Challenges Part III: The Importance of “Writing Good”

Last week, Bill Sledzik, a professor at Kent State, wrote an insightful post on his blog, Tough Sledding, on the importance of “writing good”. As communications technology has advanced, it seems that our collective writing skills have deteriorated, especially among younger people. We dont use apostrphes nd comas we spell stuff wrong we c lotsa abbrevs nd just like say cyah l8er to writing good dude. o nd wuts a cereal coma? OK, so that’s slightly over the top, but you get the picture!

Next year, I’ll be helping students with their writing. I have no idea where they’ll be in their collective writing lives, what they’ve been taught in the past, or how important they presume writing to be. One of my challenges, therefore, will be to help them realize the importance of writing. In a time when text messages rule the teenage writing world, it will be part of my job to convey the importance of writing, and writing well, and how much of an advantage the skill can be.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to relate to their writing level and help them from there. When I was in high school, I knew solid writing could get me good grades, but that was about it. Now, after a college education, two public relations internships, and hearing countless times how important writing can be in the job market, I’ll be able to pass that knowledge on.

When you’re teaching or training someone, how do you convey the importance of something as vital as writing well?