EFFECTIVE WRITING SKILLS

Writing Skills:
The art of expressing ideas or to convey any specific matter to any concerned authority in written form on hard copy in an effective, comprehensive and cohesive manner with a courteous tone that creates a favorable impression on the reader comprise the effective writing skills Skills and talent is the gift of Allah Almighty. Anyone who is blessed with this trait can never remain unsuccessful in this world and as a matter of fact if someone lacks such quality or is skill-deficient in any regard then solution to every difficulty and problem is always there. Only there should be a positive approach towards each and every side of life. Deficiency in having particular skill and lack of talent does not mean that nothing can be done. Skills can be gained and talent can be developed, all to do is to practice consistently by the urge to acquire some skill. For a person deficient in having effective writing skills can acquire this important skill by consistency in struggle and practicing hard. Practice means reading books and consistent struggle in writing. By doing so repeatedly and constantly with motivation, one can surely become the master of effective writing skills.

Importance of Effective Writing:

Possessing effective writing skills are very important for succeeding every instant of life as they are involved in every instant like schools, colleges, universities, institutions, business platforms infact at every stage of life. Communication with people either orally or in written form is a desirable quality. Anyone who can do so effectively surely possesses a highly valuable skill. Effective writing skills are a sure way of succeeding and convincing the reader by conveying the matter efficiently as it develops curiosity in the mind of the reader to inquire of what is written ahead and he goes through the content word by word, ultimately the credibility goes high. On the other hand, if the written content is not so effective like if mistakes are there and repetition of words then will ultimately deviate the reader and will irritate him causing less or no credit to the written material. Therefore the stress lies on the right side of the writing skills; that should have attraction and convincing approach. Importance of writing well cannot be denied at any stage of life, they are an important asset like:

In Profession:
Good writing skills are important when any job involves writing therefore there should be a firm grip on this skill as profession requires written

communication. In profession there is not necessary that all the work to be done will be of speech alone, written communication is involved in any case, if there are business proposals to be made to other organizations therefore the one who has poor writing skills might convey wrong message that will ultimately lead to the rejection of the proposal. Hence good writing skills are essential.

Credibility:
A person possessing good writing skills is considered valuable and ultimately his success ratio is greater as compared to others.

In Academic Life:
Possessing these skills is a sure way to success in the every stage of academic life. The person is valued and respected. Similarly after completion of the academic period, that person is instantly selected at governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Respect:
Excellent writing gains respect whereas if the written content is difficult to understand then it leaves a bad impression on the reader regarding the efficiency of the writer.

In Competitive Examinations:
Essay Writing and Comprehension Writing is involved in all Competitive Examinations, therefore the one who possesses the effective writing skills will conquer that ground.

In Scientific Papers and Research work:

Scientific and technological research work cannot be communicated verbally or orally only, but they have to be presented in written form like as in scientific journals and research papers and the scientific concepts should be written in a presentable manner because poor written content can diminish the reputation of the group or the individual that has brought forward the scientific research.

Government and International Affairs:

Effective writing skills are important and needed in every sector of government to communicate among the different ministries, provinces and federal to bring about the report about every activity being done and the proposals to be accomplished ahead. Similarly superior writing skills are involved in the international affairs, that is, agreements between the nations. This is very sensitive platform because there should be extreme care regarding the critical points and no misinterpretation or ambiguity should be there. International affairs include the treaties, trade agreements, alliances and other.

Features of Effective Writing:

Effective writing means to convey thoughts, facts and ideas in simple and clear language. For a letter or a comprehension to be effective, some factors are taken into account that makes it attractive, easy to read, present in a decent and mannerable way and avoid the annoyance of the reader such as language should be correct, the tone courteous, the sentences cohesive, the matter complete and the message clear. Similarly certain qualities evaluate the written content or material to be effective, they are enumerated as under: 1) Clarity of idea or purpose 2) Planning and Organizing the writing 3) Correctness of the written material 4) Conciseness of the content 5) Completeness 6) Courteous Tone 7) Cohesiveness of Idea 8) Creating Favorable Impression on the Reader These are the main components of effectiveness and completeness of any written material and they should be followed and implied by the writer so then only his effort can be appreciated and can attract the attention of the reader. They are specifically observed in the formal letter writing which is exchanged among different business and Government organizations for specific plans, proposals, new ideas, exchanging information, etc.

