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Writing Skill
1. Definition: The skill or ability of putting letters, words or other symbols on a surface usually on a paper is called writing skill.
2. Importance of Writing: Writing is one of the important communication skills. Francis Bacon, English essayist, says, “Reading makes
a full man, Writing makes an exact man”. It shows that how much writing is important. Although the people spend most of their time
in listening and speaking but still they give at least 6% of their daily time to writing. Whenever some important information is
conveyed, it is always conveyed in written form because it provides a permanent record. All famous organizations need talented
writers for proper documentations. Like other skills, writing also needs practice and training. Unlike listening and reading skill,
writing is a productive skill because we produce new and new information and ideas through it. Moreover, it has become a
profession and a source of income for many people. There are three elements of writing which every writer must keep in mind i.e.
clarity, grace and precision. One key to successful writing is the ability to write in multiple forms and for a variety of purposes.

3. Purposes of Writing: Authors write for many different reasons. These reasons are called the author's purposes. Depending on the
purpose, authors choose different writing formats, genres and languages. A simple trick to summarize author's three main purposes
is to use the abbreviation “PIE”. It actually means to Persuade, to Inform and to Entertain.

4. Principles Of Good Writing: The following are the principles of good writing:
1. Know the Purpose of writing: Firstly, writer must know the purpose why he is writing. There can be countless purposes of writing.
Then, he writes accordingly.
2. Think about the Reader: Secondly, writer must think about the reader of the message. Is he his boss, subordinate, friend,
student, customer, officer or a common man? Similarly, for effective writing, he must also keep in mind his reader’s age,
qualification, needs, culture, social status. It will help in better selection of words.
3. Collection of Contents/information: It means collecting information that writer wants to convey to the reader. It is the soul of
whole writing activity. It depends upon the purpose of writing. It should follow the principles of 7 C’s too.
4. Arrangement of information in proper order: The information or material which the writer collects is in disorganized form. Now
is the step to arrange the information in proper order. He should go through the process of selecting and rejecting. Important
things should be arranged first and then other relevant information.
5. Understandable, Mature and Interesting Style: Every writer has his or her own style of writing. An easy style has a quick impact.
Clarity and brevity are most needed. Style should be such that it can be understood on the first reading.
6. Come Straight to The Point: Busy people don’t have the time to read long documents. So, writer should come to the point.
7. Remember KISS Principle: “Keep it short & simple” means sentences/words should be short & simple.
8. Use Active, Not Passive Voice:
9. Use Right, respectful and courteous Tone: Tone of the writer should show respect and courtesy e.g. instead of saying/writing
“sit down”, he can say/write “take a seat, please”.

5. Types/Techniques/Kinds Of Writing: There are four main types of writing:

1. Narrative Writing: It is a type of writing in which the author tells a story. The story could be a fact or fiction. In many ways, it is
the easiest kind of writing because everyone enjoys telling, hearing and writing stories. Narratives must have a clear beginning,
middle and end. Short stories, novels, anecdotes and biographies are all examples of narrative writing.
2. Descriptive Writing: It is a type of writing in which the writer paints a picture for the reader. Its main purpose is to describe a
person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in reader’s mind. Character sketches and description of daily
events are the examples of descriptive writing.
3. Expository Writing: It is a type of writing in which author’s purpose is to inform or explain the subject/topic to the reader.
Encyclopedia entries, text books, news reports, informative essays and research papers are the examples of expository writing.
4. Persuasive Writing: It is a type that states the opinion of the writer and influences or persuades the reader. It tries to convince
the reader of a particular opinion. It is the most difficult to do well because it requires broad knowledge of the subject, strong
convictions, logical thinking, proofs, facts and technical skills. Literary essays, advertisements, philosophical books and even
some movies are its examples.

6. The Writing Process: Good writers go through several steps to produce a good piece of writing besides just putting words together.
1. Pre-writing: It means preparation and planning before writing. A well-planned writing will be informative, interesting and
organized. Unplanned writing will be disorganized and boring. It is the planning about size, material, format and style etc.
2. Writing a First Draft: No two people prepare their first draft in the same way. Here, writer prepares a rough sketch of his
message. After planning what to write, he starts writing it in the form of related sentences or paragraphs. He begins to develop
his ideas. He tries to organize his thoughts and explains examples and key ideas. He wants to include all the information which
he gathered about the subject before writing. He should move from point to point in detail.

Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur

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3. Reviewing/Editing and Revising: After drafting, now is the step to revise and, if necessary, edit it. The purpose of revising is to
improve the worth and quality of information. During revision and reviewing, writer selects and rejects the information. He can
add totally new information or delete some part of it for adding some new. Similarly, he can change wording and structure of
the sentences too. He should consider 7 C’s too. Revising and editing makes the writing an organized writing.
4. Proofreading: It is the step of polishing the document. After reviewing and revising, writer should read and check it again
(proofread) for errors in grammar, usage, punctuation, capitalization, line spacing, paragraphing, spelling and typography etc. It
is vital step in writing process.

7. Problems/Barriers in Writing: While writing, mostly writers face many problems which hampers them from effective writing.
1. Noise 5. No motivation 9. Distractions
2. Lack of tools for writing 6. Handicap 10. No background studies
3. No proper training for writing 7. Failure to seek help 11. No Practice
4. Discouragement 8. Lack of confidence 12. Poor handwriting

8. Techniques to Improve Writing Skill: By following techniques, we can easily polish or improve or writing skill.
1. Learn basic principles/rules of writing 11. Avoid metaphorical language
2. Write daily like it’s your job 12. Edit, edit, edit and revise
3. Find a partner and write in competition 13. Don’t afraid, write what comes in your mind
4. Join a workshop 14. Pick up a simple topic and make a story
5. Read/Judge the writing that you admire and like 15. Share your writing with others and get comments
6. Imitate writers you admire and like 16. Don’t get distracted
7. Remove unnecessary or irrelevant words 17. Use wide vocabulary but don’t complicate things
8. Research on the given topic 18. Read more (books, magazines, newspapers etc.
9. Use active voice, not passive 19. Master up English spelling, grammar
10. Avoid clichés (e.g. it was a dark and stormy night, once 20. Use Oxford Learners’ dictionary for proper usages
upon a time, …it is called...)
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Composed by M. Khalid (Lecturer in English) Govt. Postgraduate College, Haripur