Effective Writing Traits Kids Know that We Don’t
I’m writing a writing program again. Writing programs are like other products. They have their individual nuances. They offer particular features and benefits, but all solid writing programs offer certain things in common. The engine of any well-built writing program is the 6+1 Traits of Writing.
If you’re reading this post, it’s unlikely that you encountered the 6+1 Traits as a student. You could find plenty about them on the Web now. Unfortunately, what you found would take the form of lessons and research for teaching school children. Why should school kids and their teachers be the only ones with direct access to the information and the rest of us have to adjust our thinking?
I’ve decided a simple action is in order.
6+1 Traits of Effective Blog Writing
As you might guess the 6+1 Traits were 6 Traits to start with. Then someone saw the need for just one more. I’m going to define all 7.
- Ideas — Ideas are the stuff of which messages are made. We look for them . . . wish for them. They are not good or bad. They are memorable, strong, and effective, or they are not.
- Organization — Ordering ideas logically is how get them to make sense to others. (I know, I know. We know this. — It’s ground work.)
- Voice –Voice is tone and style that is consciously chosen to suit the intended audience.
- Word Choice — Word choice is finding the perfect word to convey a message in an authentic, rich, and precise fashion.
- Sentence Fluency — Sentence fluency is understanding how to make the reading move with pacing, flow, and rhythm.
- Writing Conventions— Writing conventions are the rules agreed upon as signs of good writing.
- Presentation— Presentation is the preparation of the written message in a way that draws readers to connect with the message on a personal level even before they begin to read.
Not one of the seven can be found in a text on rocket science, but all seven are critical to quality writing. Every school kid is learning about them. I think it’s only fair that we should have access.
I’ll be back with a discussion on each one. Nothing too deep and no homework — just some ideas on how you might find ways to get more quality writing into each of your blog posts.
What questions do you have so far?
Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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