THE 6 TRAITS OF WRITING

1. THE 6 TRAITS OF WRITING • Ideas • Organization • Word Choice • Sentence Fluency • Voice • Conventions

2. IDEAS Good writing has clear ideas, a purpose, or focus. It should have specific ideas and details.

3. If you don’t care about what you write about, your reader will be bored!

4. IDEAS & CONTENT A writer should: • Narrow the topic to something specific • Use a fresh, original perspective • When possible, write from experience • Use important, interesting details • (not just common knowledge)

5. ORGANIZATION Writing should have a beginning, middle, and an ending and be well organized and easy to follow.

6. ORGANIZATION A writer should: • Use a catchy lead that hooks the reader • Use logical and effective order, structure, & sequence • Use smooth transitions to emphasize main idea • Place supporting details where they are most appropriate • Use a conclusion that gives the reader a sense of resolution (clincher)

7. WORD CHOICE Good writing has specific nouns and verbs and strong words that deliver the writer's message. “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” --Anton Chekhov

8. WORD CHOICE A writer should: • Use words that create a mental picture for the reader • Use powerful action verbs (vivid verbs) • Use specific nouns and adjectives • Use language that is natural and not overdone • Be concise (tighten sentences) • Use words correctly • Avoid repetition, slang, and clichés

9. SENTENCE FLUENCY Sentences should vary in length, with a variety of sentence beginnings. The writing should flow smoothly from sentence to sentence. “To me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make.” --Truman Capote

10. SENTENCE FLUENCY A writer should: • Vary sentence beginning, structure, and length • Use complete sentences (subject and predicate) • Use transitions to promote flow from sentence to sentence AND paragraph to paragraph

11. VOICE Your writing should connect with your audience, fit your purpose for writing, and reveal your voice.

12. VOICE A writer should: • Write honestly and from the heart • Interact with the reader • without using YOU • Use language that brings the topic to life • Care about topic • Use expression to voice personality

13. And lastly… CONVENTIONS

14. CONVENTIONS Strong writing is edited for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling so the writer's ideas are easily understood.

15. CONVENTIONS A writer should: • Turn in a clean, edited, and polished final draft • Reinforce the organization with good paragraphing • Use correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar

16. QUOTATIONS TO INSPIRE “ What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” - Samuel Johnson “ We write to taste life twice.” ~ Anais Nin

17. WORKS CITED “Grammar Cartoons.” Google Images. 6 July 2005. <www.images.google.com/images?synum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=grammar+cartoons>. Great Source I-Write. “The Six Traits of Effective Writing.” 10 September 2009. <http://www.greatsource.com/iwrite/educators/e_six_traits.html>. Roberts, Bethany. "Writing for Children Workshop: Writing Quotes."16 June 2005. < http://www.bethanyroberts.com/writing_quotes.htm>. Spandel, Vicki. Creating Writers Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, 2001. Steele, Kimberly. “Ideas for Teaching Writing.” 23 June 2004. 6 July 2005. <www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/menu.html.>