1. Clarity:
The first rule of writing a good letter is that whatever is to be written or discussed in the letter should convey a clear message and purpose to the reader. Clear writing is that which the reader can understand easily and there should be no doubt in his mind as to what the message is. Clarity comes by clarity in the line of thinking i.e. whatsoever is the purpose or idea it must be pondered upon and a clear line has to be developed on which the content is to be structured , only then the clarity in the right sense can be achieved.

2. Planning and Organizing the Writing:

Before writing about any concerned theory or agenda one must know the importance of structure and the need for planning both content to be written and the time. Likewise the content should be precise eliminating all the unnecessary details and ideas but covering all the main and essential points, no matter how long the written content may be but it should justify the purpose and agenda. While writing develop an outline to help stay online while it is being written identifying the main points and conclusions.

First give the reader an introduction about what is going to be discussed i.e the purpose of the statement giving intention of the written content. Secondly, after the introduction the body must present the evidence that supports the writer's idea giving concrete examples and generalities must be avoided. In the last, summarize and the sense of the evidence presented in the body be made.

3. Correctness:
Mistakes although made unintentionally but they not only irritate the reader but also make him lose faith in the efficiency of the writer therefore the correctness of the written content is essential. Hence every letter should be written carefully and at the end a peer review be made for the check of mistakes if any.

4. Completeness:
The letter must be brief and concise but complete. It is not necessary that the content of the material to be written must be detailed neither it is necessary that a letter must always be concise but is should be long enough to achieve its purpose. If it does so, then it is said to be concise as well as complete.

5. Conciseness:
Conciseness of the letter is important as well because mostly for the reader, there is not time enough for him to go through the detailed content therefore the material should be concise and to the point i.e. highlighting the main points and avoiding unnecessary details.

6. Courtesy:
Courtesy in the content to be written should be followed that consists in using such words and sentences that indicate a polite attitude towards the other person. Polite and respective behaviour is loved by everyone and it is the main and important feature of communication in Governmental and Non-Governmental organizations and business platforms. Courteous behaviour also indicates the avoidance of the words and phrases that may offend the reader.

7. Cohesiveness or Coherence:
There should be a steady and regular flow of idea along the whole content so that it may help the reader to follow the line of thinking of the writer because by making the matter cohesive, it becomes easy to read, as one sentence flows smoothly in to the next and each paragraph is connected with the other. A disjointed and irregular writing is not very easy to read.

8. Creating Favourable Impression:

The appearance of the letter is very important as it makes impression on the reader of how a letter is written i.e. its starting should be such that it arouse interest of the reader from the opening, the purpose should be mentioned clearly and easy understandable and satisfies the reader by bringing it to a suitable or natural conclusion.

Rules or Principles of Effective Writing: Format

The first step of writing clearly is about the appropriate format. For example whether it is an informal email, a detailed report, an advertising copy or a formal letter to be written. Similarly the respective readers or audience will define the writing voice that of how the tone should be. Following points be kept in mind while deciding about the format: That who is going to read that message? That is he on a senior post or junior one or a colleague? Whether it is going to be sent to any other Organization? Whether it is going to be an informal letter? Whether it is going to be a formal letter? If it is to be sent to a group or a team?

Structure
The document must be reader friendly. Use of headings, sub-headings, bullet points and numbering must be followed whenever the text is possible to break up. During the writing, the use of questions is also recommended e.g. in writing reports or advertisement as it keeps the reader engaged. Use of graphs and charts are also a good idea to convey message clearly than by using text where needed because graphs and charts can deliver message quickly and attract the attention of the reader.

Remain to the Point

The basic rules include that the content be written should be to the point i.e. conciseness, there should be no unnecessary detail about any matter and the idea. Thought or proposal should be mentioned clearly remaining to the point because it saves time, as mostly in this busy life no one has enough time to sit down and go through any detailed conversation but clarity and completeness of the agenda is essential. The use of non-discriminatory language avoiding all the grammatical, punctuation and spelling mistakes and the tone of the written material should be conversational and courteous.

Paragraphing

Paragraphing is an important factor that facilitates the reader because it is quicker to read and engages the reader. Splitting the content in to different paragraphs facilitate the reader to consider it and it is quicker to read but on the other hand, if the material is congested word to word and line to line then the reader finds it difficult to pay attention as it is quite difficult to read and will take the reader in struggle and will be time consuming. Therefore the rule of paragraphing should be kept in mind while writing as mentioned above that it facilitates and engages the reader and saves time.

