Comments on: Don’t write how you talk. Just write like you talk. http://writemindset.com/writing/37/write-talk.html Writing tips | writing tools | writing ideas Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:08:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jazz http://writemindset.com/writing/37/write-talk.html/comment-page-1#comment-57 Jazz Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:49:32 +0000 http://writemindset.com/general-writing/37/dont-write-how-you-talk-just-write-like-you-talk-got-that.html#comment-57 I am a high school student, and I cannot agree with you more that kids are learning to write without any room for personality or style. I learned to write outside of school, and in fact did not formally learn how to write an essay, paper, or creative piece until a few years ago. However, the 'system' did not detract from my potential like it does to so many others because I was already comfortable writing and had a distinct style, tone, and narrative voice. I hate English class because we learn to write with in a rigid outline of sentence order. Under educational standards, there is no such thing as style, composition, or voice. We learn one kind of sentence structure, one set of grammar rules, and though we read classic and modern pieces alike with greatly varied styles, teachers rarely pause to reflect upon this fact. It isn't that students cannot think critically, use a distinct voice, or develop style -- it's that the educational system squashes this potential to ensure that we can write an essay with the right number of sentences. You have written that a way to improve oneself as a writer is to be audacious. The education system is incredibly effective at sniffing out the beginnings of audacity and suppressing it, churning out millions of individuals per year who are, more often than not, grudging and bland writers. Thank you for offering a refreshing opinion on education these days. Though I still have several years of high school left to endure, via uplifting writers' blogs like this one I can grow as a writer and be audacious enough to rebel against formulaic writing. I am a high school student, and I cannot agree with you more that kids are learning to write without any room for personality or style. I learned to write outside of school, and in fact did not formally learn how to write an essay, paper, or creative piece until a few years ago. However, the ‘system’ did not detract from my potential like it does to so many others because I was already comfortable writing and had a distinct style, tone, and narrative voice. I hate English class because we learn to write with in a rigid outline of sentence order. Under educational standards, there is no such thing as style, composition, or voice. We learn one kind of sentence structure, one set of grammar rules, and though we read classic and modern pieces alike with greatly varied styles, teachers rarely pause to reflect upon this fact.

It isn’t that students cannot think critically, use a distinct voice, or develop style — it’s that the educational system squashes this potential to ensure that we can write an essay with the right number of sentences.

You have written that a way to improve oneself as a writer is to be audacious. The education system is incredibly effective at sniffing out the beginnings of audacity and suppressing it, churning out millions of individuals per year who are, more often than not, grudging and bland writers.

Thank you for offering a refreshing opinion on education these days. Though I still have several years of high school left to endure, via uplifting writers’ blogs like this one I can grow as a writer and be audacious enough to rebel against formulaic writing.

]]> By: Guy Chocensky http://writemindset.com/writing/37/write-talk.html/comment-page-1#comment-51 Guy Chocensky Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:54:58 +0000 http://writemindset.com/general-writing/37/dont-write-how-you-talk-just-write-like-you-talk-got-that.html#comment-51 "And who’s to blame for this state of affairs? I say again, it’s our education systems. Once people leave school and college, they need to relearn how to write, making it more conversational and less stuffy." I don't think it's quite so simple as that, although the disintegration of the ED system is certainly part of the larger problem Kids don't learn to think critically as their forefathers, either. And where should they have learned to think critically? In school via exercises like expository writing. The gobblety-gook many of us think passes as coherent thought -- even if it were written perfectly to reflect that thinking -- just won't make sense. GIGO, you know? Garbage in garbage out. We are becoming a society of ignorant peasants, folks, but I don't think you can lay the blame entirely on the educational system. No educational system is every going to be healthier than the society from which it is drawn. No matter how well anyone might or might not be able to express their thoughts textually, if their thoughts are confused, their writing will reflect that confusion. We're really putting the (writing skills) cart before the (thinking skills ) horse, here, I think. “And who’s to blame for this state of affairs? I say again, it’s our education systems. Once people leave school and college, they need to relearn how to write, making it more conversational and less stuffy.”

I don’t think it’s quite so simple as that, although the disintegration of the ED system is certainly part of the larger problem

Kids don’t learn to think critically as their forefathers, either.

And where should they have learned to think critically? In school via exercises like expository writing.

The gobblety-gook many of us think passes as coherent thought — even if it were written perfectly to reflect that thinking — just won’t make sense.

GIGO, you know? Garbage in garbage out.

We are becoming a society of ignorant peasants, folks, but I don’t think you can lay the blame entirely on the educational system.

No educational system is every going to be healthier than the society from which it is drawn.

No matter how well anyone might or might not be able to express their thoughts textually, if their thoughts are confused, their writing will reflect that confusion.

We’re really putting the (writing skills) cart before the (thinking skills ) horse, here, I think.

]]> By: Markus http://writemindset.com/writing/37/write-talk.html/comment-page-1#comment-49 Markus Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:27:30 +0000 http://writemindset.com/general-writing/37/dont-write-how-you-talk-just-write-like-you-talk-got-that.html#comment-49 Again, very informative Simon! I guess it's not only your education system. Here in Germany it's similar. With all the literature you get to read it's hard to think "normal" again ;) Again, very informative Simon! I guess it’s not only your education system. Here in Germany it’s similar.

With all the literature you get to read it’s hard to think “normal” again ;)

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