Paint word pictures

     One goal of good descriptive and narrative writing is to use words to create scenes, characters, and feelings. Good novelists know how to create powerful word pictures in the reader's mind that allow him to visualize whatever the author is writing about. That's why many good novels are turned into movies. But the book is always better than the movie. The movie doesn't engage your imagination the same way a book does.  Watching a movie is passive, while reading a book is active. You can't put on the screen what the mind can imagine. Get into a book!

Reasons to read

     If you are learning English as a second language and want to become fluent as quickly as possible, read! Read a lot, every day.  Read newspapers, information on the Internet, magazines, advertisements, signs, books, anything that is interesting to you. Whatever you are interested in, read about it!! How will this help you? Most importantly, it will help you learn. Many people say reading is the best way to learn. But it will also help your English in many ways. When you read you will see what writing by native speakers looks like and how they organize and express their thoughts in writing.  You will notice how the grammar and vocabulary you are studying are used. You will see words spelled correctly. You will see how punctuation is used. You will see words that you already know used in sentences and understand these words even better, including how and when they are used. You will learn new words without even using your dictionary. You will usually be able to figure out, or guess, the meanings of new words just from the context, the other words around them.  As a result of all of this, your writing will improve greatly, and your overall fluency in English will, too. Studies have shown that, in general,  the most fluent ESL speakers read a lot, and often. Reading is something that you can do anywhere, anytime. Reading is fun. Reading can make your imagination run wild. Does this sound like Mister Rogers? Carry a magazine or paperback book with you and read whenever you are waiting somewhere or have a free moment. You might even get hooked on reading, and that's a good addiction to have.

Writing Basics: To write better, keep writing--and reading!

Writing is a skill, and like any other skill, it takes practice to improve. Writing and reading are closely related skills. So read and write as much as possible. Try to write and read something every day.

Think about writing a daily journal, or diary, recording your thoughts each day. If possible, set aside a few minutes (no more than 15) and a special place to write every day. Make it a comfortable place, where you feel good and won't be distracted by people or noises. Have a cup of coffee or tea, or whatever you like to drink, while you are writing. The idea is to make it an enjoyable experience, more like play than work. Just write your thoughts down as they come into your mind. Don't worry too much about spelling, grammar and punctuation. Remember, this writing is just for you, unless you decide to share it with someone else.

You have many other opportunities to write. Write an e-mail to an American friend. Texting is a form of writing. You'll need to learn all the abbreviations used in texting, like LOL, BFF, BTW, OMG, and so on. Write a letter to someone. Think about writing an essay or poem to publish in the Ivy Tech newspaper, The Campus Insider, or the Ivy Tech student publication, New Voices.

Reading and writing are closely related skills. Good writers usually like to read a lot. When you read good books and articles, you see what good writing looks like, and you can "imitate" it. Good writers have good vocabularies, grammar, and punctuation, so they are good models of those aspects of writing. Studies have shown that ESL students who read the most have the highest levels of English skills. It doesn't matter what you read; read a book, article, newspaper, magazine, or comic book. Read articles on the Internet. Read blogs. The important thing is to read daily and to read about something you are interested in. When you read, try not to use the dictionary too much. Try to figure out the meaning of new words from their context. Only look up a word if you absolutely cannot understand what the author is writing without knowing that word. The more you read, the more you will enjoy reading. And the more you read, the more you will learn.

So my advice to you is to keep writing and reading to become a better writer. Good luck!