Using the imagination

OUR last article dwelt on the different types of writing. We looked at the different styles of writing.
For the benefit of those who might have missed out, for example, descriptive writing needs to be paragraphed and should allow the reader to imagine the place, person or object described.

Having looked at that, we come to the structure of what you are writing. This is a continuation of what we started last week. Beginnings and endings. The beginning of a text is important as it sets the tone and style of your writing and introduces the reader to the content of your text.

The ending of a text is important because it leaves the reader with a final impression of what you want to say. The ending might be used to summarise or emphasise the key points that you make in the main content of your text.

To create a successful piece of writing you need to carefully consider your tone. The following words describe different tones: light-hearted, assertive, cold, angry, calm, reflective, fearful, tense, sympathetic, lively, firm, romantic, enthusiastic, humorous, serious, business-like, brisk or efficient, thoughtful, frustrated and friendly.

Note that these words are just examples and not the only ones. There are many more you will come across. It is important to establish exactly what audience you are writing for so that your piece of writing will be appropriate in terms of vocabulary, tone and structure. Putting careful thought into this will help you gain marks in the examination.

Sorting out paragraphs: Your writing will have more logic and style if you think about how ideas are grouped together into paragraphs.

Here are some of the main topics that can be the focus of paragraphs, or he reason to begin another one: Introduction or conclusion, place, time, direct speech, new person or event and change of topic. Newspaper reports — Newspaper reports should always aim to answer the following: what happened, where and when it happened, who was involved, and if possible, how and why it happened.

Along with headlines and subheadings, newspaper reports frequently feature a stand-first paragraph, quotations and emotive language. The stand-first paragraph is used to summarise the key points of the story.

Consolidating your writing skills. Before you tackle any writing activity, there are questions you need to ask yourself. In the previous article, we talked about the importance of PALS to bear in mind in the planning stage.

Remember this stands for purpose: why are you writing? Audience: Who are you writing for? Layout: How should your writing be structured and presented? Style: What tone should it be written in? What vocabulary would be appropriate?

While you are writing, check the following points. Am I using appropriate sentence lengths and styles? Am I using effective punctuation? Am I using interesting, varied vocabulary? When you have finished writing, check: Is my spelling correct? Have I used punctuation accurately?

Imaginative writing: Personal and imaginative writing is all around us. Nowadays, it is in the emails we exchange with friends, diaries and comments we read in newspapers. With so much surrounding us as a writer, you have to work hard to grab and hold the attention of the reader of your work.

Personal and imaginative writing starts with something you have imagined and experienced. It might be something you have read about or which has been reported to you and has caused you to stop and think.

One way of making your writing personal and imaginative is to choose your vocabulary carefully. This can give the reader a very clear sense of you, your attitudes, and how you feel about things. Words can build a balanced picture of an experience. Expand your vocabulary by researching and learning new words.

As you write, let your imagination go to work. Think about what type of text you are writing, who is the target reader and what are the main points to include in your answer. How can you vary sentence structure and length? Your vocabulary should be varied and interesting.

How can you make the opening grab the reader’s attention? What makes a good opening? If it is not sufficiently attention-grabbing, the reader is likely to give up, and no matter how strong the characters are or how exciting the events in the rest of the story, they will be missed.

To develop a story effectively, you need more than just action and a series of events. By describing the setting, you can take your reader right into the heart of the story, helping to create atmosphere, build up tension or even help slow down a story if tension is too tight.

Use the following checklist to help you in writing descriptive passages: Use appropriate sentence structures to suit your meaning. Use sense impressions — sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste.
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