Byron Gangnes

Essay Writing—Finding Your Voice

Use an appropriate tone. Write the way you talk, but more carefully.

· Consider your audience. Write for an educated, reasonable person who is not a specialist in your field. (In our case, write to an advanced economics student, but not someone who has taken this course.)

· Write with authority. Take a position and support it. You don't need to qualify your position with “I think” or “In my opinion.”

· Use appropriate vocabulary. Unless you have a good reason, avoid colloquial (slang) expressions and contractions (say “did not” instead of didn’t). But also avoid unnaturally formal language and technical jargon. Use precise language that you are comfortable with.

· Get to the point. Make your argument in a straightforward manner, and avoid unnecessary repetition.

“The point...is to write in a tidy, economical way that wipes up the lapses of talk and fills in the gaps of thought, and yet keeps the tone and movement of good conversation in your own voice.” (Baker, 1998, page 6.)

None of this happens automatically, so be prepared to rewrite.

· Allow time for revision. Edit each draft of your essay at least twice: once to correct errors, to reorganize sections, and to sharpen your analysis, and a second time to fine-tune your presentation.

“This is the process of composition, of putting your thoughts together, beginning with jotted questions and tentative ideas, all to be mulled over, selected, rejected, expanded as you discover your ideas and write them into full expression. Ultimately, good writing comes only from rewriting” (Baker, p. 10)

“Revise, revise, revise.” (Me)

(See Sheridan Baker, The Practical Stylist, Chapter 1)