My webcast for the American Management Association (AMA), How to Write a Darn Good E-mail, broke an attendance record, as more than 200 people worldwide signed up for the 90-minute session on March 25.
The program focused on e-mail challenges such as getting to the point, organizing complex material, ensuring etiquette, and employing efficient strategies. I give a big thanks to the AMA staff for their good work in making this event so successful.
If you missed it, you can sign up at www.amanet.org for the next session on Friday, July 9, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
My book The Art of E-mail Writing is on sale.
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"How to Write a Darn Good E-mail" Scheduled for March 25
Here's a cost- and time-efficient way of refining your e-mailing skills: Tune in to the American Management Association's webinar How to Write a Darn Good E-mail. The 90-minute program will run from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern, and I will host it!
We'll be covering a lot of issues that matter to people who need to write a lot of politically sensitive e-mail under time pressure:
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Getting started quickly
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Crafting purposeful, concise e-mail
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Reaching your target audience
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Structuring longer messages for easy reading
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Maintaining a professional style
We even take live questions from the audience. Hundreds of people who have already attended the program have said that what they gained from the webinar was well worth the nominal investment of $149 for registering. Hope to hear you there!
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Virtual Writing Course Launches for AMA
The American Management Association (AMA) will present for the first time its virtual Business Writing Workshop, a program that I designed to cover ten fundamentals of excellent business writing.
AMA wanted to make this popular course available to people who would find greater convenience in taking the course without leaving their desk. This notion proved on target—we have participants signed up for this course from across the country and even internationally.
To learn more about signing up for this course, click here: www.amanet.org/training/seminars/2-Day-Business-Writing-Workshop.aspx#how_will_you_benefit
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Happy Fifth Birthday, WORDS ON THE LINE!
Well, 308 posts and 1,826 days later, this blog celebrates its fifth birthday today.
When I was five years old, I knew so little about the world but was eager to learn about it. I would like to think of this blog in the same vein. I have only begun writing about what it takes to become a better writer because writing is a skill that we never stop cultivating. So here is my promise to you: Through this blog, I will continue to bring to you:
- precise tips for improving your writing
- helpful grammar rules and their applications
- inspirational ideas from master thinkers on the craft of writing
- valuable online and print resources
- brief reviews on books of interest
- practical gems from adult learners in my writing workshops
Here's to your writing!
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More Praise for How to Write Fast Under Pressure
Another good review came in for my fourth book on writing, How to Write Fast Under Pressure (www.amacombooks.org/book.cfm?isbn=9780814414859). The critic, Mayra Calvani, for BlogCritics.com, writes:
I found the book well structured and the writing straightforward and enjoyable. Vassallo uses clear examples and metaphors to demonstrate his ideas and techniques. It is a quick read, too. If you work in business and have to write fast under deadlines, I prompt you to get a copy of this book. But How to Write Fast isn’t only for business people, and most writers will benefit from this method.
Here's the link: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/reviews-in-brief-how-to-write/
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How to Write Fast Under Pressure Goes on the Air
I will be doing a 30-minute interview on Book Bites for Kids (www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids), hosted by author and radio personality Suzanne Lieurance on Thursday, December 3, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The topic will be my latest book, How to Write Fast Under Pressure. We’ll be talking about the can-do attitude necessary to write efficiently with consistency and confidence. It should be of interest for adults as well as children, so be sure to tune in!
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Writing Fast Course Available for Your Staff
Since the publication of my third book on writing, How to Write Fast Under Pressure (http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Fast-Under-Pressure/dp/0814414850), more of my clients have been inquiring about whether I offer a course on the topic. I do. The course, Writing in a Heartbeat, comes with the book and focuses on the following topics:
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Getting started quickly to reduce writer's block
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Revising and editing efficiently to save time
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Collaborating effectively with writing partners to maximize team assignments
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Cultivating a can-do attitude to finish assigned writing tasks
Interested? Write me at Phil@PhilVassallo.com or call me at 732-721-7577 to discuss how you can bring this program to your staff.
