well • It’s, its • Real, very, really • Than, then • Their, there, they’re • Weather, whether • Who, which, that • Who, whom • Who’s, whose