10 Frequent Writing Problems and Solutions

Common Writing Problems and Solutions to them!

Everything you need to know about writing issues, their origins, and solutions is in this post.

Writing is a solitary, mentally demanding, and occasionally tiresome vocation. Your brain constantly tells you that “Nobody would read this,” but you spend the majority of your time in front of a screen trying to put words together.

You’re also expected to set rates, make a timetable, and find time for your family and friends.

Overview of the Writing Process

Here is a summary of the writing phases and procedures you will learn about and employ as you study college writing.

1. As a first stage in planning, considering writing entails determining the context of the writing, including your objective, writing style, and intended audience.
2. Prewriting involves a variety of methods for gathering knowledge for writing.
3. The process of Creating a thesis/topic sentences/support entails selecting the right categories and types of evidence to support your principal insight or argument.
4. Writing the draft entails arranging the types of evidence, coming up with an introduction and a conclusion, and putting the whole thing together.
5. Revising entails going over and assessing the document for context, thesis, topic sentences, and support, as well as for language clarity and format suitability.

Major Writing Problems and Solutions

These are the common faced writing problems and solutions to them:

1. AGREEMENT

Let us start the tips with Concord (Agreement) Make sure there are no agreement mistakes; avoid changing the person (particularly from the third person [he, she, it] to the second [you]); the number; or the tense without a good explanation. If you are utilizing the singular, don’t move to the plural unless necessary.

Everyone should be aware of their goals, for instance. Corrected: Everyone needs to be aware of their goals. Keep an eye out for collectives, such as the Socialist Party, which is “it” rather than “they,” or General Motors. It is highly irritating when the tense changes, like in “She drove to the mall and looks around for a store.”

2. AWKWARD CONSTRUCTIONS

Awkward constructions have logical flaws or are too imprecise to be easily understood. When a crucial term in a sentence is unclear, the statement might become difficult. For instance, you might write that “the poem follows a decision-type format.” What does that even mean? If you are aware of its intended meaning, state it with clarity.

Even while mistakes are embarrassing, awkwardness is not limited to issues with expression. Awkwardness typically denotes a discrepancy in expectations between you and your reader and is caused when you say or don’t say something that is unnecessary or when you don’t fully explain something. A sentence is frequently deemed “awkward” because it is excessively long; for clarity, the sentence may benefit from being split into two. You do not have any difficulty as such? Check other writing problems and solutions provided below.

3. CITATION STYLE

Please use extra care when handling mentioned material. For books, papers, and websites, closely adhere to the instructions on a citation style sheet. Ensure that your citations don’t contain filler: For instance, Mary McGregory addresses the final act of Hamlet in her piece titled “The Triumph of Time,” “The Triumph of Time” is clearly an article, as the reader can see (because the title is in quotes; if it were a book, it would be in italics).

But why, in any case, does the reader need to be aware of the title? Only provide the title if the location of the reference is relevant to your case (e.g., if the author said one thing in a book, another in an article, or something like that). Simply state that Mary McGregory analyzes the final act of Hamlet in the passage above. You are only stating that. I said, “And?” You do not have any difficulty as such? Check other writing problems and solutions provided below.

Also Read: 12 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

4. CLICHÉS, TRITE EXPRESSIONS

Everyone uses cliches, therefore no one is particularly offended by them, especially not you.

The cliche that “the author sends a message.” is used most often in undergraduate English writing assignments is that. Authors convey complex ideas in complex ways; they are not radio stations. The only thing that “a message” is propaganda, and even then, it is highly challenging to tightly control meaning such that just one “message” is transmitted.

Even television commercials convey several “message.” Readers discover “send messages” in texts rather than “messages” but do all readers discover the same “message”? It is strange to see students quickly condense a complicated piece of art into a single statement in this age of the individual — as if everyone who reads a text finds the same “message” in it, or as if the “message” one person finds is the only “message” to be found. Do you honestly believe that?

There are more effective methods to respond to the major point, argument, rhetorical goal, etc. that you believe the author is trying to make. You must consider what you want to say about the author’s actions as soon as you leave the mechanical model (which transmits a message) behind.

Someone “could / could not identify with” a character is the second-most overused cliché in undergraduate English writing assignments. Characters are tools, so instead of thinking of them as “it,” or “he” think of them as “she.” A character is a tool an author uses to manipulate concepts and place concepts and emotions in a fictitious setting.