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Friday, September 25, 2009
How to Write Fast Under Pressure Released
My newest book is in print. How to Write Fast Under Pressure (AMACOM Books) results from years of teaching people in the corporate world, as well as on the undergraduate and graduate levels, to write successfully on deadline. It is chock full of sensible reflections and useful tips on dealing with the daily grind of writing for multiple projects with varied purposes and readers. Here is the link at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Fast-Under-Pressure/dp/0814414850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254093156&sr=8-1
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E-mail and Executive Summary Writing Courses Lead the Way
The two biggest requests that I've received from clients over the past year have been Writing Effective and Efficient E-mail and Powerful Executive Summaries. And those clients have spanned a broad range of sectors and industries: banking, insurance, legal, transportation, government, and nonprofit social services.
The reasons for these calls are simple: the course format and the relevant content. Both of these courses are one-day-only offerings, which suit the intense time pressure exacted on staff these days. Both reflect the real deal: the e-mail course (http://philvassallo.com/writingemail.html) is a natural because e-mail is the means by which most on-the-job writing is done these days; the executive summary course (http://philvassallo.com/executivesummaries.html) is in demand since the challenge is greater than ever to compress huge amounts of critical information into precise, high-level messages for executive review.
The reaction to these courses has been excellent. Participants get to practice writing in real-life situations and receive extensive feedback throughout the day. The requests for repeat offerings tell the story.
Questions? Contact me: Phil@PhilVassallo.com.
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Friday, July 10, 2009
Milestone for The Art of On-the-Job Writing
My first book on writing at work, The Art of On-the-Job Writing, recently went into its second printing, according to the publisher, First Books. The book focuses on writing effectively (quality) and efficiently (speed). You can read passages of the book by clicking here: The Art of On the Job Writing. Or you can learn more about the book by clicking here: https://www.firstbooks.com/product_info.php/cPath/53/products_id/144.
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Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Twittering Like Mad
Since June 26, I have been twittering the world to offer tips on writing and creativity as well as to lay down an interesting idea or two. The posts there are extremely concise, and most provide links to great websites. My site is www.twitter.com/PhilVassallo, but you can access it at www.PhilVassallo.com (click on “Twittering”).
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Online Courses on the Way
I have decided to offer online minicourses and webinars in 2009. They will include the content on my one-, two-, and three-day writing workshops, and they will cover a broad range of writing topics, such as e-mail, grammar, customer service correspondence, executive summaries, proposals, reports, audit reports, meeting minutes, instructions, marketing materials, Web 2.0, English as a Second Language, and much more.
These courses will be ideal for people in numerous situations:
- clients who are not inclined or have the time to attend my in-depth sessions
- those who feel a small time and cost investment would better serve their needs
- writers who want just a refresher of the key concepts covered in the lengthier course
More announcements will appear on this blog as they become available. Keep posted!
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Most of the World in One Room
A group of 19 engineers was in attendance for an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing class I recently conducted in New York City. Counting myself, I realized that to my pleasure, but not to my surprise, each of us represented a different nation of origin (listed in order of greatest population): China, India, United States, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, Ukraine, Colombia, Poland, Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Bulgaria, and Slovakia! In a world of 6.7 billion souls, those 20 countries represent only 9 percent of all the 220-plus nations and territories on Planet Earth, but their 3.9 billion residents account for 58 percent of the world’s population—more than half the world!
What’s the point? I could think of three:
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It doesn’t get more diverse than working in New York; for this very reason, I love working there.
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It goes to show that the United States does not need to make English the official national language, since so many people want to learn English, which has become the unofficial language of the world marketplace, anyway.
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It proves that the term ESL is a misnomer because for the multilingual professionals who come to my writing courses, English is the first language of their jobs. What they do at home is their business; however, they are all well aware that English is their first on-the-job language. They desire to get it right—and they leave the course feeling their progress.
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Yesterday my webinar for the American Management Association (AMA) went exactly according to plan. How to Write a Darn Good E-mail generated abundant, spirited participation from attendees across the country as I fielded challenging questions that clarified the key teaching points, which included getting to the point, structuring messages clearly, and coming across professionally.
The 90-minute midday session featured two case studies, one from a manager to a subordinate and another from a salesperson to a potential client. These situations served as springboards for discussions about e-mail best practices. The program went well with the help of Richard Bradley, AMA portfolio manager and host; David Summers, webcast producer; and Kevin Lee, director.
You can get plenty of free webcasts on a whole host of business issues at the AMA website: http://www.amanet.org/events.
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AMA E-mail Webinar Scheduled
Some time back, I had the pleasure of doing my first of two webinars for the American Management Association (AMA). Titled How to Write a Darn Good E-mail, the program featured a 45-minute talk with AMA Portfolio Manager Richard Bradley and me about the do’s and don’ts of e-mail writing. Some 1,500 people across the USA tuned into the program, which received high ratings.
