Avoid Boring Writing

Summary

In the 'Write Right' podcast, Meghan Wall explores ways to make college writing engaging. Consultants from the University Writing Center share tips: use a conversational tone, connect classes for relevant anecdotes, vary sentence structure and vocabulary, and show critical thinking. They suggest interesting transitions, adding humor when appropriate, and ensuring the topic is of personal interest. The episode encourages students to reflect their personality in their writing, making it less tedious.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Alayne emphasizes the importance of a conversational tone to make business writing less dry by reading aloud and imagining a dialogue.
• 🎓 Samantha suggests connecting classes and personal experiences to make writing more engaging and meaningful.
• 📚 Katie believes in the power of a unique writing style, including varied sentence structures and vocabulary, to captivate readers.
• 🔗 Patricia recommends using interesting transitions and avoiding common but dull words like 'and' and 'but' to enhance writing.
• 😄 Kristi advocates for the appropriate use of humor to make papers stand out and be more enjoyable to read.
• 📖 Laura chooses interesting, important, and potentially useful topics to stay invested and excited about her writing.
• 👧 Florence uses the reaction of her young niece as a gauge for the rhythm and fluidity of her writing, indicating areas that need improvement.
• 👀 Abiee suggests observing readers' body language while they read your work to determine if it's engaging and to identify areas for revision.
• 📝 Ron highlights the significance of precise word choice, using a dictionary for synonyms, and learning new words to enrich writing.
• 🎉 Meghan concludes by encouraging students to reflect their personality and interests in their writing to avoid monotony and to seek help at the writing center.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the podcast 'Write Right'?

The main theme of the podcast 'Write Right' is to debunk the myth that college writing is monotonous and the product, the paper, uninteresting.

Who is the host of the podcast 'Write Right'?

Meghan Wall is the host of the podcast 'Write Right'.

What method does Alayne use to make her business school writing more engaging?

Alayne uses a conversational tone and reads her writing aloud to make her business school writing more engaging.

How does Samantha connect her classes to keep her writing interesting?

Samantha connects her classes by using materials from one class as anecdotal evidence in another paper and applying essay topics to her personal life.

What advice does Katie give for maintaining interest in writing about uninteresting topics?

Katie suggests having a unique writing style, varying sentence structures, and using a mix of common and uncommon vocabulary to make uninteresting topics intriguing.

What is Patricia's advice on using transitions to improve writing?

Patricia advises against using 'and' and 'but' excessively and suggests avoiding starting sentences with 'There is' and 'There are' to make writing more interesting.

How does Kristi Thomas recommend incorporating humor into academic writing?

Kristi Thomas recommends adding humor if it is appropriate, as it can make a paper stand out and be easier to read, but advises against using certain famous examples that might not be suitable for academic papers.

What technique does Laura use to choose interesting topics for her writing?

Laura chooses topics that she finds interesting, important, and potentially useful, which makes her more involved and interested in her writing.

How does Florence ensure her stories are not boring?

Florence reads her stories aloud to her four-year-old niece to judge the rhythm and fluidity, using the niece's reaction as a gauge for whether the writing needs improvement.

What is Abie's technique for gauging the interest level of his writing?

Abie has multiple individuals read his writing and observes their body language to determine if his paper is interesting.

What habit does Ron practice to enhance the precision of his writing?

Ron chooses each word for precision, keeps a dictionary at hand to check meanings and synonyms, and tries to learn a new word every time he writes.

What is Meghan's final piece of advice for making college papers less tedious?

Meghan advises picking a topic that interests you, relating ideas to your life, varying word choice and sentence structure, and having others read over your work to help with revising.