Ratna Rao
Writing is one of the most important skills in learning a language. But more often than not it is an agonizing task for learners to accomplish. Effective writing needs many skills: brainstorming, organization, accuracy, grammatical devices, vocabulary, style, editing, redrafting, and many more. But even if one masters each of these skills there is no guarantee that a reader will enjoy a piece of writing.
Writing can be defined as a process where a message is encoded in a visual or tactile way. It is a process of communication where the writer encodes a message and the reader decodes it. As it involves many steps it is perceived as a laborious task and learners usually try and avoid this skill. Writing can become easy and manageable if one remembers two things:
- The first and the foremost is that a writer needs to understand his readers. The target reader provides the writer with some stimulus and context.
- The context directs a writer as to how to write, whether to be formal or informal, and what style to follow.
The author is Assistant Professor, Calorx Teachers’ University, Ahmedabad. She can be reached at ratnar_p@yahoo.co.in.