This document discusses developing writing skills, including some misconceptions about writing. It provides examples of different writing exercises like free writing without constraints, keeping a writing diary, and developing a story. It also lists characteristics of excellent writers such as being keen readers, observers, and having command of grammar. Different types of writing are mentioned, including descriptive writing using adjectives and similes to help readers visualize. Overall the document focuses on improving writing through various exercises and techniques.

1. By Muttahir Ahmed Khan
Developing Writing Skills

2. What is Writing?
Subject? Knowledge? Skill? Technique?

 Developing Writing Skills, in general, and in a
situation of teaching and learning English as a second
or foreign language, in particular, has always been
immensely significant and equally perplexing for both
students as well as the teachers, in our part of the
world.

3. Free Writing Exercise
 Hold your pen and be ready for writing
 Start writing and go on quickly, without any thought of
Logic, Grammar Mistakes, Focused Thought, Writing
Style, Specific Ideas, etc.
 Nobody, including me, is going to check or see it. Only
you can opt for sharing your matter with anyone.
 Selection of the Best Word, Sentence or Idea

4. Writing Diary
Recall the happenings of the day, before going to bed.
Select the important or unusual events and things.
Pen down them and their effects on your life.
Express your response to and feelings about them.

5. Misconceptions about Writing
 In more than 80% of our so-called English medium private
schools, the academic writing is mistaken for a theoretical
subject that stands for learning a prescribed text by heart or by
rot and to reproduce it in the examination without
comprehending the meaning or grammatical structure of even a
single sentence. Their students are not aware of even the basic
principle that writing is a skill that is developed with practice
and guidance and not a textual subject to be learnt by heart or to
memorise. We often hear such illogical statements like “I have
learnt three essays including ‘A Cricket Match’ and ‘My First
Day at School” or “Teacher! I can’t write a paragraph on My
Village, I have not memorised that. You did not dictate us this
and it is out of course”.

6. To Be an Excellent Writer you must
Be a keen Reader
Be a minute observer
Keep a pocket notebook
Possess a dictionary and thesaurus.
Have command over Grammar
Stop procrastinating
Read highly successful authors
Join a writers’ group
Sit in Solitude to think and imagine
Revise your Writing

7. Write a Note

8. Write a Note/Story

9. Write a Note

10. Developing a Story
The old woman was saying, “Both of my children
disregard all that I have suffered for their sake. I thought
that my daughter would be happy to have me live in her
house. She is my only daughter. You remember how I
helped her to live a life free from worry. Do you know
how she treated me in return?”

11. Creating a Story
Alumni Dinner,
Bonfire
Old students,
Lapse of 15 years,
Lush green lawn of University,
Light rain and charming weather,
Sofia is looking at sky with a smile on her face and pearls
in eyes.
Sheraaz plays guitar and sings “You fill up my senses…”

12. Sequence in Writing
Listing and Paragraphing
Instructions
Guidelines
Travelogues
Event Reporting
Biographical Essays/Notes

13. Descriptive Writing
Using the most suitable words to describe a person’s or
object’s appearance, physical features, shape, etc to
make the readers visualise the subject.
Use of more Adjectives, Similes and Nouns
“He was a middle-aged tall man with thick mustaches,
projecting ears, broad shoulders and a bit round nose” .
“She was as fresh as a Daisy, and as calm as the sea”.
etc.