I have now expanded that webinar for AMA to a 90-minute session, to be broadcast live on Tuesday, March 31, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern—and registrations are flying in. Here are the key teaching points:
- Understanding challenges of e-mail communication
- Getting started quickly: idea lists, the three As (aim, audience, area)
- Getting to the point: strong subject lines, openings and closings
- Structuring your message clearly
- Helpful guidelines for structuring your message
- Maintaining a professional tone by recognizing what is and is not appropriate for e-communications
- Polishing your e-mail for a professional style for yourself and your organization
I can’t wait to present it! You can register by clicking this link: http://www.amanet.org/events/how-to-write-a-darn-good-email/
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Thursday, February 05, 2009
New Half-Day Seminars Available
In these difficult economic times (aren’t you already sick of hearing that phrase?), the need for training has not diminished, but the availability of staff has. As a result, several of my clients are calling for half-day classes, programs which may impart a nugget or two of useful information that may help staff back at office.
This request has led me to offer three new half-day programs:
- Writing in a Heartbeat, which offers tips on writing quickly on demand
- Making Your E-mail Fly, a revised course that focuses on creating clear, concise e-mails
- Briefing Briefly, a condensed mini-course on executive summary writing
Clients subscribing to these courses have said that they are right on the mark because they hit the few most important points to create gold standard messages under tight time constraints. If you think any of these programs might be useful to your staff, please reach me at Phil@PhilVassallo.com.
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Monday, January 26, 2009
New Website Launched
I am excited to report the release of my revised website, www.PhilVassallo.com. I have not been one for a lot of flashing bells and whistles on my website because I believe that people visiting my site just want information on my writing courses, writing assessment program, or writing and editing services, and maybe some writing tips available on my blog. Well it’s all there, thanks to the user-friendly tools and reasonably priced services available at Network Solutions.
I hope you find something helpful to you at the website!
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Thursday, January 08, 2009
Second SEPTA Contract Moves Forward
I am well into my second contract with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in Philadelphia. The program calls for a periodic one-day grammar and writing class for up to 18 participants, ranging from administrative support to technical and managerial staff.
While I actually enjoy the reading time afforded by the pleasant Amtrak train ride from Central New Jersey to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, the best part of this experience is working with SEPTA staff. They seem hungry for the training, eager to share their ideas, and determined to improve their writing skills. What else can a writing consultant ask for?
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New Book in the Works
My third book on writing, on the topic of writing fast at work, is due for publication by AMACOM Books, a leading publisher of business management, communication, and leadership titles. Tentatively titled In a Heartbeat: Writing Fast at Work, the book is based on How to Write Fast When It’s Due Yesterday, a one-day course I designed for the American Management Association, the parent organization of AMACOM.
The book will include tips on getting started quickly, overcoming writer’s block, generating ideas, rewriting proficiently, planning for emergency writing situations, and many other issues related to writing productivity. It should appear on shelves by mid-2009.
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“How to Write Fast” Webcast Now Online
My webcast, How to Write Fast When It’s Due Yesterday, is now available for viewing free of charge at the American Management Association’s (AMA) website (www.amanet.org/editorial/webcast/2008/how-to-write-fast.htm). It discusses problems that prevent writing efficiency and provides tips on making writing less painful and more proactive.
This is my second webcast at AMA. The first, How to Write a Darn Good E-mail, can be seen here: www.amanet.org/editorial/webcast/2006/darn-good-email.htm.
Both of these hour-long programs have been viewed by thousands of corporate employees across the country. They're definitely worth a peek.
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New ESL Course Designed for AMA
Be on the lookout for the American Management Association’s (AMA) new course, Business Writing for the Nonnative English Speaker. I designed this three-day program for AMA, an international training organization, relying on my years of experience in delivering my own English-as-a-Second-Language instruction for engineering, scientific, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and financial firms. The course provides model documents, a broad range of writing topics, plenty of intensive writing practice opportunities, and ample tome to receive individual feedback. I will lead the first two sessions, in San Francisco, January 12-14, and New York, February 2-4. You may register for this course directly at the AMA website. Here’s the link: www.amanet.org/seminars/seminar.cfm?baseSemNo=2266.
