“I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue.” Job 33:2 Every time I’ve given a writing assignment, without fail, one or more students in class will writhe in agony and groan, “I don’t know what to write!” Anyone who has ever attempted …
“Much dreaming and many words are meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 5:7 In writing circles, legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to create a story using 10 words or less. He won the bet with this: “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” Whether or not that incident actually took place, …
“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:12 Beside the sports theme, what is the common thread running through this short photo essay? Answer: All the captions are written in passive voice (including this answer). In all my years of teaching writing, …
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 I love middle school students, particularly 8th graders. They routinely dazzle their teachers with energetic creativity. But 8th grade girls can also be the worst at writing …
“Listen carefully to what I say; let my words ring in your ears.” Job 13:17 I couldn’t wait to hear from my middle son after his first day in boarding school. We had installed him in his dorm at Taejon Christian International School over the weekend, and I was anxious …
“…they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7 My husband claims that his high school English teacher was an older woman who valued length over substance in written assignments. The more adjectives, the better the grade. She praised long, rambling sentences and equated high word count …
