How Good Writing Paves The Path For Academic And Professional Success

Writing is like dancing with your pen. It is a life skill that is often ignored by people. A well written, grammatically correct passage sans the typos and often makes a good first impression. So how can you build on your writing skills or cultivate the skill of good writing? Let’s find out!

Importance Of Good Writing Skills

Writing is an important part of a person’s academic and professional journey. It is even an essential part of the curriculum of Indian schools. In school, English as a subject includes a section that evaluates the students on critical thinking and ways of expressing it through words on paper. Though there is a misconception that writing as an art is an innate skill and cannot be acquired with continuous practice. Writing is proven to be a learnable skill that requires an understanding of the process of writing.

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Good writing skills add a cherry on the cake to the academic knowledge of a student. Writing skills not only enhance communication, but also encourage creativity. Good writers can express empathy and connect with others. It opens doors to better job opportunities, builds confidence, and encourages lifelong learning. The forms of writing we generally use and learn during school and later in life are-

Descriptive Writing

It is using words to describe a scenario or person, or object to create vivid images in the reader's mind. Essay writing, diary entry, poetry etc are forms of descriptive writing. For example, writing an essay on “The Impact Of Climate Change” will vividly describe the effects of climate change on the environment.

Analytical Writing

Analytical writing is used to analyse a scenario, draw conclusions based on factual information and suggest measures to improve it. Academic articles, reviews of movies or books, etc are forms of academic writing. For example, an article on the topic “The Impact of Industrialization On Local Communities” explores how the social, economic, and cultural life of local people has transformed after the industrial revolution.

Persuasive Writing

This is often done to convince the reader to agree or disagree with a certain situation. Vocabulary that triggers emotion and pushes a reader to take an action or form an opinion is often used in this form of writing. Debate, op-ed columns, advertisements, and notices are forms of persuasive writing. For example, an editorial article on how “Women Deserve Equal Wages At Equal Value Of Work” introduces the reader to the pay disparity between both genders and why it is such a big issue that needs to be addressed.

Critical Writing

Critical writing refers to using words to investigate a situation or conditions from all directions and giving a personal opinion as a conclusion based on the evaluation. For example, research on “The Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Crops" talks about the benefits and disadvantages of genetically modified crops and gives a conclusion if India should opt for it or not.

One or a combination of these writing styles is used for writing passages, letters, essays, research papers, policies, etc. These skills not only enhance our professional and academic life but also serve as the backbone for several other career paths.

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Job Roles That Look For Good Writing Skills

The benefit of writing skills does not only end with scoring good marks in school. It is also a very critical skill to sustain and grow in many job roles like

Lawyer

Writing is vital for lawyers to communicate effectively with judges, other lawyers, and clients. Good writing is essential for understanding agreements, arguments, and rules in the legal profession. On the other hand, bad writing confuses and misleads, impacting a client's case. A lawyer's choice of words can make a significant difference in their practice.

Content Writer or Copywriter

Content writers need good writing skills to create informative articles for captivating readers with clear and engaging content. Copywriters also use their persuasive writing skills to write captions, and advertisements, to convince the consumer to take action to buy a subscription or make a purchase of the product or service.

Teacher

Teachers require good writing skills to effectively communicate lessons, provide clear instructions, and assess students' work. Teachers with strong writing abilities make engaging educational content and offer good feedback to students. A teacher proficient in writing skills lays a strong foundation for creativity in their students.

Public Relations

Informative and persuasive writing is valued in public relations. Strong writing helps in building a good brand image of a person, product or service which is a crucial part of this industry. Effective written communication further helps in tight-knit relationship-building with clients.

Research Scholar

Research scholars need well-developed writing ability with descriptive skills. They use their skills to convey complex findings, methodologies and conclusions simply and concisely. Well-written research is highly regarded in the scholarly world and is often used as an inference by students for further study.

Creative Writer

Writing is the bedrock of creative writing. Writers use descriptive skills to create an image in readers' minds using words. Creative writers are artists of words that create a picture of an imaginary world which is impossible with good writing skills.

Journalist

Effective journalism majorly relies on good writing skills. A journalist not only provides information about national or international events but also shapes the opinion of the reader with their writing piece. Journalists need to have good writing skills to report accurate, engaging, concise news stories for their readers.

Competitive Examinations That Test Writing Skills

The need of sharpening these skills does not end here. There are many competitive exams that look for candidates who can express their opinions in written responses like:

Union Public Service Commission

UPSC exams have an entire Mains examination that requires good writing skills. There are six General Studies (GS), two optional papers, and one essay paper. All these papers require writing skills to express what they have learned about historical events, political issues, and technological advancements in their own words. Good writing takes makes it easier for the aspirants to frame their answers in a concise manner using their descriptive and critical skills

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)

GRE has an Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section with two sections to check the writing ability of the examinee. In AWA, the examinee has two tasks: "Analyse an Issue" and "Analyse an Argument."

In the first task, the examinee shares opinions on a specific topic and supports them with reasons. In the second task, they point out problems in a given argument and give their thoughts. These tasks also demand good writing skills using analytical and critical thinking skills to qualify for the exams.

All colleges prefer taking written tests to assess knowledge and communication skill in a standardised way. Individuals with skills have an edge over others in this highly competitive world.

We have noticed that though writing skills are very necessary, the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots has raised questions in the minds of aspiring writers: Will they be replaced by robots?

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Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Writers?

The answer is no. AI can never replace human beings.AI lacks emotions and writing without human touch will never connect or create an impact on the reader. AI will be a catalyst or friend for writers to expand the horizon of their imagination to produce creative writing pieces.