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Philip Vassallo in SimplyCommunicate.com
My writing consulting practice was recently featured in an article on SimplyCommunicate.com, a business website focusing on a hole host of communication issues. In a 1,300-word article, “Philip Vassallo Teaches Corporate Communicators How to Have the Write Stuff,” writer Kelly Kass accurately depicts some of the major issues that arise in my practice and underscore my books The Art of On-the-Job Writing and The Art of E-mail Writing:
• Dealing with writer’s block
• Understanding the role of audience in writing at work
• Distinguishing between revising and editing, and which to do first
• Focusing on the 4S Plan in writing: statement, support, structure, and style
• Writing collaboratively and for the boss’s signature
• Committing to continuous improvement in writing
• Managing e-mail effectively
Here’s the link:
http://www.simply-communicate.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=991&d=68&h=60&f=75&dateformat=%25e-%25h-%25y
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New AMA Course: How to Write Fast When It’s Due Yesterday
I am having a great time designing the course How to Write Fast When It’s Due Yesterday for the American Management Association (AMA). This one-day course focuses on creative techniques to break through writer’s block in the face of multiple writing projects for diverse audiences under tight deadlines. It will launch on October 24 in New York, followed by classes on November 14 in San Francisco and December 19 in Chicago.
To read more about the course, visit the AMA site by clicking here: http://www.amanet.org/seminars/seminar.cfm?basesemno=2825
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New AMA Course: How to Write Fast …
I’m excited to be designing a new one-day course for the American Management Association (AMA): How to Write Fast When It’s Due Yesterday. The course will offer practical tips for jumpstarting the writing process, dealing with writing pressure at work, and taking a more proactive stance toward managing writing tasks.
I had a great time designing and delivering How to Write a Darn Good E-Mail, another one-day course for AMA in 2006 because I had a strong support team working with me. After attending today’s storyboard session for How to Write Fast, I am confident about an excellent outcome.
The course will launch on October 24 at the AMA New York City office, and then at its centers in San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, so keep your eyes open for it!
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Webcast: How To Write a Darn Good E-Mail
On October 6, 2006, I had the great pleasure of presenting a webcast with Richard Bradley, Faculty Practitioner of the American Management Association (AMA), titled How To Write a Darn Good E-Mail.
The premise of the 45-minute program was that e-mail presents numerous opportunities—as well as challenges—for employees to deliver their organization’s message. Richard and I covered several key points to help you maximize your e-communication skills:
- getting started quickly
- writing attention-getting subject lines, openings, and closings
- creating clear, concise e-mail that gets results
- maintaining a professional tone
- polishing your e-mail to perfection
I assure you: checking out this free webcast from your home or office is time well spent. Here’s the link to the webcast: http://www.amanet.org/editorial/webcast/darn-good-email/index.htm
We also previewed the new, exciting one-day seminar, AMA’s e-Communications Workshop, which I designed for the organization. It’s a great course because of its interactive, high-tech approach to training. There’s no other workshop like it. Here is the link to the seminar: http://www.amanet.org/seminars/seminar.cfm?basesemno=2821
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Win a Copy of THE ART OF ON-THE-JOB WRITING!
First Books, Inc. will be giving away a free copy of my book The Art of On-the-Job Writing to the winner of its first "Worst Writing at Work" contest. For the fun of it, I encourage you to enter.
What you'll need is a good sense of humor and a thick skin because you'll have to admit to an embarrassing mistake that you made in an e-mail. (If you go the contest website, www.worstwritingatwork.com, you can read a humbling mistake that I made.) Just entering the contest entitles you to a 10% discount on the book, so in a sense everyone who enters is a winner.
Visit www.worstwritingatwork.com for contest details. Have fun!
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The Art of On-the-Job Writing Is Now Available
The second edition of The Art of On-the-Job Writing by Philip Vassallo is now available through FirstBooks. Here is what the publisher has to say about the book:
Become a more effective and efficient writer today!
More than a technical manual of writing style and grammar, this book offers a unique method for achieving workplace-writing success by offering four critical tools: the PDQ integrated writing process (planning, drafting, quality controlling); the 4S Plan for composing writing product (statement, support, structure, style); techniques to move writers from a me-focused style of essay writing to a results-oriented, us-focused business writing style and it-focused technical writing style; and the groundwork for becoming and remaining a successful on-the-job writer through inspirational, memorable, and relevant writing tips.
