Seung Hyun Kang/How to Write Well/Tues. 1-3p.m.

           Writing well is a difficult task to almost every people. This is due to the difference between writing and thinking. Thinking can be conducted abstractly, but describing one's idea and putting it into words is about different level. When it is about writing in a foreign language, things get harder. There are numerous mistakes to improve on an amateur writer's writing. According to what skill one prioritizes when writing, some will study grammar or study essay structures to write well. The most important thing above all the other qualities that an amateur writer should develop, I think, is the ability to deliver proper contents.

           Ability to deliver proper contents seems like an abstract concept. To be specific, it is about improving one's ability of choosing the right word to describe one's idea. Word choice is a very important skill. From my own perspective, grammar problem is not much of a deal. Native speakers also make grammatical mistakes when they speak or write. Some minor mistakes can be ignored. Even spelling mistakes are not important. If one is going to write a professional essay, one can bring it up on professors and ask them to check it. There is another option as the people living in a highly technologically developed society. We can run an editing program. Taking a grammar course and memorizing all exceptions and correct vocabularies is not needed because spelling check and grammar check can do our job partly. If a person is not a tremendously horrible writer, running the program and getting one's writing edited will ease native speakers' grammar check sensor. As most natives do, they do not expect foreigners to follow complete grammar rules. Also, there is a limit for a spell check program and grammar check program and this is why people have to develop their skill of proper word choice. The programs do not understand the concept of nuance. For instance, a person was going to write "The suspect's lie was detected." However, what the person actually wrote was "The suspect's lie was realized." The meaning does not seem to differ that much since both words mean "knowing." Nevertheless, there is a definite difference between detecting and realizing. The spelling is correct, the spell check program will not fix the word. However, it will confuse readers and distract them from understanding one's writing properly.

           Different word choice sometimes changes the meaning of a sentence. A wrong word choice will hinder readers' understanding more than wrong grammar use or spelling mistakes. As an amateur writer, developing the skill to choose proper words will help improve one's writing.