[ti:Tips for Better Writing] [ar:Jeri Watson] [al:Education Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. [00:06.07]Today we continue our series of expert suggestions [00:10.83]for academic writing. [00:12.63]Our guest is Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, [00:17.08]assistant professor of the Practice in Writing Studies [00:21.54]at Duke University in North Carolina. [00:24.42]Ms. Ahern-Dodson starts a conversation [00:28.81]with both students and professors [00:31.78]planning to write a paper or essay. [00:33.88]She asks about their earlier writing experiences. [00:37.88]Were they negative or positive? [00:41.48]She advises that you are not alone [00:46.07]if you have had problems with your writing. [00:49.35]She says everyone struggles with writing. [00:52.80]"Writing is hard. [00:56.40]All writers struggle at some point. [00:59.35]And even if writing has come easily for you, [01:03.38]at some point in your work as a student, [01:06.28]that eventually you're going to hit a roadblock. [01:09.38]And so part of [01:11.04]what I like to get folks thinking about is -- [01:14.73]besides writing's hard for everybody ¨C [01:16.54]is to really take a moment to think about [01:20.24]their past writing experiences. [01:22.50]And when the writing is going well, [01:25.24]what was happening? [01:26.24]When the writing wasn't going well, what was happening?" [01:29.10]She says most people's negative writing experiences happened [01:35.47]because a very special formula is requirerd [01:39.47]for a paper including an exact length. [01:42.97]"And so they primarily focus on, [01:45.98]and worry about, what the final product has to look like, [01:49.81]like how many pages for a research essay? [01:52.21]Or if it is in the second or third language, [01:56.55]you know, punctuation and grammar, [01:59.34]like whether it gets communicated in the right language. [02:02.19]"And so focusing on the end [02:04.69]makes it really hard to get started." [02:07.28]Another problem can arise [02:10.12]when the need to do well [02:11.82]on a paper is extremely important. [02:14.82]"...like a timed essay exam, [02:18.04]or a college application essay, [02:20.19]or a research paper that is at the end of the semester, [02:24.17]and it's tied to the entire grade for the class. [02:27.06]So worrying about what will happen if they don't do well ¨C [02:30.81]get bad grades, don't get into college -- creates, [02:34.06]of course, significant anxiety. [02:36.14]And that can make it harder to get the writing done." [02:38.93]Then she and the people she's helping move [02:43.22]to more positive projects. [02:45.59]She says usually when writing comes easily, [02:50.23]the writers feel they have something important to say. [02:54.17]The teacher advises asking yourself questions. [02:58.40]What personal understanding of the subject [03:01.92]can you bring to your paper? [03:03.83]Why is this subject important? [03:06.71]For whom is it meaningful? [03:09.31]Who will be reading it? [03:12.34]"...Think about who your audience is, [03:15.34]and what it is that you really want to say to them. [03:18.47]And what that can do is help you [03:22.04]switch from the final product [03:24.94]and what it can look like (to) really more [03:28.33]on what you have to offer, [03:29.97]your particular perspective." [03:31.87]She says that is an important change for all writers. [03:37.74]And that's the VOA Learning English Education Report. [03:43.78]Coming soon: Jennifer Ahern-Dodson [03:48.16]talks about doing research, [03:49.95]sitting down to write and sharing your writing with others. [03:54.67]I'm Jeri Watson.