Properties of a Well-written Text

Lesson 06: Properties of a Well--Written Text Well

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

There are different aspects that present a text in its finest format, regardless of which field the text is to  be presented to.

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A. Organization

ORGANIZATION •

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A well-written text is, first and foremost, organized. A well-written text cannot simply be a  jumble of random facts, sentences, or fragments. There are things to consider when organizing a text, these are:

1. Target Audience of Your Writing The following are the questions to answer when considering the target audience of your writing:

1.1. Who are my readers? (ages, demographics) 1.2. What will they consider as important values? (scientific data, firsthand info, studies or theories)

1. Target Audience of Your Writing

1.3. Which field of study will this text be  presented to? (Journal, scientific, literary magazine, novella or an article of a newspaper) 1.4. What empirical data or representation will they expect to see? (aspects of issues and characters)

2. Flow of Information •

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This is best achieved by consulting the methods of organization the writer has used to gather his data. With these methods in mind, the writer may be able to “connect the dots” of data in a manner that is both aesthetically pleasing and comprehensible to the reader.

METHODS OF ORGANIZATION •

Should the timeline of the story be linear or nonlinear?

Example: Classic stories begin with the standard form of storytelling; the initial problem and the adventure to reach the solution. However, modern storytelling can skip forward and  backward using flash backs or flash forwards, before returning to the current time period to how events have come to be.

METHODS OF ORGANIZATION •

Which aspect of the subject should be tackled first among all the others?

Example: If a paper has several subheadings, beneath the primary topic, which one should be first? Is it the most vital? Is their importance to be in ascending or descending order?

METHODS OF ORGANIZATION •

If the text begins with a thesis, how do I best present evidence to support my conclusion?

Example: If a paper has several subheadings, beneath the primary topic, which one should be first? Is it the most vital? Is their importance to be in ascending or descending order?

3. WRITING STRUCTURE •

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Proper data organization is what creates the foundation for a writer’s text. The following are to be considered when figuring out a writing structure:

3. WRITING STRUCTURE

3.1. What should be the foundation for my writing? (determine the goals or aim of the paper, its settings, moral grounds and overall theme)

3. WRITING STRUCTURE

3.2. Where does it begin? (For creative writing: explain the universe that your story is settled in or sketch out the characters then follow his adventures. For formal papers: begin with a thesis, choose evidences.)

3. WRITING STRUCTURE

3.3. How far does it extend? What are my limitations? (For creative writing: one cannot cover every direction of subtopic under a major heading. Narrow this subtopic to the most relevant aspects. For formal papers: it is called scope of limitations.)

3. WRITING STRUCTURE

3.4. Which direction do I want to avoid with this topic? (What should be avoided so the readers would continue reading the material.)

B. Coherence & Cohesion

COHERENCE & COHESION •

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Without these two, any form of text would fall apart. With these two, it means that the ideas are ‘sticking together’. It is not only enough to compose grammatically correct sentences but also to ensure that the writing has a logical flow of ideas.

COHERENCE •

It means that all the ideas in your writing flows together, which includes developing and supporting arguments, organizing and clarifying ideas, and synthesizing and integrating readings.

COHESION •

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It focuses on grammatical aspects of writing. It sets tone of the text and ensures that the vocabulary and grammar are also correct.

1. THE TEXT’S READABILITY

Readability no longer pertains to simply how readable the text is in physical sense. e.g. *In children’s book can’t be too advance for children’s understanding *In reading for leisure, using overly formal language would make it difficult to enjoy. •

2. THE TEXT BEING STYLISTICALLY CLEAR Every writer has a distinct writing approach. The stylistic clarity of the writer makes his work original. This gives the reader a chance to acclimate to the writer’s manner of spinning the story and maintains this level throughout the novel. e.g.* Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games’s postapocalyptic battlegrounds. •

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C. USE OF LANGUAGE

USE OF LANGUAGE This is not merely in reference to a writer’s chosen language in his ideas but also refers to the level of language and consideration for the colloquial terms that will be used sparingly. e.g. *must take into consideration the age of audience; colloquialism must be used towards the  familiar words; informal language should be utilized to achieve clarity of the text. •

1. LANGUAGE AS IT APPLIES WITHIN THE TEXT •

Words are extremely powerful tools in a writer’s arsenal, one word can have different meanings so its usage will depend on the context.

Example:  According JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, a human without magic is called a Muggle. In her new series, however, it appears that the term Muggle is no longer used; non-wizards are called No-maj (No magic).

2. LANGUAGE COMPLEXITY •

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A writer should aim to fit his language with that of the reader’s language skills. Different texts require different reading levels, each being justified to the range of vocabulary of the target readers.

D. MECHANICS

MECHANICS •

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It applies to general sentence constructions, punctuations, capitalizations, grammar, vocabulary, spelling and the likes. Changes in this property of a text could change the entire ‘personality’ of the piece, or add some emphasis to certain areas.

END OF DISCUSSION