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Write in the Middle,
a webzine for middle school students who like to write!

Write 'n Revise

May 29, 2012

The Right Way to Research

Want to know more about a subject so you can write about it? Chances are, you’re probably going to search the Internet for some answers. You’re on the computer trying to write anyway… It’s only natural.

The Internet is a great source of, well, resources. Yes, you can probably find the information you’re looking for – no matter what that information happens to be. But don’t be fooled into thinking every Internet resource is really reliable. Ever heard the expression, “You can’t believe everything you read”? That goes for everything you read on the Internet, too.

So how do you decide which websites to believe? Here are a few clues…

Don’t count on information you find on:

Social networking sites

Personal websites

Sites that allow users to add, change and delete information (such as Wikipedia)

Contributors to these kinds of sites are just regular people, who may or may not know what they’re talking about.

Believe what you read when it comes from:

Official organizations focused on your topic

Encyclopedias that are not created by users

Newspapers and magazines

Government websites

Contributors on these sites are more likely to be experts or professionals – people who’ve done their own research to make sure the information they post is true.

Now, what do you do if you find some juicy information about your topic on a personal website? You don’t have to assume it’s not true. Just do some digging before deciding it is. Double-check by trying to find the same information on a more reliable site. Success means you can count on the info - and use it as a foundation when you sit down to write.

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May 6, 2012

"Write What You Know"

Heard it before? Most students get that message over and over again. But there's a lot of satisfaction in writing what you don't know. In fact, that's the basic philosophy behind many paid writing gigs. Newspaper reporters, for example, don't know everything about everything before they get started. They ask questions, get answers, and in the process, gather material they can use to write their articles.

When you open your mind to writing about subjects you're not familiar with, you can write about anything. There are no limits, and that's exciting. There is, however, one major hurdle to overcome. That would be your ignorance about the subject matter you plan to tackle. How, for example, can you write a story about a girl living on a horse farm if you've lived your whole life in the city or suburbs?

The answer is simple: research.

Once you know what you want to write about, no matter how little you know about it, you can find out more. There are many ways to approach your research. In the case of the horse farm story, you could actually visit a horse farm to get some details. You could also interview a horse owner, read about horses and their care, attend horse shows, watch YouTube videos of equestrian events, and the list goes on wherever your imagination might take you.

It doesn't matter if you start writing the day you start researching or when you decide you're done. (Some writers get really caught up in research - it's fun to learn about something that interests you!) The point is, once you start, you'll know more about your subject than you did the day before. That knowledge allows you to write about it.

In the end, maybe once you do some research, you're writing what you know after all!

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April 6, 2012

Read it Out Loud!

Writers always want to make their work better. Some say writing is really about rewriting. The problem is, it’s not always easy to know how to rewrite a piece in a way that will improve it.

Some writers set their work aside for a while after they’ve written the last sentence of a rough draft. Others start rewriting immediately. But either way, the question remains: How do you know what to do to make it better?

One way you can figure it out is by reading your piece aloud.

Reading what you’ve written out loud gives you a chance to hear where your words and sentences flow — and where things get clunky and awkward. (There are always spots where writing gets clunky and awkward. At least in the first few drafts!) Reading work aloud gets your words out of your head, where everything you want to say is clear. When you listen to what you’ve written, you can pretend you’re a reader. You can hear if something doesn’t make sense or if a point you’re making on the page needs more clarification.

Another benefit to reading your work out loud: It’s a great proofreading method. Spellcheck might not pick up on the fact that you’ve left out a word in a sentence or misspelled a word that has several different spellings (and meanings). When you read aloud, these types of errors are much easier to spot than when you simply reread silently to yourself.

So the next time you finish a draft of a story, essay, or poem, find a private spot where you can read the work aloud to yourself — no other audience members required. The process will give you plenty of clues about what you should do next to improve your work.

Write 'n Revise

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