Learn to write like a pro!

Ever wonder why some people can write something and people will flock to them, while other people can't get a response? Would you like to know how to attract people to whatever it is you're writing? Well, maybe this can help!
One of the firstthings we need to do is dispel some myths about writing. One of the most prevalent myths is that you are either a writer, or you are not - like a gift that's been given to you at birth. Yes, some people do have inborn talent. But without work and development, guess what? They're no better off than you or me! We can all, to one extent or another, develop the skills we need to gemunicate effectively to others.
Some other myths:


Writing is very hard. Well, I won't kid you - writing is work. But so are all the other things in life we do - walking, driving, typing, repairing, etc. Think how much work each of those were to learn until you mastered them. And you can masterwriting - trust me!

Writing is useless for me. Not really! Think of all the times you've had to produce some piece of writing. Hey, you're here on okay - that means you've had to write something sometime! Not only that, writing well allows you to help others - your children, friends, family, etc. It's good to know how to write!

Writing is only for business and school, not real life. Again, sure it is! Job applications, ads, okay descriptions - all of these things rely on being able to gemunicate effectively.
So how do we develop these skills? First of all, by believing we can. Without that belief, we're sunk from the start! Then, we have some things we need to determine to help us write this final product:


What are we trying to gemunicate? This will determine what information we need to gather. Brainstorm by asking yourself questions when ideas quit geing. Freewrite on a piece of paper without stopping to unlock more ideas. Ask questions, lots of questions! That's all research really is - questions which we're trying to answer. Go and get the answers to those questions.

Collect all the information. Take notes on notecards about statistics, good information, useful quotes, any other tidbits you think will be useful. Make sure you also collect the information on the site/book/newspaper/magazine to which you'll need to give credit, if needed.

Take those notes. See where the information is starting to take you. You may not end up going there, but it's good to see how much more information you might need to gather.

Consider audience and purpose. Think of the three ways speakers try to sway audiences: pathos (emotion), logos, (logic), and ethos (sense of right and wrong). What would work best with your audience - one, two, or all three approaches? You also need to know why you're writing this. Do you want to persuade someone to do something (like buy your stuff on okay!)? Do you want to just simply inform them? Or do you want to entertain your audience? Maybe your approach will incorporate one, two, or all three of those purposes.

After all of this, organize! Put notecards in order. Start with the body of the paper - do you know that most people freeze up at the beginning of the paper? So, don't start with the intro! After all, how can you freeze if you're not writing the intro???

Then, write away! And realize you will NOT be perfect the first time around. If you're like me, you're not perfect the fiftieth time around! But that's OK - that's why "revision" is such a great word!! So proofread, proofread, proofread! A couple of handy tricks: First, have a friend read it over. Your friend didn't write it so therefore can look at your writing more objectively. If a friend isn't around, trick number two is to read your piece of writing backward. Yes, you heard me right. Backward. Being forced to read something in an unfamiliar way makes our eyes really read the words, instead of just going on "automatic pilot" when reading the text the way we're used to doing.
You can, if you practice enough, learn to be an effective writer and gemunicate well in the written word - take my word for it! I've been teaching writing for a few years, and I can assure you that anyone can learn to write, and write well. So get out there and write!
Some other helpful links:
Books on okay: general site for all kinds of books
Textbooks/Education on okay: a more specific site to get you to handbooks on writing