Use of appropriate words

For a matter to be written effectively there should be use of short words instead of the long ones. General words or everyday English is preferable over unfamiliar, foreign and difficult words. Any unwanted words should be avoided. If the appropriate or suitable words are not used then the written content may get some other meaning while passing through the eyes of the reader and thus the purpose will not be fulfilled because of confusion. Therefore it should be considered importantly of the usage of appropriate and suitable words.

Use of Lists
Sometimes reader does not has enough time to go through a long written content, therefore the use of lists or numbered content facilitate the reader to see the main points. Non-usage of lists or separation of content will lead to difficulty in reading and the main points might not catch the attention of the reader, hence there should be use of lists that not only facilitate the reader but also gets his attention and thus in this way main points are not over looked.

Use of non-discriminatory Language

It is such a type of language used in writing that treats the reader and the writer equally that is free of religious, age and sexual basis. Non-discriminatory language comes in between the reader and the writer.

Use of Tone
The tone of the document should be courteous which can only be achieved by the selection of appropriate words, phrases and sentences and that it leaves no negative impact on the reader. Sometimes phrases or sentences are written unintentionally i.e. the writer wants to convey something else whereas when it passes from the eyes of the reader, he extracts some other meaning that might have an offensive effect therefore extreme care may be takes in the use of tone and should be checked by proof-reading.

 Use of Active instead of the Passive

Use of active voice has edge over the use of the passive voice in the content in the sense that it makes the material more stronger and usually concise. It relates or state about the matter directly and the message is conveyed effectively.

Going through all the above features, rules and principles, it is concluded that effective writing possesses the following components which are enumerated as under: 1. The matter should bear clarity of its idea and purpose 2. The material to be written should be organized 3. It should be concise but complete 4. Correctness of the written content must be checked 5. Use of short and familiar words instead of long and difficult words 6. Usage of strong verbs ; active voice is preferable over the passive voice 7. Sentence length should be balanced 8. Repetition of words be avoided 9. Remain simple throughout, use of difficult clauses be avoided 10. Straight-forwardness should be observed, there should be a direct route between the subject, verb and object 11. Words and sentences must be coherent that flow smoothly into the next keeping the flow in the idea 12. Revision. Read and re-read what has been written and keep practicing until the pleasing style and clarity is achieved

How Effective Writing Skills can be Developed:There are certain parameters that should be followed for the skill of effective writing to be mastered. They are enumerated as under:

Reading:

One can only be perfect in written communication when he has enough vocabulary and good words choice which can only be achieved by reading. If one wants to attain good writing skills, he must read about good writing and bad writing, he will ultimately get the point and will learn to tell the difference and will get the sense of writing well. The more one reads the more he learns and larger and stronger will be his vocabulary and he also gains firm grip on the use of words effectively.

Practice:
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Good writing is the result of hard work and practice. To develop the quality of effective writing, practice should be done. Practice means reading books consistently and then hard work of writing. Reading different books of known Authors and effective compositions will increase the vocabulary gradually and the sense of the usage of words will be strengthened, and by doing so repetitively one can develop the skill of effective writing.

Proof-Reading:

Before any written material is to be dispatched off, proof reading is must to ensure about its correctness and there should be no mistake in the content as mistakes and errors irritate the reader and the credibility of the reader goes down. It should be made sure that: The writing is clear The ideas make sense and supported by evidence There is no repetition of words There is no grammatical and spelling mistake All the requirements are fulfilled

Possessing Effective Writing Skills are the foundation that leads to success. To be an effective writer one needs to acquire knowledge about the characteristics of good writing as well as the different purposes and forms of writing. A proper knowledge regarding this skill should be acquired by reading because by doing so the vocabulary will increase and the usage of appropriate words will strengthen.

Conclusion:By the whole discussion it is inferred that Effective Writing Skills are so much important without which achieving success is very difficult, hence the importance of effective writing skills cannot be denied as they are essential paramounts in personal and professional lives like almost essentially in every organization either governmental or non-governmental as well as educational institutions. Therefore, recognizing the importance of effective writing skills, struggle should be done to master this skill. This can be achieved by reading books of known Authors and effective compositions & articles and by doing so with dedication and punctuality the vocabulary will increase gradually and gives the sense of usage of words appropriately strengthening the writing skills, which will ultimately lead to success