Writing Workshop

1. Writing Workshop Priscilla L. Griffith, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma pgriffith@ou.edu Slide 1

2. Workshop Goals • Organizing information • Writing a report • Grammar Slide 2

3. Drafting Revising The Writing Process Organizing Editing Slide 3

4. Organizing Developing a plan for producing the report

5. Collecting Information • Determining Goal • Identifying Audience • Identifying an Organizational Pattern • Organizing the Content

6. Organizing: Collecting Information • Field Notes • Accurate • Thorough • Specific • Focus in with a magnifying glass rather than out with a telescope

7. Organizing: Field Note Techniques • Back-up tape recording • Frequent clarifying with the client • Repeat back what the client said • Ask probing questions – questions that elicit information, but do not “put words in the client’s mouth” • What do you mean exactly? • Could you please explain that? • Could you be more specific about that? • Tell me about that: What, who, why, how? • Would you tell me how you mean that? • What else? • Can you think of an example?

8. Field Notes, cont. • Summarize at apparent transitions • Member checking at the end • Summarize what will go in the report – you are beginning to see categories of information • Is there anything else I should add? • Ask client to hold thoughts as you write, or cue on tape recorder and in your notes at content to include in the report • Separate section of notes with date, who was present (verify spelling of names), location, additional relevant contextual information

9. Organizing: Determining the Goal • Provide information • Outline instructions or procedures • Explain or justify decisions and actions • Motivate • Persuade • Document • Evaluate

10. Organizing: Audience Who are the potential readers? Collecting and Evaluating field notes • What will the reader already know? • What content might be confusing? • What might you need to do to help the reader’s comprehension? • Are there technical terms, concepts, abbreviations, and acronyms that need to be explained?

11. Organizing:Organizational Pattern A Basic Roadmap • Begin with a topic sentence or paragraph informing the reader of your subject, what you want to say and why. • Provide details to support or clarify your initial statement. • End with a conclusion that completes your thought and may include recommendations, solutions, or calls for action. Do not introduce new ideas or additional details. Your closing must complete your thoughts.

12. BEGINNING MIDDLE END

13. Organizational Patterns: Middle You are passing on information. Determine the best way to do that. • Time Order: first, next, then, after, following, last • Problem – Solution • Cause – Effect • Description • Is there an organizational pattern specific to your work?

14. Organizing: Content • Sort information into categories • Main ideas • Supporting details for each main idea • Determine logical sequence for categories • Cluster or outline the content • Memo and mark field notes as you sort information

15. Drafting Revising Drafting and Revising Recursive Processes

16. Drafting and Revising GETTING THE IDEAS DOWN MAKING THE WRITING BETTER • Reader friendly language • Avoid verbose/pretentious language • Avoid casual language • Take out the “makes” • Use directional, coordinating, and subordinating words

17. More Drafting and Revising • Effective Sentences • Vary sentence structures • Limit sentence length to between 10 and 20 words • Use active and passive voice appropriately • Maintain parallel structure • Be aware of common sentence problems, e.g., misplaced modifiers or dangling modifiers.

18. More Drafting and Revising • Effective paragraphs • Paragraphs serve functions: introductory, supporting, concluding (Think beginning, middle, end.) • A paragraph should begin with a sentence that conveys a main idea or important detail or element of the message. • Smaller pieces of information are often easier to digest and allow the reader to more readily absorb the information.

19. Editing/Proofreading FINE-TUNING THE DOCUMENT SOME HINTS • Spell checkers only identify misspellings. • Check pronouns for agreement in number and person, and for clear referents. • Know yourself as a writer, and look for frequent errors. (I tend to type your for you. A spell checker will not catch this error.)

20. Editing/Proofreading • Common proofreading errors include • Letter and space omissions • Punctuation errors • Spelling errors/right spelling, wrong word • Grammar and usage errors • Pronoun errors • Word omissions • Incorrect dates, telephone and fax numbers, or e-mail addresses • Reversed numbers

21. Revising/Editing • Proofreading techniques • Previewing • Line-by-line review • Reverse line-by-line review

22. E-mail • Good writing is good writing. What applies to report writing applies to many e-mail messages. • Create precise, attention-getting subject lines • Limit each message to one subject • Provide the most important information first. • Do not send messages composed in anger or in direct response to insulting messages. • Edit and proofread for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and usage.

23. More on e-mail • Consider what the reader already knows or needs to know about the topic. • Consider who will read the message (that is multiple readers). • Be sure the purpose is clearly stated in the subject line.