Becoming a writer is not a difficult thing anymore. See, I wrote the sentence and that makes me a writer. But the right to be read does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously. For that, you have to make a strong claim. The accuracy of grammar, spelling and structure of your sentence plays a vital role in this.
The development of Artificial Intelligence in the domain of writing has facilitated us. We can make use of these tools to check for grammatical errors and also for spelling. But the real task is that of making an impressive sentence. Ease of reading has become a prominent thing for readers. If a reader, even on this website- on this very blog - finds that the language used in the formation of sentences is not 'apt' for comfortable reading, the readers will not hesitate to move away. The sentence you read is a longer one than others. The challenge posed might not be acknowledged by other readers. You did that and have reached till this one - thank you for that.
The blogs are read by readers who are quite active on the web. A tough challenge has been given to the writers by the world of digital content writing. Web-Based Writing says that readers read in 'F' pattern. It seems that writing is a technique based activity now and the utmost need is to keep the reader on your web page. If you lose him, your whole attempt at writing and designing is futile. One who writes can assume the taste and preferences of the audience (readers) but will still fail to win everyone. But, the only focus in writing is not to offend anyone, even if you cannot impress them to be your readers. For that, we need to ensure "READABILITY". This attribute comes through a mature understanding that SIMPLICITY is still the owner. We cannot undermine the reader and cannot dare to challenge them. yes, we can do so, once we have established the code and culture for the same.
To captivate the 21st-century reader, who switches between devices and even from printed to electronic, we need to prepare a lot. The primary pitfalls in writing are still the same. In terms of web-based writing or the content that goes on blogs and websites, we MUST keep in mind the ease of reading along with the search engine optimisation. Readability matters a lot but syntax and structure also play an important role. In this context, we have been using Grammarly as an editing tool that guides us to make connections in our writing. It also assists in social media platforms posts and even in MS Word as an Add-on.
The emergence of AI and its integration into education has changed the paradigm of writing and interaction. Apart from Grammarly, we have another wonderful, reliable and free platform: THE HEMINGWAY APP (Editor). This website is a free-to-use English language writing assistant where we can get inputs about our usage of:
Passive Voice (These are difficult to read.)
Adverbs/Weak Words (These make your text quite complex if used beyond a limit.)
Simple Words/Phrasing (readability might not mean degrading of the quality of writing)
Difficult Sentences
Very Difficult Sentences
It also highlights lengthy and complex sentences along with on-screen alerts about common errors; if you see a yellow sentence, shorten or split it. If you see a red highlight, your sentence is so dense and complicated that your readers will get lost trying to follow its meandering, splitting logic — try editing this sentence to remove the red. You can utilize a shorter word in place of a purple one. Adverbs and weakening phrases are helpfully shown in blue. Get rid of them and pick words with force, perhaps. Phrases in green have been marked to show passive voice. Hemingway Editor makes your writing bold and clear. It highlights wordy sentences, adverbs, passive voice, and other lexical atrocities as you type.
While I used this app in the live classes, it has proved an engaging tool. Students are asked to compose their paragraphs or short-composition tasks. While they type their ideas, they can see the readability in the analytical chart. If the readability is below grade 4, they can surely see that it calls for a revision of the vocabulary as well as a check on grammar. The goodness of Hemingway App emerges with the highlights of those adverbs, passive voices and difficult sentences. It is pleasant to see the young students editing and matching the readability levels and other colour codes.
The web-based version of Hemingway is free. If one needs to write a book or wishes to export the content as a Word doc, the Desktop version can be purchased. To write blogs or other routine works, we can use the browser-based application. Watch this TUTORIAL and REVIEW about HemingwayApp.
'You Create Yourself' is the belief that drives the EklavyaParv! It is a Life Long Learning Mission with firm belief in the trilogy of Enhance-Empower-Encourage. We share learning contents on Communication Skills, EdTech, Life Skills, Blended & Innovative Learning and Insights about Education.
Parveen is an EdTech Evangelist and has been working in the field of Innovation-driven Education for more than a decade. He writes and delivers training on EduSoMedia, E-Learning, OERs, MOOCs, EdTech, ICT, Blended and Flipped Learning, Academic Intervention, Classroom Makeover, Employability Enhancement, EdTech and Teacher-Student Learning. EklavyaParv is the celebration of his belief in the Learning Spirit of Mankind!
Currently he is working at Amity University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