For 25 years, Philip Vassallo has developed and presented training programs for thousands of administrative, technical, and managerial professionals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a doctorate in education.
“…can be profitably read by writers new to the world of work-related documents, and by experienced professionals, who will also gain from its new approach to clear and purposeful business writing.” – Martin H. Levinson, ETC: A Review of General Semantics
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The Art of Apology in ETC.
The twenty-fifth article of Philip Vassallo's WORDS ON THE LINE column appears in the current issue of ETC: A Review of General Semantics (62.3, July 2005). The article, "The Art of Apology," offers a rationale and strategy for writing a sincere and thorough apology.
WORDS ON THE LINE, Vassallo's widely referenced and praised column on effective writing at work, has been published in ETC. by the Institute of General Semantics (www.general-semantics.org) since 1992. The Institute was founded in 1943 by world-renowned author, lecturer, and politician Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa. The column focuses on a broad range of writing themes, including purposefulness, completeness, organization, style, tone, and e-mail etiquette. It has covered special-purpose messages, such as admissions essays, customer correspondence, evaluation reviews, executive summaries, meeting minutes, proposals, and technical reports. Selected articles from WORDS ON THE LINE have been reprinted in course software, business periodicals, and books by major business and academic publishers. Besides writing the column, Vassallo has also published social commentary, book reviews, poetry, and drama in the periodical. A bibliography of WORDS ON THE LINE appears below.
WORDS ON THE LINE Articles by Philip Vassallo
1. Know the P.R.I.C.E. of Your Writing (49.4) Winter 1992-93
2. Writing from the Heart (50.1) Spring 1993
3. The You Understood (50.2) Summer 1993
4. Fog Lifting and Ice-Breaking in Your Writing (50.4) Winter 1993-94
5. How Clearly Do Your Words Communicate? (53.1) Spring 1996
6. U-Mail, I-Mail — More Effective E-Mail (55.2) Summer 1998
7. Using the 4S Plan to Know Your Writing Strengths and Needs (55.4) Winter 1998-99
8. From Me to Us: Crossing the Bridge from Academic to Business Writing, with Barrett J. Mandel (56.3) Fall 1999
9. Beware the Seven Deadly Sins of Tone (57.1) Spring 2000
10. Protect Your R.E.P.: Revise, Edit, Proofread (58.1) Spring 2001
11. Meeting of the Minutes: Writing Meeting Minutes (58.2) Fall 2001
12. Persuading Powerfully: Tips for Persuasive Writing (59.1) Spring 2002
13. Using the Rule of Six to Convey Complex Content (59.2) Summer 2002
14. Reporting for Results: Creating a Checklist (59.3) Fall 2002
15. Egad! Another E-mail: Using E-Mail Sensibly (59.4) Winter 2002
16. Where Less Really Is More: Executive Summaries (60.1) Spring 2003
17. Writing Correctly Is Not Necessarily Writing Well (60.2) Summer 2003
18. Admissions Essays with a Focus on Getting In (60.3) Fall 2003
19. Using the Customer Service Triad for Client Correspondence (60.4) Winter 2003-04
20. Turning Emotional Energy into Purposeful Writing (61.1) April 2004
21. Getting Started with Evaluation Reports: Answering the Questions (61.2) July 2004
22. Getting Started with Evaluation Reports: Creating the Structure (61.3) October 2004 23. The Two Levels of Writing to the Point (62.1) January 2005
24. The Power of And … Blah, Blah, Blah (62.2) April 2005
25. The Art of Apology (62.3) July 2005
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WORDS ON THE LINE Referenced Again
Once again, we've spotted evidence that people around the globe are checking into WORDS ON THE LINE. The April 12 entry, "The Pluses and Minuses of Distance Learning," was referenced in "Wired Temples," a blog created by Robert Micallef, and economics professor who resides in Belgium and the Czech Republic. His blog is on Maltese culture, news, society, people, history, and blogs.
Keep reading WORDS ON THE LINE for useful tips and terrific resources on effective writing. Meanwhile, if you find a print or electronic point of interest and value, feel free to write Phil Vassallo at vassallo@aol.com.
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What Do You Mean What Do I Mean?: Join IGS!
As a member of the Institute of General Semantics (IGS), formerly the International Society for General Semantics, for the past 15 years, I have had the great pleasure of receiving an excellent education on the communicator's ultimate vocabulary. I speak not about the denotative or even connotative meanings of words. We have dictionaries and thesauri for the former, and pop psychologists, spin doctors, and talk show hosts for the latter. Instead I refer to the meanings we assign to language and the things they represent based on the boundaries of our experiences, emotions, relationships, and reactions to the moments in which encounter them.
