Become a Better Writer

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Plan and organize your ideas. Whether you are writing a 12-page term paper or a "Twilight" quiz for FunTrivia, it is crucial to be organized. Without a plan, your writing will seem erratic and will not accomplish what you intend. What is an effective way to plan and organize your ideas? Memorize your ideas in your head It is not possible to organize ideas prior to writing Create a long, detailed chart Create a brief outline

2. Revise everything you write. Good writers know that all writing can be improved upon after the first draft. What is the most important aspect of revision? Re-examining your ideas Reviewing capitalization Looking for subject-verb agreement Checking grammar usage

3. Increase your vocabulary. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to juxtapose every other word with an antediluvian replacement for prosaic units of language. Phew! What is the best way to improve your vocabulary? Reading Looking up words in a thesaurus Writing Asking really smart people for help

4. Improve your spelling. A person who constantly spells words incorrectly will not be taken seriously by his or her readers. It is necessary to become aware of why you misspell certain words. All of the following strategies can help reduce spelling errors EXCEPT: Minimizing carelessness Using mnemonics (memory tricks) Becoming familiar with words that sound or look alike Always spelling phonetically

5. Learn from your mistakes. If you always insert commas in the wrong places or get confused about when to use "your" or "you're", you should start keeping a record of your errors. An error log can help you pinpoint and correct repetitive mistakes. As you start recording replicate errors, which of the following do you NOT need to focus on? Grammar Misspelled words Punctuation Writing style

6. Proofread before publication! Publication even refers to hitting "send" in your email or "submit" on FunTrivia. What is one of the best ways to proofread your written work? Read your writing out loud Proofread only once--more than that will confuse you Skim the paper Use a spell check program as it will catch all errors

7. Don't be wordy! Wordiness is the tendency to say much more than is needed. All of the following will help you reduce wordiness EXCEPT: Eliminating useless words Leaving out key details Using active verbs Avoiding redundancy

8. Use writing tools. We have so many available to us in the 21st century. Which writing tool is the most versatile? Thesaurus MLA handbook Dictionary Computer

9. Remember your audience. Who will read your work? A college professor? FunTrivia players? Thinking about your audience will force you to do your best work. Establishing who your readers are is the first part of this process. What is the other part? Trying to provoke the audience Deciphering the audience's opinion on the topic Knowing how much you should explain about the topic Trying to persuade the audience to your view

10. Finally, find a good place and time to write. In order to do your best work, you need a conducive environment. In general, all of the following can positively affect your writing atmosphere EXCEPT: Finding a quiet place with few distractions Writing after a long day of work Getting writing tools organized before starting Having sufficient lighting and comfortable seating