Suppose you had to answer this question for a test like TOEFL:
What are the qualities of a successful person? What would you say?
Today I want to start with some principles of effective writing and emphasize a rule that I don't want you to forget in a timed writing: GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW.
Let's start with a few principles:
I. Consider Purpose, audience and tone
A.The purpose of writing is to give information and/or support to the reader.
1.GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW. If you are writing without looking at an outside source like a book, an article, an interview or videos, then you need to GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW.
Let me give you an example. If you are writing a timed writing like a test, can you bring in a book, an article or other materials into that test to help you? NO. So you need to “Go With What You Know.”
2. GO WITH WHAT THE EXPERTS KNOW.
If you are writing and getting your information from an outside source, then you need to GO WITH WHAT THE EXPERTS KNOW.
If you are writing a research paper, where are you going to get the information for that essay? From another source. So the professor doesn’t care what you know; the professor wants you to explain in your own words what the experts know.
B. The audience is the person reading the writing.
1.Write to the person reading your paper and follow that person or persons’ instructions.
To write to the audience, you need to know WHO you are writing to. If you’re in a class, typically the audience is your professor so you want to make sure you are writing in the way that professor wants. Some professors may be very picky even on format like spacing or font. You want to do what they want because you are writing for them.
2. The type of writing determines how you will write.
Another issue to consider when writing for the audience is to first know what type of writing you are doing.If you are NOT getting information from another source, then you want to go with what you know that the audience doesn’t know if at all possible. It is best to give new ideas and new support. If your ideas are not new, then you want to make sure that your support is.Let’s look at an example. In a timed writing, you are expected to not tell the reader what he already knows but what you know. Obviously, I am the reader and you don’t know what I know and don’t know.
So the question you need to ask yourself is – what do most people know about this topic?The goal in considering purpose and audience is to show them what you know that they don’t know.
Let’s look at an example. If I gave this topic in a timed writing, what are the qualities of a successful person? What would you say?
Intelligence
Good communicator
Good leadership skills
Cooperative
These are good qualities but in a timed writing, we are stuck with either giving and explanation or example or both. The problem with that is everyone knows what each of these words mean. It’s difficult to explain each of them.
So what if you gave an example? What is an example of a successful person with intelligence? Barack Obama Bill Gates Martin Luther King Gandhi
Now let me ask you. Who knows more about these people – you or me?
I probably know more about Obama, Gates and King because they’re from the U.S. For Gandhi, we probably have the same knowledge unless some of you have read a biography about him. So in choosing these people, you are not considering purpose and audience. You are not showing the reader what you know that they don’t know. You are showing them what they already know. When you do that, you really won’t have much to say so you won’t have the quality or length of support that you need.
Now what do most people especially Americans don’t know? They don’t know about your country or perhaps your major.So why not give an example of a person from your country who is successful, your major or even your family?Then you will be considering purpose and audience and naturally write better support.What if you are writing and using an outside source? In that case, you want to share what the experts know.This type of essay is an essay not where you are giving them information that you know that they don’t know but it is an essay where you were given the information. The instructor just wants you to do something with that information. In the case of the integrated writing, I want you to paraphrase that information.
In conclusion, in a timed writing, please go with what you know and in an integrated writing and other types of academic writing, you need to be able to share what the experts know that you've listened to or read.