How To Write a Story

Reading and Writing

These are more connected than some may think. It's like a cycle, but they do have separate ways of working. With reading, there is a guide to help a reader read better. It's called SQ3R, in other words, Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review. I was taught this in my Pre-Composition class when surveying you need to read the keywords and find anything of importance, then you question their importance using who, what, when, where, why, and how. Once you finish questioning you read the text through and answer them as you go along. After you are done reading you start to recite what you have read by taking out the important information and say them in your own words, like a summary. Finally, your review, you do this by answering the questions you asked prior, you also can write a response to what you have read or you could come up with new ideas.

The next guide to help you become more successful in reading and writing as a storyteller, you are now going to learn the process of writing, the PDRP. Prewrite, Draft, Revise, Proofread. When prewriting you decide the topic, purpose, and outline what you wish to write about. After you finish the outline you start working on the draft, decide how you are going to write and in what voice, and what point of view you will want to choose. So, you finish your drafting stage, you then move onto revising your work, an easier way to put it, it's like editing your work. The revising stage is where I personally think that is is the most work, you'd need to add detail, take detail out, clarify your sentences and make them readable. But before you are done you have one final step, the proofreading stage. When proofreading you polish up your work, using better words to suit your audience better. Say you are writing for elementary kids, which word would be more appropriate, fun or amusing? Right, you'd tell the kids the topic was fun because amusing wouldn't be a fair enough word for them to understand. In a crowd of adults or young adults then it would be appropriate to say amusing instead of fun. Not only do you alter some words but you also correct any spelling and grammatical errors as well.

In SQ3R it is advised that you go by that direct order, but with PDRP you can do it however you'd find more fitting. Just remember you are only as good at writing as you are at reading, same in reverse because writing and reading are connected.