ELEMENTS TO MAKE A WRITER GREAT part 1

Often overlooked in writing, the topic sentence is a foundational ingredient that no paper should lack. Failing to properly introduce a subject in writing is like forgetting the butter in a cake recipe. Normally this ingredient goes unnoticed mixed with sugar and flour and vanilla, but when it is missing, the cake will simply not taste right. To achieve a smooth, moist, and cohesive texture, butter must be added and blended well. Likewise a topic sentence must introduce the gist of a concept and then flow easily into the material at hand. Generally, it is found at the beginning of a paragraph and tells the reader what the following sentences will be about. In some cases--usually in the middle or end of a paper--a transitional sentence needs to preface the topic sentence to help the audience segue to the next issue. The subsequent sentences should support the proposed topic by explaining the position taken or giving background, logical arguments, and examples which will lead the reader to come to the same conclusion as the writer. Again using the analogy of a cake, the body of a paragraph is similar to the other ingredients which are necessary to complete the dessert. Once mixed, the batter must be baked, definitively binding the elements together. So, finally, the concluding sentence should wrap up the concepts discussed and touch again on the same point as the opening sentence, bringing the paragraph back to the place it started and informing the reader through the process.

Purely Radiant

Purity is a positive virtue for any person, man or woman, to possess. Chastity does not only pertain to physical abstinence and outward appearance, but also to steadfastness of the heart. Young people are commanded in scripture to keep their hearts, minds, and bodies pure and honorable for their future spouse. Keeping one's heart and body pure for one person is a hard commitment to make and keep, but it is essential to the Christian walk. A person with a heart and mind focused on serving God and devoting their single years to His service, is more likely to lead a life of purity, than a adolescent with no purpose or vision for their life.

Purity is not displayed by flirting, dressing immodestly, or dating numerous people. Flirting not only entails giddy behavior around other people, but also trying to sit next to the cutest person, always having to touch someone, laughing at witty comments, or talking about subjects of a more personal nature. Clothing that is worn too tightly, shirts that are too low, and skirts that are too short, are all stumbling blocks to others, especially young men. Casual dating does not allow people to get to know each others true character. It is a surface relationship, a facade.

Waiting to give one's heart away till marriage, holds a certain beauty with it that can not be out done. The beauty that shines from a pure bride who has never given herself away and has saved her first kiss for that wonderful guy on their special day, is so astounding and breath taking. Their pure love is radiant. All aspects of life are like the buds of flowers, growing and forming, waiting for the right moment to bloom. When two young lives are tied together with the vows of marriage, they blossom together forming a dazzling bouquet. Continually watered by Christ's overflowing river of grace and love, the healthy blossoms of commitment never wither.

In Psalms, David cries out to God saying, "create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirt within me." (Psalm 51:10) David, a man after God's own heart, struggled with purity and lust, but even he knew that it was sinfully wrong and asked God to renew his heart. This plea can be offered up to God from any struggling heart in a time of need and renewal. God does not give us commands, only to sit back and watch us struggle through them alone. He cares that we keep our hearts pure and that we wait to release our affection to only one person. He holds our every concern in His hands. He is listening and waiting for our cries for help, ready to assist us in our pursuit of righteousness.

A person of chastity ought to be highly praised for their strength of character and restraint. It is no easy task to keep one's self pure in heart, appearance, and character. It takes courage to face a world of opposing views. We must stand fast and not waiver.

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I must say that as I stumbled through this essay trying to determine my audience and where I was coming from, Caity gave me several tips and helped me quite a bit with this essay. You can tell from her post below, she is a gifted writer. That, among her many other talents, is something I would be blessed to be able to imitate in even the smallest way.

friendship...do we really need it? or can we live via the computer?

The art of friendship is a long-lost quality that the modern culture has completely underemphasized. It used to be highly valued; a staple of adult etiquette. People cared about those around them and paused to take the time to show it. A simple cup of tea and a cookie shared with a kindred spirit meant more then any virtual comment or email ever could. Over the years the importance of talking face to face, sharing a meal, or even hand writing a letter has “gone of out style” with the culture.

