Foundational Writing Skills
Foundational Writing Rubric
While taking NMAC 3108 Writing for Digital Media with Dr. Gerald Lucas, students will be judged by Dr. Lucas' Foundational Rubric. Without a clear understanding of the skills listed in this rubric, students will not be able to succeed in the course.
In order to have strong writing for digital media, it is necessary that writers understand and employ the following techniques in their writing.
Active
Passive voice should be avoided when writing for a blog or any website. Active voice is when the subject of the sentence directly performs the action.
Example of active voice:
- The student failed the assignments for her excessive use of passive voice.
Example of passive voice:
- The student has failed too many assignments and will not pass the class.
To change a passive sentence to an active sentence, follow these steps[1]:
- Move the passive sentence's subject into the active sentence's direct object slot.
- Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed.
- Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.
Appropriate
Appropriateness hinges on the writer's ability to address the needs of the user. Audience plays a key role in this category. Dr. Steven Hale suggests that "writing with a specific audience in mind will also give your [writing] more unity of purpose and style and will involve your reader more directly in your argument[2]."
Aware
To fulfill the awareness requirement, writing should do the following:
— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability
— Never plagiarize.
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
For more information on writing with awareness and the ethics of writing, whether it be for a blog, newspaper, or any other source of media, check out the (Society of Professional Journalist) SPJ Code of Ethics.
Concrete
When writing a new blog entry using Concrete Language will help to make your writing more real to your readers. Concrete Language names or describes the perceptible and material world; it appeals to or engages the senses. Concrete words are words that others can relate to by using the five senses. Many concrete words or phrases can be defined by touching, pointing, or acting: sofa, star, swim in the river.
“When you use a lot of words that deal with ideas, concepts, and things that we can’t touch - vague abstract nouns such as “invincible”, “emotion”, “existence”, “obscurity”, “consciousness”, “autonomy”, “despair” and so on, the reader feels a sense of distance from your reality." ~ Susan Musgrave
Example of an Abstract Sentence: To excel in college, you’ll have to work hard.
Example of a Concrete Sentence: To excel in college, you’ll need to go to every class; do all your reading before you go; write several drafts of each paper; and review your notes for each class weekly.
Consistent
Imaginative
Precise and Direct
Often times writers use vocabulary that is inflated or commonly used. Unfortunately, this creates the opportunity for misuse. A writer should be fully aware of the context and desired message. Using too many words or the wrong words to communicate is detrimental to a blogger's credibility and purpose. The use of precision ensures that your article conveys the correct message without confusing or overwhelming the audience.
Utilize a thesaurus and dictionary to achieve correct vocabulary for blog entries.
Example
In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to X, Y, or Z charity.
In light of the recent mistakes in the media, we've decided to withhold the names of suspects until identities are confirmed.
Here, in lieu of means instead of or in absence of. In light of means due to or because of. The two are not interchangeable. Unfortunately this mistake is often made with common phrases and words. As a blogger one should be diligent in checking for precision in his writing. Lack of precision negates the act of fact checking.
Presentable
Notes
References
- Active/Passive Voice. Townson University's Online Writing Support. Web. 1 May 2013.
- Carroll, Brian. (2010). Writing for Digital Media. New York: Routledge. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- Hale, Steven. Choosing and Writing for an Audience. Web. 30 April 2013.