Having now seen samples of student writing, I can see that there are common areas of need. Previously, I spoke of the need for more substance, detail, specifics, vividness.
The other area of need is Writer's Voice.
What is Writer's Voice? It is the spark of personality in a person's writing. It is enthusiasm or mood. It is the emotional connection the writer brings to the writing so that the reader feels it too. To many students, I am advising: 'make the moment come alive for your reader'! Not just through providing details but through providing feeling.
Here is another interpretation of 'where's the beef?'. The writing is not only missing detail as 'the beef' but also EMOTION. All I'm being served is a white fluffy bun...blah, how boring! Give me a big, juicy hamburger with all the fixings! A dash of hot sauce! Basil! Fancy gorgonzola cheese! Give me so many onions on top I can't help but cry!
Make the moment come alive for your reader.
I get the sense for many students that writing has become rote. Yes, there are formulas to certain writing forms. Yes, you need a title, a main idea, supporting details, etc. But you can still, within that framework, add some jazz and some spice and some of your personality to the mix.
To encourage a sense of expression, I have introduced Independent Writing Journals. These are free writing journals. Students are given a topic or prompt, or they can choose their own topic. The objective is to explore it freely through writing, vering off topic as the energy of one's interest shifts. You write for 10 minutes straight, just getting it down, not worrying about anything but connecting to your ideas via the pencil and page.
We need to flex our expression muscles so that we can bring it to bear on our more formal pieces.
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