STUDENT Learning Centre

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

WRITING CHECKLIST

IMPROVING YOUR WRITING

Here is a checklist of points which can improve your writing ability.

Clarify the details of your assignment if there is anything you are not sure about. This may mean consulting dictionaries, looking at general texts, asking your lecturer or discussing the topic with friends. Think of writing as a process and get started on an assignment early in the semester by making a realistic time schedule for accomplishing the three steps of planning, writing and revising.

PLANNING

Do some brainstorming about your topic as part of the planing process. Remember that spending some time planning your paper will save you time and agony in writing it. Organise your ideas into several "areas" for consideration in your essay. Research with the purpose of collecting material for each of these areas.

WRITING

Try to write that first draft without editing and agonizing over every sentence. The first draft is your opportunity to get your ideas on paper so that you can see how they are starting to shape up. Do not worry about grammar and punctuation while you create - leave that for the revising stage. Remember to put aside your first draft for at least a full day after writing it, before you begin revising. The longer you can leave it before revising, the more objective you can be about it and the more effective you will be in detecting problems.

REVISING

Put some time, effort and thought into the revising process. Remember that 'revising' does not mean 'recopying'. Most professional writers do several drafts of any piece of writing. Proofread your final draft carefully before submitting, even if it was typed by a professional. Most lecturers would prefer to see you correct a typo with a pen than to assume you were careless enough not to catch it. Do not trust the spell checker on your computer to find everything.

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/06/2006 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A

When your paper is evaluated and returned, read the comments thoroughly. Ask the marker to explain what he or she meant by a particular note if you don't understand. Try to pick one or two consistent errors on each paper, and aim to improve or correct them on your next paper (see Student Learning Centre grammar brochures). If you can recognise and eliminate even one type of problem each time, you are well on your way to becoming a more effective writer.

Based on a handout from ACUE Adelaide University.

STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE STUDENT CENTRE, LEVEL ONE TELEPHONE: 61-8-8201 2518 FAX: 61-8-8201 3839 E-MAIL slc@flinders.edu.au INTERNET http://www.flinders.edu.au/SLC POSTAL PO BOX 2100, ADELAIDE, SA 5001

STUDY SKILLS BROCHURE SLC/06/2006 CRICOS Registered Provider: The Flinders University of South Australia CRICOS Provider Number: 00114A