5 Tips to Help Your Academic Writing Flow

As a tutor and academic editor, I have edited and proofread dozens (possibly hundreds at this point…) of papers that people are getting ready to submit to their teachers and professors to grade. A lot of folks have the mechanics of writing down, they can write coherent sentences and follow a line of thought, and quite a few use the APA guide well and don’t need much help with formatting.

However, I have noticed that some seem to struggle with getting their paper to “flow”. Their writing seems too mechanical, too technical, and too impersonal. It seems that they are trying too hard to sound academic, and end up sounding like a robot.

As I communicated with several of the people I edited for, I have been able to identify some practical tips for helping your writing “flow”. I received positive feedback on these tips and have even seen my return customers improve their writing, which has led their papers to need less editing and rewriting to occur. 

After you write your paper, go through it yourself using the following tips:

1.    Read it out loud. Yes, I know it sounds a little weird and that you will feel weird doing this, but it works. This was advice that was given to me by one of my undergrad professors, and it has been the most useful skill I acquired as an undergrad.  Why?  You will hear issues in the text that you don’t see. These can include things like proper use of was/were, tense agreement, run-on sentences, and half -finished thoughts.
2.  If you are using the semi-colon, make sure you actually need it. A semi-colon is used if you can end a sentence but choose not to. This does not, however, give you permission to write run on sentences. In my experience, you shouldn’t use it if you can just as easily create two sentences. I don’t want to be that person, but I will say it: Don’t use the semicolon. At. All. It’s too easy to mis-use.
3.   Are you sure about your commas? Comma usage is another common issue I see in manuscripts. Either people are overusing them, misplacing them, or not using them at all. Comma usage is an area where reading out loud will really help you out. Don’t take a breath or pause unless you see a comma (or a period), if you find yourself pausing or needing to breath mid-sentence, double check to see if it makes sense for a comma to be inserted where you had to pause. If not, then  you have a run on sentence, and need to split the big, long sentence into two or three smaller ones.
4.  Write with your own, original voice. Don’t try to be someone, or something that you are not. As you read out loud, ask yourself: If I was having a conversation with my best friend/professor/mom/a real live person, would I say it like that? If not, rewrite.Write it like you would say it!
5. My final piece of advice is this: Get someone to proofread and edit it that is invested in helping you succeed, even if that means correcting you. Your family and friends will want you to feel good, be successful, and be happy. Be sure that they are aware that you want constructive criticism, not a cheerleader.

Good luck in your writing! 

Unscheduled

I accidentally took a hiatus for a couple weeks from the blog here.

We got notice that a new apartment was available that we had been on a waitlist for. We'd been on this list for almost a year, and finally got it. So life has been all about getting home from work and working on moving. Not to mention the whole changing the utilities and not having internet for a few days. This time around, however, was the easiest transition to internet ever. The dude came, plugged it in, and it worked. Magically. We've always had some issue or another when it comes to internet. I'm super happy this wasn't the case this time around.

This new place has a washer dryer, but more about that later. It also has an outdoor space, and for those of you that know me this is a HUGE deal.

So, apologies for the absence, and keep coming back here. I've got some posts ready and waiting to be written and read!

On Writers Block

I sat down to write and completely blanked. Nothing. No ideas, no inspiration, can’t even remember what happened five minutes ago. This has been a problem for the past 3 weeks. 

                There are a lot of folks out there who try to help this sort thing. Ideas to overcome“writers block”  or lists of writing prompts to get you going. Stuff like that. I even found a list of blog post ideas recently. You’re supposed to use them when you don’t know what to blog about.

                And you know what? Sometimes you just have to write.

It can be horrible writing. It can make you depressed that you are actually trying to write about that topic and no one would ever enjoy reading it because you don't even like writing it. BUT you are writing. You have to slog through the slow times, the terrible writing, and the staring at the blank Word document for extended periods of time in order to get around to the good stuff.

You have to be able to write poorly in order to write excellently. Get the bad out, so there is room for the good to develop.

Get out there and JUST WRITE!

 (You may be wondering how I keep publishing while I can't seem to write. I write in bursts, three or four posts at a time, then schedule them. I'm often at least a month ahead on posts, and have a file of potential post ideas, outlines, and quick writes,  just in case this sort of thing happens.)

An Experiment

Tonight Mabels came into the Lair and asked what was up. I told her I wanted to write but wasn't sure if the words would come out (I have that problem). I handed her the computer, not really expecting much to happen because I'm pretty sure I've tried that before.

Much to my surprise, and concern, Mabels typed for a good 20 minutes before handing the computer back to me.

She read this part of what I had written:

"Marty hesitated before relaxing again. This girl was crazy. But she made his P spike, so  he didn’t want to write her off entirely. She made him feel better than any other girl had in a long time. After another moment of contemplation Marty relaxed too.

He was Marty Hale, after all, a legend."

And this is what Mabels came up with:
 

*flashback* The air was thick with the stench of war and death.  Marty was the only one left.  He knew what he had to do, though he did not know how.  He picked up his father’s sword, still dripping with the patriarchs blood. Determined and with nothing to lose, Marty ran toward the evil warlord Shablooka.  He had caught the dark one off guard! This was his only chance.  The sword slid surprisingly easily through the seemingly thick skin.  Shablooka fell to the ground. 

*present* He was known throughout the nation as the man who defeated the evil warlord Shablooka.  A simple girl and her wild plan to defeat the Pinheads in the greatest bowling tournament should not be a problem. 

“All right.  Let’s do it,” Marty said.  Just the look on her face at his decision was worth the sacrifice he was about to make.

“This is the right thing to do,” she said, excitement in her voice.  “Let’s get started.”

I laughed so hard I started crying. Needless to say, I love my Mabels.