You can agree or disagree with what the author is using that character to say and/or show, thus you should be aware of what you are expressing when you “identify” with a character. If you interpret “identify with” in any other way, it implies that you consider fictional characters to be actual persons.

Though they may have been been real individuals, literary characters are not real when you are reading about them. Trite language typically indicates a lack of critical thought. People may “iron out their differences,” “drift apart,” or find it “as easy as rolling off a log.” to revise their articles, for instance.

However, these stale statements merely substitute manufactured catchphrases and slogans for your own ideas and feelings. Your use of language must be both personal and appropriate for the topic at hand. A scene where characters only use clichés to communicate is the basis of great comedy, after all.

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5. COMBINING SENTENCES

In order to avoid choppy effects, combine short sentences into longer, more varied structures. Illustration of choppy effects “This presents the greatest challenge. It evolved as a result of years of abdication of responsibility. The cost must now be borne.

We must accept it and move on.” Try the following: “This, the greatest challenge, resulted from our forebears’ decades-long denial of their obligations. We now have to pay for it.” Keep in mind that subordinate clauses are useful for joining sentences together; in this case, we get a clear cause-and-effect chain. Check other writing problems and solutions to them below.

6. COMMA SPLICES

Complete sentences or independent clauses shouldn’t be joined by commas. Normally, a comma cannot separate two distinct clauses (i.e., complete sentences). An example of that fault is a “comma splice.” The merchant repeats himself frequently because he has a poor recall, or “The book is on the desk; it once belonged to my father.” In each of the examples, the comma should be changed to a semi-colon, period, or (sometimes) a dash.

Use subordination instead, keeping in mind that variety in sentence length and rhythm is crucial: “The book, which once belonged to my father, is on the desk.” We can tell the merchant has a poor memory because he repeats himself so much.

7. DANGLING MODIFIER

When a modifier does not change the noun that comes right after it, it hangs there. The words “Looking out the window, the leaves began to fall” or “Sitting in the bathtub, the telephone rang.” would have been just as appropriate. Looking and sitting, the beginning parts, are unable to modify “leaves” and “bathtub.” Telephones don’t sit in tubs and leaves don’t look.

If your statement reads anything like, “Reading the poem carefully, irony shows what the author intended.” keep in mind these obviously stupid examples. Poetry cannot read irony.” If we carefully read the poem, we may understand that the irony the author uses implies her intention.”

8. WORD CHOICE

The reader relies on the writer’s skill to carefully select words and express their ideas clearly. The reader will quickly get the erroneous impression if the word choice is imprecise.

The reader has a right to be irritated since he or she shouldn’t have to do the author’s work, even if the reader is able to second-guess the writer and thinks to themselves, “Oh, this must mean ——,” Make sure the words you use are acceptable for the situation and that you are aware of their meanings (not too informal or slangy, not pretentious or fancy).

Word choice can occasionally be a problem since the words are employed improperly or just inappropriately. A effective technique to evaluate word selection is to read aloud. “Unique” is an exception. The word “unique” cannot be qualified; it can either be present or absent. Unlike smallness, which can be described in terms such as “quite unique,” “very unique,” and so on, uniqueness cannot be graded. Read further for other writing problems and solutions

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9. TRANSITIONS

One of your main responsibilities is to explain to the reader what your paper will try to accomplish and how you plan to do it. The reader should be clear on the direction your paper is going in before starting.

As a result of the need for transitional words to indicate contrast or qualification, illustration (“for example, for instance”), development (“furthermore, again also”), conclusion or result (“Consequently, Therefore”), and other connections, connections between sentences and paragraphs should be crystal clear. The reader should always be able to tell where you’re going.

10. REPETITION

Ending this piece on writing problems and solutions with repetition. Eliminate terms and phrases that are used repeatedly to save money. Repetition hinders the paper’s development and makes the reader disinterested. Learn to recognize the new information that each sentence brings to the one before by examining each one separately from its context. You repeat the past when there isn’t enough—or any—new information.

FAQs on Writing Problems and Solutions

Conclusion

These writing problems and solutions provided in this article are not all the difficulties faced in writing, there are many others that we didn’t mention. Do you have any writing difficulty and need help? Let us know by leaving your questions in the comments section below.

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