Research Writer Interview With Hana
Writing The First Phrase...
Hi Hana. It is said, that when you start writing, the most difficult problem is to write the first phrase. When you conduct an interview, your first question is a challenge. Do you like writing?
Do you like writing as much as I like it? When I was a child, I liked to read. I could read anything from the fairy tales to the scientific literature. I read almost all the books in my school library and started in on my parent's books and the books from public and research libraries. Linguistic University was a logical chain. Actually, my first attempts at writing spring from there.
Was university education a furtherance of your writing intention?
My professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science claimed:"In case you do not know how to write, nobody will teach you how to create perfect works. However, our professional duty is to instruct you and to provide you with necessary knowledge on how to do it in theory." At first, I was shocked by such paradoxical statement. I considered that I entered Linguistic University to learn writing, whereas professor asserted that creative writing is something like a divine spark, and theoretical knowledge helps the spark to become a fire of genius.
Yet, academic writing consists of both creativeness and professionalism. Are there some requirements of professional academic writing? Do you have your own secrets?
Certainly, academic writing is totally different from writing novels and fiction books. Academic writing is based on thorough analysis. The writer uses deductive reasoning, appropriate academic tone and style, avoids colloquialisms and slang. Standard forms of academic writing include research papers, essays, lab reports, article critiques, book reports, explications, abstracts, dissertations and even conference papers.
Now, what concerns secrets, I'm afraid to disappoint you. There is no universal remedy. All you need is using your brains. Each paper requires appropriate structure; introduction, the body and conclusion are the must. The writer has to follow several basic requirements: unity, coherence, completeness, and general-to-specific sequence. It means that all the sentences and ideas should relate to the same topic and should be developed and formulated enough to cover the subject of discussion.
What about plagiarism?
Plagiarism became the issue of the day. The writer is not synonymous to 'copy-paster.' All quotations should match the source text and should be cited properly. You must acknowledge the fact that writing should be original. Besides, stealing the ideas and presenting them as your own with citing the source is illegal.
It seems, that custom research and writing is quite a difficult line of work, isn't it?
I don't think so. Really, writing is not a mere communication. Writing is not a simple assemblage of information taken from different sources. At the same time, writing is a way to discipline your thinking. The more you write, the easier it becomes. When you write words and phrases, you, by typing them (or by writing them on a sheet of paper) analyze your thoughts. Analysis gives concrete expression to your thoughts and transforms them into logically constructed paper. The main thing is to make it interesting.
I see. How can you explain the 'phenomenon of interesting' in writing? How do you make your works interesting?
There are several features that set a writer apart from other professions. The phenomenon of interesting is one of them. Evidently, papers, essays or analyses are in great demand only when manner and matter are interesting. It is an integral basis of success, including urgency, topicality, efficiency, simplicity and reliable information.
Is academic writing helpful in finding balance in your everyday life?
Writing enhances your way of thinking. It facilitates all other means of communication, improves your vocabulary, develops skills to formulate your thoughts in creative and well-argued manner, and makes your life a worthwhile subject.