Learn The Fundamentals

Sometimes it really surprises me how bad some people's writing is. Like, I understand that not everybody has trained to be a great writer, and I understand that some people just don't have an affinity for it, but even still, the examples I have seen really do surprise me. I wonder how it is possible that they have gone through school and still not learned these things.

Writing has always been part of formal schooling. It dates back to the ancient Greeks. It's one of the three R's. I've had to write for school since I was old enough to write. I've been practicing the 5-paragraph essay since the fourth grade. Even if you hated to do it, you should at least know how to write things well. Still, I see the fundamentals are lacking. For whatever the reason is, if you want to write, you should learn and practice them.

When people talk about the fundamentals of writing, they usually think of spelling and grammar. Those are definitely part of the fundamentals, but there is more to it than that. Spelling and grammar teaches you how to create acceptable sentences. After that, you still need to know what sentences to write. Stopping at spelling and grammar would be like learning how to use a table saw, but having know idea how to build a birdhouse.

The next step is learning how to argue. Think of those 5-paragraph essays you used to write. There are two kinds: supporting an argument and defending an argument. First we learn to support an argument. I believe something is true and will provide three reasons why. These are my three reasons and why each one supports me. Because of all these reasons, I believe something is true. That is the basic layout of supporting. This will teach you that everything has a reason behind it. If you believe that something is true, you should be able to say why.

The second level is a little more advanced. I believe something is true. Here is a supporting point. Some people say that point is wrong for this reason. That point is wrong, though, because of this other reason. That is why I believe something is true. In this essay, you learn that there are opposing beliefs and that both of them can have valid points. This is why it is important to be able to support your beliefs: if you can't, nobody else will believe you.

I think that these are critical writing tools that everybody needs to know (which is probably why they are compulsory subjects). Even if you never write anything outside of school, these skills are invaluable anywhere in life. You should be able to explain why your beliefs have value and beliefs you disagree with are worth less (even if they aren't worthless).

Beyond being able to argue, I think it is also useful to learn how to create. Being creative forces independence. Although there are tools and techniques to help develop creativity, the answer always comes from within and is unique to the individual. This is a skill that may not always be needed in life, so I can understand somebody opposing mandatory creative classes, but I think that it is needed enough times in life that it is worth offering.