<p>I'm a freshman at a junior college and I want to improve my writing skills. I want to be able to write more critically and use critical thinking. I'm currently in English composition 2 (I still don't see how I pass English 1 with a B) and yesterday I had a test on narratives and I realized I need to write more critically and coherent. I made an A on my narrative scene, but when I write in class I write like I'm in middle school. Also I want to improve these skills for when I transfer to my 4 year school and when I apply to grad school. What are some techniques that I can use to hep me write better in an out the classroom?</p>
<p>Read more.
Write every day.</p>
<p>See if you can get some help from friends. I don’t know if it was a typo, but there’s a pretty glaring grammar mistake in your original post. Can you find it? (Actually several, but one that looks like a real mistake.)</p>
<p>@mathmom you’re saying there’s alot of grammatical errors, but I don’t really see any unless you’re talking about the sentence in parentheses other than that I don’t really see any. I even checked it before I posted it.</p>
<p>" I need to write more critically and coherentLY." Is the one I was thinking of. </p>
<p>But also: “What are some techniques that I can use to heLp me write better in anD out OF the classroom?”</p>
<p>Now, mind you, it’s easy to make mistakes on a message board. I mistype things, leave off letters, type their when I mean there, forget commas here, but if I take the trouble to proofread properly, I’ll catch most of my mistakes. If you can’t you should perhaps start by getting some help with grammatical issues. Does your current college have something like a Writing Help Center?</p>
<p>Argh, I can’t believe CC will no longer let me bold or underline.</p>
<p>“Elements of Style” is very short and helpful.</p>
<p>“Essay Writing Workstation” for the iPad and iPhone is very specific to teaching writing with a critical thinking foundation. Plus, it addresses different types of essays. What you need to develop is a consistent “writing process.” That app would help there. You do need to practice as well, like another poster stated above.</p>
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Would certain things be more preferable to read or write then others? For example, fiction compared with nonfiction.</p>
<p>OP, what sorts of problems are you having? Grammar, organization, being specific, writing enough?</p>
<p>@stressedouttt, if your problems are mostly grammatical, well-written fiction will work. If your challenges are more organizational, try reading more nonfiction. Be aware that magazine and newspaper articles play by different rules, so try to find other stuff as well.</p>
<p>If you’d like to be a better writer, I would suggest that you read a variety of genres, especially those areas at which you’d like to excel, and learn from them. For critical thinking, read editorial articles or non-fiction commentary about historical figures/events. For the most part, those writers will have spent a great deal of time researching their topics so that they can provide critical analyses, e.g., books about wars, historical eras, or notable leaders.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>