word* possible? If not. change them Does
each sentence you have written precisely
convey the meaning you intended’’ If not,
try again "Good writing is extraordinari
ly time-consuming,” observes Richard
Marius, director of Harvard's Kxpository
Writing Program. "You have to sit and
shut out the rest of the world "
And remember: spelling and grammar
do count—not because they satisfy what
UT's Trimble calls "formalistic old fuddy
duddies," but because they help clarify and
refine meaning "I smelled the oysters go
ing down the stairs for dinner"—a student
solecism supplied by the Universityof Wis
consin’s Madison campus writing lab—
does not convey what the writer meant
a Rssd year press aloud. This is a most useful
way to determine whether your writing is
awkward or stilted If it sounds strange or
incomprehensible to your ear, it probably
will strike the reader the same way. This is
also an excellent exercise for checking the
rhythms of your writing. If every single
sentence is a simple declarative statement
lor, alternatively, too long and convoluted >,
you will hear it immediately—and In* able
to vary your pace to muke it better.
a Predict You learn to write by reading
and writing as much as you can English
&
courses are not the only places to work on
your writing: strive for the same tight
thinking, the same clarity and even ele
gance of expression by writing for your
biology or business or art classes—-even if
no writing is formally required It’s not
simply a matter of honing the skill The
discipline of writing also forces you to think
in a way that enhances your learning. And
although many students—and even some
professors—contend that writing is not
useful in disciplines outside English, that is
arrant nonsense. It is no accident that an
economist like John Kenneth Galbraith
and scientists like Lewis Thomas and Ste
phen Jay Gould are renowned in their re
spective fields They have mastered the art
of communicating difficult disciplines to
nonspecialists with grace, lucidity and wit.
■ Seek criticism If you can’t get harried
professors to critique your writing, don’t
despair Many schools maintain one-on
one tutorial programs that will help with
everything from a term paper to a cover
letter for a job application. Wisconsin’s
writing lab, for instance, operates much
like u clinic: students make ap
poi rumen is wun instructors
who examine their work close
ly, then work with them on
their weaknesses. Even if your
school does not have such a re
source, don't give up. Ask
friends und classmates to read
your work—and be honest in
their reactions.
Remember, there are no
set formulas for good writing.
Many students arrive at college
with the notion, imparted in
high school, that the perfect es
say is exactly five paragraphs
long with five sentences within
each paragraph Too many
"have no conception that you can think or
write in any other way,” says Princeton
writing instructor Madeleine Picciotto.
"That's what got them A’s in high school—
a certain kind of pompous, pretentious,
automatic writing.” In fact, of course, there
is no easy formula. Good writing involves
rigorous thought, a lot of work and—at its
very best—the inspiration and courage to
take some risks. Economist Galbraith, who
cautions that he never achieves his won
derful "spontaneity” of expression before
the seventh revision, quotes an editor he
once worked for: "Anyone whosays writing
is easy iseitherabad writer or an unregen
erate liar.”
Mickriul ShkilswiM Alan Dkutschman
in Princeton. N.J, Tim KKU.EY in .Uadl.mn, His.
Bit n Sh kk wood in Cambridge, Mass.,
and Kki.lv Knox m Austin, Texas
You learn to write by
reading and writing as
much as you can. Try
practicing your skills
even in courses
where writing is not
formally required