Writing Style - Research Paper Example

The Challenges of Writing Learning to write is a must in education. Like a bird with two wings, every should possess both writing and oral skills to succeed in their endeavor. I have not encountered any student who has not experienced writing, thus it is clear to me that writing is an inevitable part of literacy. In fact, I believe that students with good writing skills have an edge in the academic setting because many assessment methods require the process of writing. Therefore, to attain my goal of obtaining a good academic background, I should take the challenge of continuously improving my writing skills.

For me, the writing process involves several challenges. The first one is organizing ideas. I am lucky to have a teacher in my primary years who emphasized the importance of organization in writing. That teacher taught me that in every composition I make, I should take the initial step of organizing my ideas. I could still remember the exercises we had on outlining, with the main topics and subtopics organized under some roman numerals and letters. This training in writing has been very valuable to me because it makes writing easy.

An organized essay is easier to read and understand. In addition, teachers appreciate an organized essay with the main ideas carefully laid out in separate paragraphs. As I move along in schooling, I learned about the challenge of composing a thesis statement. I believe that training students to make plausible thesis statements should be an important aim of Writing teachers. Teaching students to make thesis statements will enable them to achieve emphasis and organization. Identifying the thesis statement goes along with outlining.

The thesis statement serves as the guide in expounding a topic and composing paragraphs to make up the essay. In my experience, establishing the thesis statement allows me to expound on the topic without going beyond it. Nevertheless, I still have to improve the way I construct a thesis statement and introduce it in the first part of my composition. The next challenge is expounding ideas. Some people find it easy to expound ideas on any topic. Maybe they are gifted with a lot of information to write about.

In my case, I find expounding ideas easy when I am interested in the topic. Personal experience, home decorating, gardening, and entrepreneurship are some topics I find easier to write about, whereas sports, statistics, and environmental issues are some of my waterloos. Academic writing, unlike other forms of writing, also challenges me to use outside sources. Reference materials help in making an essay credible. As a student, I have learned the value of using outside sources to make a good academic essay.

Also, most of my professors require the use of outside sources to evidence research knowledge and skills. Outside sources also assist in expounding ideas. Articles and online books help to present other views on a subject matter, allowing the writer to provide a richer understanding of the topic. Another challenge of writing is, of course, mechanics. Mechanics usually pertain to grammar and transition. A good essay should be free from grammar mistakes because such could destruct readers and affect the way they perceive a written material.

Moreover, ideas should cohere very well. To do this, I use some techniques like numbering (first, second, third, and so on), connectives such as therefore, hence, and so on, and transitional cues such as moreover, furthermore, and many others. Nevertheless, knowledge of these techniques is not enough to make a well-written essay. To address the challenge of having good writing mechanics, one should take the last challenge of reviewing and revising. Reviewing one’s work helps to find out errors in mechanics, organization, and unity.

It also allows the author to revise the essay to achieve better clarity and emphasis of main points. Revising does not mean perfecting the essay, but it helps to make the essay more comprehensible. However, to perfect one’s work, Hatcher and Goddard (2005; p.8) advises to “get some fresh eyes” or a more competent person to review the paper. Responding to the challenges of writing a good academic essay is quite difficult especially with a bereft background. I am fortunate to have obtained a good background in writing to help me succeed in my academic journey.

Nevertheless, I know I still need to improve my skills and practice a lot to gain the rewards because just like any activity, practice improves writing. ReferenceHatcher, D. & Goddard, L. (2005). The writing process: A step-by-step approach for everyday writers. Virginia: Landa Books.On Smartthinking Smartthinking is an amazing Web site. It promotes careful study and diligence. In the past, parents hire tutors for their children to ensure that the kids are doing well in school or coping with their studies.

However, tutors are usually common for guiding young students. As such, higher education students who are experiencing difficulty in their courses are left in the dark to go over a pile of textbooks, which they need to study in order to pass a course. With the presence of Smartthinking, every student, regardless of level, has better chances of surviving in school and even graduating with flying colors. Smartthinking supports the different needs of students. It allows mentoring in writing, tutorial for math subjects, and finding quick answers to assignments.

Specifically, I find the writing assistance to be very unique. In using this service, students gain advice from the tutor about their writing skills and techniques. Unlike other sites that sell custom-made essays, Smartthinking guides students to be responsible for their outputs. In their demonstration, the tutor gives advice on every aspect of the paper, including grammar, content, and mechanics. The tutor does not readily give a negative remark; rather the tutor guides the student to arrive at the best idea.

The concept of Smartthinking is a valuable means to facilitate learning. Guiding students in their school assignment or simply providing further discussions about a topic will make it easier for students to cope with school challenges. Eventually, getting help with their studies will foster interest and inspiration on the part of the students. These benefits are enough to consider making Smartthinking a part of the school curriculum. I believe that schools should have a tool similar to Smartthinking to fully maximize students’ potentials.