Unlocking

Academic Excellence:

The Art of

Effective Writing

© 2023 KimAlyse Popkave, M.Ed., CMI, CPPC, LPDG

Positive Outcomes Professor

K.A. POPKAVE CONSULTING

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


Introduction

  • The sixth Key to Being A Stellar Student is Effective Writing.
  • It is vital to your success both academically and in your career that written communication clearly conveys the message you intend.
  • Writing is a PROCESS.
  • This lesson will cover SYSTEMS for Effective Writing to include three Phases:
      • Phase #1: Planning
      • Phase #2: Writing
      • Phase #3: Revising

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


PROCESS

Writing is a PROCESS!

  • Make this your mantra. Say it aloud many times over, until it becomes part of you:
  • Writing is a PROCESS!
  • Writing is a PROCESS!
  • Writing is a PROCESS!
  • Remember this: If you fail to plan, you are planning to FAIL!


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


SYSTEMS

S

    • Strategies

Y

    • Yielding

S

    • Stellar

T

    • Triumphs

E

    • Excellence

M

    • Masterful

S

    • Success

Let’s take a systematic approach to the writing process.

  • The writing process has three phases:
    • Phase #1:
      • Planning
    • Phase #2:
      • Writing
    • Phase #3:
      • Revising

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


SYSTEMS

  • We use six (6) different modes of thinking during this writing process. These can be symbolized by six different colors:
  • BLUE: Logical, Organized, Focused
  • WHITE: Factual
  • GREEN: Creative thinking. Deals with your goals, what you plan to accomplish
  • BLACK: The Rational Negative Appraisal – Playing Devil’s Advocate
  • RED: Fire & Passion – Consider your feelings
  • YELLOW: “Shedding the Light” on the topic for your readers 

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


SYSTEMS

  • These colors symbolize steps along a path – in this case, the path to effective written communication. Let’s explore each step.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLUE STEP THINKING


Think Blue

  • Clear, crisp, logical thinking
  • Use it to get organized and focused for writing
  • Part of Phase #1: Planning

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLUE STEP THINKING


  • Get Organized:
  • Generate Ideas for a Topic:
    • Brainstorm
    • Discuss topics with others
    • Use a subject-based search engine.
    • Consider these questions:
      • About what do you know a great deal?
      • About what do you want to know more?
      • What have you heard or read in the news?
      • What has someone said that would make a great topic?
  • Choose a Topic:
    • From your list of ideas.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLUE STEP THINKING


  • Get Focused:
    • Determine your General Purpose for writing.

To Inform

    • Present and explain information
    • To convince your reader to adopt your view; To stimulate the reader to consider both sides of an issue and choose which side to accept; To actuate the reader to take immediate, decisive action because of reading

To Persuade

To Entertain

    • Amuse the reader with a humorous story

To Persuade

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLUE STEP THINKING


  • Stay organized and focused throughout the entire writing process by coming back to Blue Step Thinking to summarize and draw conclusions.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLUE STEP THINKING


Assignment


  • BLUE STEP THINKING
  • Read Popkave, K.A. (2020) Keys to Academic Success: A Guide to Achieve Stellar Performance. Popkave Publishing Key #6 Effective Writing
  • After reading the text, do the following:
    • Get organized by brainstorming a topic to research from your intended career path.
    • Choose a topic you have not researched previously.
    • Get focused by determining a general purpose for this research. Will the focus of your paper be to inform, persuade, or entertain?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


White is the color of freshly fallen snow. It is clean and pure – what you see is what truly is. In White Step Thinking, we consider just the facts of the communication situation. ─ Just the FACTS.

