Introduction - How can I improve my writing?

 “How can I improve my writing?” This is the question that I have not stopped asking myself since I first came to Canada to learn English. I am an ESL person from Venezuela and as you might soon realize my sentence structure is heavily influenced by my mother tongue, Castilian. I have taken several grammar and free writing courses to improve my writing skills; however, I have noticed that the more I read the more my writing improves. 

While I was doing my Bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies, I asked one of my professors to give me some tips to become a better writer and she candidly answered, “Use simple words and simple sentences, good writers are those able to be understood by different kind of readers.” However, it is never as easy as it sounds. I am still questioning myself if I am using too many semicolons or if my sentences have a good structure. 

I have never heard of an “Editing Sheet” until I started MAIS 606. The editing sheet is a great tool to take into consideration when editing my papers because it will allow me to review my work from the point of view of an editor. After writing for several hours, it can be complicated to find little mistakes without having a checklist of items to look for. I have created a customized checklist to guide myself through the process of editing my papers, however I am certain that I will be adding more items to the list as time goes by.

Editing Sheet 

Grammar/Style 

• Review articles (a versus an)
• Review verb tenses 
• Check spelling mistakes 
• Do not start sentences with conjunction
• Review pronouns
• Check dangling modifiers 
• Review compound nouns 
• Do not use contractions

Punctuation

• Check your use of semicolons Nexi!
• Review the use of colons
• Comma splices and usage 
• Review “Pronoun Reference”
• Review punctuation before and after “quotation marks”

Content

• Do I have a strong introduction and conclusion?
• Are my thesis well developed and clear?
• Are my ideas in order?
• Are my paragraphs connecting to the thesis?

Documentation

• Am I documenting my sources well? 
• Check for punctuation and correct format according to the style use, MLA or APA

Another important item to considered when writing a paper is understanding plagiarism, because it is a crime and it can have serious repercussions. What is plagiarism? Well, in my own words, it consists in not giving the proper recognition of the source that created an idea, especially when this idea is used more than once. Thus, we should read the rules and illustrate ourselves in how to quote and make reference to any individual’s work properly. There are different sources online that can help about this subject, as a matter of fact MAIS 606 has great material that talks about plagiarism.  

How can we avoid plagiarism when writing a Summary, response or critique? I would say that one of the best ways is to read the document one time and write what we remember about it without looking at the text. Another idea would be to summarize in one simple sentence each paragraph reads. After all, that is done, we can revise the original text and use the proper quotations from the author that will help us develop our paper further. Finally, quote everyone properly even yourself, remember that it is all about the idea and its proper recognition.