What are “real” writing skills, anyway?
You may have noticed we refer often to real writing skills here at TIS. Before we jump into how we define real writing skills, here’s an overview of what real writing skills are not:
Real writing skills aren’t the skills needed to get a desirable grade.
Real writing skills aren’t developed by writing exclusively for school assignments for an audience of one (the teacher)
Real writing skills don’t follow a formula that dictates the exact length and structure of the writing.
When we say “real” writing skills, we mean the writing that prepares students for the work they’ll do in the real world. Real writing skills translates to considering the purpose of the writing, the audience, and the context AND thinking critically about those factors to determine the structure of the piece, the length, and the style.
I could have written this blog post as a traditional 5-paragraph essay (one of the only writing styles I ever learned in school), but I didn’t because you would have likely stopped reading by the first paragraph out of sheer boredom. I also broke several “rules” with my use of personal pronouns and contractions and by starting sentences with conjunctions. These are a sample of the arbitrary guidelines students are forced to focus on every day instead of digging deeper into their writing to discover the joys of writing pieces that feel meaningful to them.
We counter this at TIS by allowing our writers to learn to write in a variety of structures (yes, including essays) for a variety of audiences while giving writers as much choice and autonomy over their topics and purposes.
If you want to see how this same writing magic can change your child’s life as a writer and beyond, try a free class.
PS. By the way, real writing skills aren’t just for students who want to grow up to be professional writers. As adults we write in a variety of capacities every day as a means of conveying ideas, communicating with colleagues, making sales, teaching new concepts, sharing passions, and more. Everyone needs real writing skills.