    • Consider the Audience
    • Consider the Topic

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


Facts considering the Audience

  • Who will read your writing???
  • Why consider the audience in the Planning Phase? Demographics and Roles influence the reader’s thinking and how they interpret and accept your writing.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


  • Consider the Demographics:
    • What is the general age group of the reader?
    • Are you writing for a male audience, a female audience, or both?
    • Are you writing for a specific gender preference?
    • Are your readers of a specific race, ethnic, or cultural background?
    • Are you writing for readers with a specific religious background?
    • Are your readers members of a specific group or organization?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


  • Consider Readers’ Roles:
    • Instructors
    • Students
    • Employers
    • Customers
    • Friends and / or Family

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


Facts considering the Topic

    • What facts do you already have?
    • Is further research required?
    • Be certain that you have only information that is unbiased.
      • Make no judgments and form no opinions, at this point.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


  • Consider the present situation from the reader’s perspective
    • Is the reader and expert or beginner?
    • What does the reader already know about the topic?
    • What does the reader still need to know?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


According to Popkave,

  • White Step Thinking is part of the planning phase of writing. This mode of thinking will allow you to have all the facts, so you can write more effectively. Having all the facts will help keep your writing clear and concise.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WHITE STEP THINKING


Assignment


  • WHITE STEP THINKING
  • Read Popkave, K.A. (2020) Keys to Academic Success: A Guide to Achieve Stellar Performance. Popkave Publishing Key #6 Effective Writing
  • After reading the text, do the following:
    • For the research topic that you brainstormed in the Blue Step, do an audience analysis to determine who will read your writing,
    • Then, research the topic, keeping your audience in mind.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


GREEN STEP THINKING


  • Green Step Thinking is also part of the planning phase. Green is the color of grass, plants, and things that grow. It takes into consideration the fertility of the creative mind.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


GREEN STEP THINKING


In the Green Step Thinking:

  • Consider the goals of your writing.
    • What do you want to achieve?
    • What do you want your audience to know, to believe, to feel, or to do, as a result of your writing?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


GREEN STEP THINKING


Formulating your Specific Purpose:

  • Touch back on Blue Step Thinking to consider:
    • What is your General Purpose for writing?
    • Who is your Audience?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


GREEN STEP THINKING


Now consider:

  • What is your narrowed Topic?
  •  Put these three elements together, and you will have your Specific Purpose for writing.
    • This is your main goal for the writing.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


GREEN STEP THINKING


  • Example: To inform my audience (high school and college students) of the elements to consider that will allow them to write more effectively.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


GREEN STEP THINKING


Assignment


  • Formulate the Specific Purpose
  • In your notes:
    • Develop a clearly focused specific purpose statement for your research paper from the Blue Step and White Step.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLACK STEP THINKING


Black is the color of night and of courage.

  • Do you have the courage to continue planning your writing?


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLACK STEP THINKING


  • Black Step Thinking requires a Rational Negative Appraisal.
    • This is not being negative for the sake of being negative
    • It is playing “Devil’s Advocate” to discern the obstacles in the path to achieving your written communication goals.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLACK STEP THINKING


  • Consider, in view of the audience’s present situation, the likelihood of achieving their desired situation. Appraise the circumstances.
  • Consider these questions:
    • What are the obstacles standing the way?
    • What are the faults, risks, and dangers for the audience, if they do not reach their desired situation?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLACK STEP THINKING


According to Popkave (2016),

  • After performing this rational negative appraisal and considering all the negatives that are preventing accomplishment of your written communication goals, it is time to reconsider your specific purpose for writing. You may need to revise it accordingly. This is a big step in preparation for writing that is clear, concise, and commanding.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


BLACK STEP THINKING


Assignment


Refining the Specific Purpose

  • Now that you have done your topic research, analyzed your audience, and determined a specific purpose for your paper, take time to employ Black Step Thinking. Play “Devil’s Advocate” to consider the obstacles to achieving your specific purpose.
  • Refine your specific purpose, as needed.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


RED STEP THINKING


The fifth step along this path is the Red Step. Red is the color of fire and passion. Red Step Thinking deals with emotional connections to add persuasive strength to your communication.

  • This is also part of the planning phase of writing.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


RED STEP THINKING


  • Consider the stakes for your reader if you don’t accomplish your specific purpose.
  • Questions to consider here are:
    • What are the readers’ emotional attachments to the present situation?
    • Will your readers remain stuck in the present situation? Is this a bad thing?
    •  How will readers feel if they remain in the present situation?