Sounds complicated? Think twice. IGS possesses a seven-decade history of clarifying the abstractions in our daily interactions--abstractions that lead to conflicts with others as well as well as ourselves. It's not only what we say or even how we say it, but why, when, where, and to whom we say it in contexts which are forever changing and virtually impossible to define with the limited, static terms available to us.
To learn more about the remarkably useful discipline of general semantics, go the IGS website (www.time-binding.org), and browse its Learning Center, Library, or Bookstore for more information. You can easily become a member for the reasonable annual rate of $40, which includes the Institute's eclectic quarterly journal ETC: A Review of General Semantics; the quaterly newsletter Time-Bindings; the annual compendium publication The General Semantics Bulletin; a 20% discount on books, other merchandise; and gift memberships, and discounts on lectures, seminars, and other programs. Becoming a member would be a great step in a an endless voyage of learning.
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Philip Vassallo welcomes 21 students from the banking industry in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey to the premiere run of Effective Business Writing, the online course which he designed for the Center for Financial Training Atlantic States (CFTAS).
This course is available to anyone interested in improving his or her writing skills and receiving 3 undergraduate credits at a reasonable cost in the self-paced, convenient environment afforded by distance learning. Students have access not only to the resources and tips mentioned on this website, but other great features as well:
- a secure course website with interpretive lecture notes to accompany an excellent course textbook
- a community discussion to help keep students connected with each other and Dr. Vassallo
- a companion CD loaded with writing advice, practice exercises, review slides, and up-to-date resources
- in-depth analysis of their written assignments
To sign up for the course, reach CFTAS by phone (860-886-6153) or through the Web (www.cftatlantic.org).
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Phil Vassallo Designs New Online Business-Writing Course
I have just completed designing a three-credit online business-writing course, titled Business Communication, for the Center for Financial Training Atlantic States. It is one of the most comprehensive asynchronous undergraduate writing programs a student is likely to find anywhere.
The course emerges from my two decades experience in:
- teaching business writing on the college level
- delivering hundreds of writing seminars in the corporate world
- designing curricula and courses for diverse organizations
- assessing thousands of work-related documents
- coaching executive, technical, and administrative staff in writing
Business Communication will give students the opportunity to post documents and responses to chapter readings on a course discussion board and receive professional feedback on their e-mails, memos, letters, proposals, reports, and resumes.
To sign up for the course (Business Communication, Course #1870), contact CFT at cftatlantic.org. See you online!
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Tuesday, January 4, 2005
WORDS ON THE LINE Article Receives Praise from Students
Here's a thank you to the two students who found one of my WORDS ON THE LINE essays helpful enough to post positive commentary about it on their blog. They appear below.
From garvey0.blogspot.com
Saturday, September 27, 2003
Critique of article written by Philip Vassallo
Vassallo, Philip. "Writing Correctly is Not Necessarily Writing Well." Summer 2003. ETC.: A Review of General Semantics. 24 September 2003.
I reviewed an article recently written by Philip Vassallo titled "Writing Correctly is Not Necessarily Writing Well" and I feel the article had a lot of good ideas. Some people have a talent when writing papers which allows them to "fluff up" a paper but after reading the paper there may not be any pertinent information or idea in the whole paper. As stated in the article, grammar is important but if the words do not effectively keep one's attention or the author does not stick to the point then is this really a good paper written well. I agree that more emphasis should be put on the content and structure and when judging a paper this should have more weight then grammar. Just because you know where to put your period doesn't mean you have any worthwhile to say.
From phillips-blog.blogspot.com
Monday, September 29, 2003
Philip Vassallo discusses in his article titled ”Writing Correctly Is Not Necessarily Writing Well” that how we use our words is far more important than the “grammatical correctness”(186). To me this means that I need to be careful that I talk about the topic without using words that do nothing but take up space. I also need to be careful when making comparisons. I need to make sure that the things I am comparing are proportionate to one another. The last detail is that I need to be able to back up my statements. The sources that I use need to be based on truthful facts and that the author on the facts is an authority on the subject. As long as I follow this rules, my essays will be both grammatically correct and will give the reader a more enjoyable experience.
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