1. Ideas about Writing Writing, like talking, is a form of communication. Unlike a conversation, however, you cannot rely on visual cues or questions of clarification from the listener.

2. “You shouldn’t think of writing as something that magically emerges from the hands of people who have great talent.” That’s true of great writers, but we are not talking about great writers. We want to be good writers, competent writers, writers who can use writing to communicate.

3. It was Thomas Alva Edison (an elementary-school dropout) who said, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” All of us can write, provided we’re willing to keep working at it.

4. Ideas about Writing Producing good writing involves a series of steps. Your first draft is just that -- a draft and subject to significant improvement. These steps include: Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, and Editing

5. Ideas about Writing There is a commonly believed myth about writing that you put pen to paper write your essay and if it’s good you have talent and should continue writing; if it’s not so good, you don’t have talent and probably should write as little as possible. This myth is doubly harmful. First it will stop you from learning how to become a good writer. Second there are fewer and fewer jobs today where you can get away with not being a competent writer.

6. Strive to write concisely and without pretension; find your own voice. Writing should be like art or a well-tuned machine. There are no wasted lines or parts. Strunk & White

7. For most people, it takes multiple drafts to bring a paper up to a satisfactory standard. Isaac Asimov could write a publishable science fiction novel in about one month. His first draft was good enough to be his final draft. Most of us are not Isaac Asimov. It requires multiple drafts with help from your instructor. James Joyce took four years to write one of the greatest books of the 20 th Century.

8. An important point: When you care about a topic, you’ll do a better job with your writing. It is much easier to write and you write more effectively when the subject is meaningful to you. For example, it is much easier to write about getting to drive a Lamborghini or having just bought one! It is much easier to write about the problems on Interstate 25 if you commute to Denver each day.