In an age where facebook and twitter epitomizes the nations’ friendship status, the selfish population is left to themselves--just what they want. That is the way it should be, right? No. Who can really enjoy spending day in and day out without being touched by anyone who truly cares? No friendly neighbor dropping in. No envelope addressed in well-known cursive. No cheery phone call. No sincere friendship. Everything is computerized and impersonal. Yes, social networking, “e-groups,” blog posts, and instant messaging allow people to exchange words in cyberspace, but that can hardly be considered camaraderie.

Communication has become so easy that people no longer have to sacrifice more than a quick minute to say “hey.” Flipping through countless ego-photos, sending any number of a electronic hugs and smiles, posting “likes,” or carrying on brief but surface conversations cannot equate a portion of time deliberately taken out of a daily schedule and devoted to spending the afternoon in the home of a friend. Talking to a friend is relaxing and stimulating. Like a steaming cup of coffee and a cozy blanket and a good book on a chilly afternoon, a friend will always be there to comfort and encourage, ready to conquer the problems of the world, smile through the tears, talk sense when needed, or simply make another mocha.

Being a friend is hard and takes a substantial amount of energy to keep up biblical gregariousness. But God’s disciples are called numerous times in Scripture to surmount this difficult task. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” Christians need to be available to support and sympathize with fellow believers; in short, extend the hand of amicable friendship. Throughout the Bible, God says to love one’s neighbor, do good to him, and have a brotherly affection for him. Friendship is not an option, but rather an obligation as a son or daughter of God the Father.

Genuine bonhomie takes time. It must be a conscious endeavor to be sympathetic to the hurting, loyal to the unloveable, merciful to the quirky, compassionate to the suffering, faithful to the fickle, sensitive to the weak, considerate to the offended. One has to live sacrificially--especially when it is inconvenient--in order to maintain healthy affable conviviality between brothers and sisters in Christ. Giving up personal plans and desires is one of the hardest but most important acts of kindness someone can demonstrate to a friend. A person trying to live this in this mindset is well on the way to being the type of person that everyone desires to befriend.

writing classically

To effectively write persuasively, a person needs to have an organized plan to follow, otherwise words can tend to ramble on, have no purpose, and fail to articulately convey the essayist's thoughts. Argumentative compositions are especially in need of detailed structure. The Ancients--masters in the art of winning and compelling dissertations--wrote almost all their books, speeches, and discourses according a few basic rules. Classical scholars often study these guidelines and proceed to apply them skillfully to their expositions. These criterion are practical and useful (outside of the classroom too!). So what are these age-old erudite gauges, you ask?

First: awareness of how the audience is going to be persuaded. There are three different arguments that could or should be made. Logos, is using an appeal to reason. This is the most popular and convincing of the three. It is used to show the sense and logical conclusion of the proposed solution. Ethos exposes the appropriateness and plays of the audience's ethic beliefs. The last appeal is that of Pathos. This plea seeks to sway the audience's judgement based solely on what feels right. Because of its uncomplicated and passionate nature, it is often used to such great extent that it has become easy to abuse this emotion adjure. A quality argument will contain a bit of ethos in the beginning--usually in the rousing introduction of a paper.

Second: the basic structure of a paper is imperative. To start off, the introduction paragraph should capture your readers attention and encourage them to keep reading. It should introduce the audience to the topic at hand, and give a bit of background. This is also the place to state the thesis of your point of view. In the next paragraph you should lay a bit more groundwork, slanting it to match your position--you can't skew the facts, just omit the ones that aren't helpful. In the following paragraphs you should explain any terms or ideas that your readers may not be familiar with or already define them as you do and argue logically, systematically starting general ideas and working towards the more specific details. Conclude with a strong emotional appeal to clinch your argument.

Third: the tone used determines how the audience will view the writing. If the paper is rushed and written quickly, in a reckless fashion, the reader will likely not be interested in more than the first couple sentences simply because of the poor construction. Contrarily, if the vocabulary and general style is so difficult and convoluted that it cannot be understood, the reader will not read it either. Also if the stance taken is not well defined or described and the reader is left in the dark the paper will be of no use because now one will read it. A well written essay takes time to compose. For the most part, the more you put into the writing of a piece, the more the readers will get out of it.

So that is a summary of what I have been learning in my writing course this year. What do you all think? Any tips you would add?