As teachers, we are no strangers to the fact that our students' writing abilities are in decline. There could be multiple causes to this phenomenon: be it the new DSE syllabus, the rise of instant messaging, or the general view that writing well is no longer necessary in the digital age. However, this is not the topic of discussion for this piece. Instead, I am going to offer my advice, from experience, on how to get started with becoming a better writer. If a student ever approaches you for advice on how to improve his/her writing, and you are not a language teacher, you may provide him/her with the following tips.
Copy the work of others
That's right. Tell your students to copy the work of others. Of course, by copying I do not mean to pass off others' ideas as their own. That is plagiarism. And I do not mean to merely copy and paste others' work into a Word document by hitting Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. What I meant was to copy the words with pen and paper as a form of writing practice – copywork .
We are all familiar with copywork as it used to be the standard way we learned how to write in primary school. However, educators began to shift away from this method, believing that mere imitation was not the best way to teach children how to write well. But if you were to ask many of the famous writers they would tell you one of the best ways to improve their writing is by copy work and they all practiced it in their amateur years.
Why is copywork effective?
It improves style. As you copy the greats, you will slowly find yourself noticing the different elements of the writers' unique, but often subtle writing styles, which in turn will almost imperceptibly become absorbed into your own style.
It improves word choice and syntax. An important part of the writers' styles is their word choice and syntax. The act of copying allows you to see how the masters carefully choose and arrange words for maximum impact.
It improves paragraphs. Two areas of writing that many students have trouble with are how to organize paragraphs and how to make the transition from one paragraph to the next. Copywork gives them an in-depth view of how great writers organize their thoughts.
It improves spelling and grammar. You should copy only the works of established writers whose works have been rigorously edited and proofread. By doing so, you will get to practice your spelling as well as the mechanics of good punctuation and grammar.
How to get started
Choose a writer that inspires you. You are going to be spending a lot of time with these guys, so you want to pick someone who has a style you genuinely enjoy and that truly inspires you.
Handwrite. Studies have shown that handwriting provides a myriad of cognitive benefits. We actually learn better and think clearer when we write by hand.
Start with shorter passages and slowly work your way up to longer pieces. Poems and aphorisms are good places to start. After that, move on to short stories and from there to whole books.
And finally, set aside time each day for it . This technique only works if you are willing to put in the effort and time to practice.