DATE: 29 September 2015

TO: High School Writers Coming To Columbus State University

FROM: Demarcus Neeley
SUBJECT: Writing Commandments
Word Count: 1002
HERES YOUR REWARD
You are in a new chapter in your writing career. Embrace this glorious moment. It will be
something that only you can live to tell. Your experience in writing here at Columbus State
University may vary between you and other students. This is a completely different roller
coaster from what you are comfortable with in high school. However, this is not to scare you.
This is a heads up to prepare you for your advancement to writing at Columbus State University.
Below, I have listed some rules you might want to follow. You deserve a reward for your
voyage, and this guide is your reward.

GET RID OF YOUR OLD WRITING METHODS

Before creation comes destruction. It all begins with throwing away your old writing methods.
Your old writing is what are you use to writing in high school. College courses are not direct
continuations of high school instruction (Hjortshoj 10). That way of writing is generic. When
you are writing the generic way, you are not yourself. With the old ways, your paper will be
bland or lack detail. Also, you may input a format, sentences, or ideas that college professors do
not agree with. However, this does not mean abandon the basic of writing. You still must follow
the key fundamentals which includes subject-verb agreement, formatting, and punctuation.
CRAFT YOUR OWN STYLE
College is where you want always wanted to write something filled with your words with no
remorse. All professors and writing tutors can create a style meant exactly for you. They will
give you plenty of options. For example, I write more than I read. One of my favorite English
teachers was just like me. He helped me form my style by giving me exercises. Actually, he told
me to write how I felt about a topic, and, if he did not approve of it, I would have to do the
assignment again. There is one requirement to making a writing style. The requirement is your
inspiration. If you are not motivated, you will not prosper as a writer. Your motivation can be
whatever you want it to be, even if it is just to pass to class. Most writers do not wait for
inspiration (Hairston 100). Dedication is an order.
YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM PROFESSIONAL WRITERS
Being judged for how and why you write is unrealistic in the college world. The reason why is
because all writers are just like you. We are all humans who make mistakes, form ideas, and
maintain opinions. Many people who have trouble writing believe that the writing process is a

mysterious process that the average person cannot master (Hairston 99). No matter if you write
as a hobby or for dreams to be the next best thing, writing is as a simple as picking up the pen.
UNDERSTAND THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT
It could be the hardest or the easiest concept to grasp. Understanding the entire assignment
varies from ones knowledge to another. What makes understanding hard can be the vocabulary
the instructors use or information that may not be mentioned. To solve the puzzle of an
assignment successfully, therefore, you must read the assignment very closely and figure out
how to structure an effective response (Hjortshoj 121) Try to interpret the task at hand. When
you are unclear of what is being asked of you, ask for help. Do not be scared to ask questions in
front of class because other students may have similar questions.
ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO WRITE
You are going to be barraged with homework and projects. Also, you will have some time on
hands to do as you would like. In any case, you never know when the time write calls you.
Writing is someone that you need to be comfortable with. You may be a person who needs a
quiet room or a phone full of music with headphones. Train yourself to be able to work
anywhere (Bausch). For example, you may have finished a test early in a class and you nothing
to do. If you have free time and an unfinished paper, grab some paper and your favorite writing
utensil and start writing. You never know what ideas may pop into that creative mind of yours.
For those of you who hate pens and paper, we live a smartphone world. If you have an app to
type and save your documents, use it to quickly add to your drafts. However, if you do not have
the free time, make the time. Do not just wait until free time to write your yours. Due dates will
always be here to stay, and, believe me, you do not wait to turn assignments in late.
WRITE AS MANY ROUGH DRAFTS AS YOU WANT
No one is going to see your rough draft. Well, at least, not all of them. Do not be ashamed of
what you have wrote. You may end up being one step closer to creating the right draft that
becomes the final draft. Very few writers really know what they are doing until they've done it
(Lamott 1.2). If you need basketball shoot one of your rough drafts into the trash can. go right
ahead. The rough draft you need to turn in is the one that the instructors ask for to grade. This is
the most important step in forming your papers. Do what is necessary to create the paper you
desire to draft. Again, make time to write the rough drafts. In addition, if you procrastinated
your writing assignments rough draft, do not turn in the rough draft. Also, do not forget to
polish your rough draft to create your final draft. You will fail that way.
YOURE WELCOME
I hope you have thoroughly accepted this reward by reading this entire guide. Think of these
commandments that you should keep in mind while you write your papers at Columbus State
University. All future students need to be prepared for the adventure that awaits beyond the
campus.

Works Cited

Hjortshoj, Keith. The Transition to College Writing. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2009. Print.
Bausch, Richard. Letter to a Young Writer. National Endowment for the Arts. Web. 28
Sept. 2015

Hairston, Maxine. What Happens When People Write? Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2009.
Web. 28 Sept. 2015
Lamott, Anne. Shitty First Drafts Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers. Ed. by
Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2005.
Web. 28 Sept. 2015