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


RED STEP THINKING


Assignment


  • Think RED to Persuade
  • Consider your attachment to your topic and specific purpose for writing of your research assignment.
  • Consider the following:
    • Personal experiences, feelings and emotions, hunches and intuition, as well as opinions and interpretations.
    • Explore these in depth to evaluate for persuasive strength. Doing so will increase the persuasive strength of your ideas, and the clarity and concision with which you present them Make note of these feelings in your notes.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


The sixth and final step along this path is the Yellow Step. Yellow is the color of bright sunshine. The Yellow Step “sheds light” on the topic for your readers

This is the phase #2: Writing.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Yellow Step Thinking requires a Rational Positive Appraisal.
    • Consider what is right with this picture.
  • Explore processes, solutions, benefits, and values to formulate our main and supporting points.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Formulating Main Points

  •  Main points are the central feature of your communication.
    • Select them carefully to accomplish your goals.
      • Clear structure is crucial to understandability

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Formulating Main Points

      • Limit the number of main points to two or three (no more than five main points for longer papers).

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING

Formulating Main Points

  • Organize main points strategically, according to your purpose. Therefore, use:
    • Chronological Order to tell when something happened.
    • Spatial Order to tell where something is.
    • Causal Order to tell what caused something to happen.
    • Problem-Solution Order to tell about the existence of the problem and suggest a solution.
    • Topical Order to divide your topic into subtopics.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING



During this process of formulation of points, the Central Idea, or Thesis of the communication, becomes clear. This is especially important in written communication.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING

  • Thesis:
    • One clear concise declarative statement that encapsulates your main points and expresses your thoughts about them.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING

  • Tips for writing main points:
    • Keep main points separate.
    • Try to use the same pattern of wording for main points.
    • Balance the amount of time devoted to main points.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment

Think Yellow to write Main Points

Yellow Step Thinking provides solutions for your readers. These solutions take the form of well-worded Thesis statements and well-supported Main Points.

  • In your notes, write three well-worded declarative Main Points for your research assignment. Each Main Point should be only one declarative statement.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment

Think Yellow to write Main Points (Cont.)

  • Next, from these Main Points, write your Thesis statement. Remember that the Thesis is one clear concise declarative statement that encapsulates your main points and expresses your thoughts about them.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Without support, main points cease to be main points and are merely unsupported assertions.


  • Unsupported assertions seriously deplete the clarity, concision, and command of your writing.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • To increase the clarity, concision, and command of your written communication:
    • Choose supporting materials that are:
      • Accurate, Relevant, and Reliable.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Use Examples, Statistics, and Testimony to support main points.
    • Increases informative or persuasive strength of your main points
    • Assists in more successfully accomplishing your communication goals

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment


Supporting Main Points

  • In your notes, organize support for your Main Points. Remember that strong support consists of appropriate examples, statistics, and testimony.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment


Putting it together

  • In your notes, having planned (outlined) your main and supporting points, write them in paragraph form
    • Connect them with strong transition statements to
      • Connect your ideas
      • Show the relationships between them.
      • This helps guide your readers through your ideas to your logical conclusion.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Now that you have planned your main and supporting points, to truly succeed, you need to create an Intriguing Introduction and a Compelling Conclusion.
  • How you introduce and conclude your message may very well affect the success of your writing.
  • Pay attention to creating your introduction and conclusion to have the greatest impact on your readers.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Four objectives of an Intriguing Introduction:
    • To gain the attention and interest of the readers
      • There are several ways to accomplish this: tell a story, startling facts, examples, etc.
    • To reveal the topic
      • Not revealing the topic in the introduction can confuse readers.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Four objectives of an Intriguing Introduction (Cont.):
    • To establish the author’s credibility and good will
      • This is especially necessary when the topic is controversial, and most readers take the opposing point of view.
    • To preview the body of the writing
      • A good thesis statement will preview the body of the paper and prepare the readers for your information.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Tips for writing an Intriguing Introduction:
    • Keep the introduction relatively brief. No more than 10 % to 20% of the writing
    • Keep an eye out for possible introduction material as you do the research.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment


  • Grab the readers’ attention
  • Grab your readers’ attention in the first paragraph with an Intriguing Introduction.
  • In your notes, Write your introductory paragraph.
    • Be certain to include your Thesis statement so you do not confuse your readers.
    • Strive to generate interest in your topic.
    • End the Introduction with a statement that transitions into your first Main Point.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Every piece of writing deserves a Compelling Conclusion. A compelling conclusion does the following for your written communication:
    • Ends the written communication on a strong note
    • Gives the writer one last chance to emphasize the main points
    • Creates a favorable final impression with the readers

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Two objectives of a Compelling Conclusion:
    • To signal the end of the written message
    • To reinforce the reader’s understanding of and commitment to the thesis

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Tips for writing a Compelling Conclusion:

  • Keep an eye out for possible concluding material as you do the research.
  • Conclude with a B A N G, not a whimper.
    • Be creative in devising a conclusion to capture the minds and hearts of your readers.
    • Experiment with two or three different endings and choose the conclusion that will have the most impact.
  • Be brief.
    • A good conclusion should be no more than 5% to 10% of the writing.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment


Concluding with a B A N G

  • A great Conclusion ties everything together for the readers and makes your topic memorable.
  • In your notes, write a Compelling Conclusion for your research assignment. Be certain that your Conclusion
    • Signals the end of your message
    • Reinforces the readers’ understanding of and commitment to the thesis.

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


Assignment


Putting it all together

Now it is time to assemble the parts of your research paper.

  • In your notes, assemble your paragraphs, being certain they are in the following order:
    • Paragraph #1: Intriguing Introduction ending in transition to first Main Point
    • Paragraph #2: First Main Point, support, transition to next paragraph.
    • Paragraph #3: Second Main Point, support, transition to next paragraph.
    • Paragraph #4: Third Main Point, support, transition to next paragraph.
    • Paragraph #5: Compelling Conclusion

Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • So far, we have worked through the first two phases of the writing process: planning and writing. In the next lesson, we discuss Phase #3 Revising.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


YELLOW STEP THINKING


  • Phase #3 is still part of Yellow Step Thinking, although we touch back on each mode of thinking, as necessary when we are Revising.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH

Walking the Path to Powerful Written Communication:

  • Blue Sep Thinking
  • Revisit Blue Step Thinking to refocus and to summarize our writing process.
  • Read through your writing.
  • Ask yourself if you accomplished your general purpose.
    • Does your writing serve to inform the reader? Does your writing serve to persuade the reader?


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH

  • Green Sep Thinking
  •  Revisit Green Step Thinking.
  • Consider your specific purpose, your main goal, for writing.
    • Have you accomplished this?
    • Do each of your main points support your Specific Purpose?
      • If “yes”, terrific! If “no”, consider how you can revise your points to support your specific purpose more efficiently.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH

  • Green Sep Thinking (Cont.)
    • Consider your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
      • Does your thesis effectively encapsulate your main points to give your audience a preview of what will follow in your paper?


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH

  • Black Sep Thinking
  •  Revisit Black Step Thinking.
    • Reread your writing.
      • Look for the risks, dangers, and faults in your logic.
      • Look for blatant errors.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH

  • Red Sep Thinking
  •  Revisit Red Step Thinking.
    • How committed to your ideas are you?
      • Is there anything that does not support your goals?
        • If so, this is the time to cut those items.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH

  • Revisit Yellow Step Thinking.
  • Reread, your writing, once again.
    • Be certain that you have polished you writing so that it shines the light on the topic for your readers.
      • Your writing will shine only if it conveys your ideas with clarity, concision, and command.


Unlocking Academic Excellence: The Art of Effective Writing


WALKING THE PATH


Assignment

  • Revising: Finalizing Your Writing
  • Now it is time to revise your research paper.
  • Utilize all the strategies detailed above.
    • Walk through each step along the Path to Powerful Communication to revise and polish your writing.