![\"\"](\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QG1dXW_DYfw\/UBYCoZORkTI\/AAAAAAAACNU\/_e-nRYyq6rE\/s1600\/muscle_brain.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
They say it takes 3 weeks to create a habit; go to the gym regularly for 21 days and you will build\u00a0up the routine-forming momentum to carry\u00a0you effortlessly into the future. Easier said than done, since it has been my experience that those first 3 weeks are\u00a0the hardest (and the physical and mood improvements of having gone<\/em>\u00a0to the gym don\u2019t make sitting on my couch any less appealing\u00a0in advance of\u00a0going<\/em> to the gym), but perhaps\u00a0that\u2019s exactly the point \u2013 the first 3 weeks are the hardest, and then it gets easier.<\/p>\n This 7-week writing course followed a similar pattern for me. Organizing course materials, carving out work time, and building an understanding of what to expect (and what is expected) takes time and cannot be rushed. Looking back on the course as a whole, feeling only now that\u00a0I\u2019ve found my groove, I can see three areas in which I developed.<\/p>\n Techniques Perspectives Practice One insight I have is that, just as exercise builds\u00a0a\u00a0hunger for different nutrients, writing has triggered my desire to read differently. I find that I am craving models of quality writing to influence my own developing style and have less appetite for the common pop style of the social media echo chamber.<\/p>\n As this post and the course each draw to a close, I am making a public commitment to blog more and to apply these new skills when I do. You can find me over at cohort21.com\/adamcaplan and I\u2019ll be excited to receive your comments there.<\/p>\n Thanks for being with me in this 7 week journey \u2013 and here\u2019s to the next 50 days!<\/p>\n Crossposted from the\u00a0blog, Writing for Learner Engagement.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They say it takes 3 weeks to create a habit; go to the gym regularly for 21 days and you will build\u00a0up the routine-forming momentum to carry\u00a0you effortlessly into the future. Easier said than done, since it has been my experience that those first 3 weeks are\u00a0the hardest (and the physical and mood improvements of … <\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>There are time-tested, established strategies that writers use to create effect. The rule of 3\u2019s, the activating of language, the verbing of descriptions and adjectives, avoiding 3 words when 2 will do \u2013 the list goes on \u2013 and each helps me\u00a0add effectiveness. Through these techniques ,I\u00a0can make choices about how\u00a0to communicate my message with style.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Adopting a sense of audience helps me focus and direct my message to the right person. I develop character persona that influence my\u00a0word choices so girls in Grade 8\u00a0and adult colleagues alike are receiving text from me\u00a0with a differentiated tone. I can thin out my information and keep content lean\u00a0by understanding their WIIFM (What\u2019s In It For Me).<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>My\u00a0aha moment in this course came through the experience of writing weekly. Writing is a muscle<\/em>. As muscles are supported by joints, bones and even nutrition, writing requires supports \u2013 information, environment\u00a0and even nutrition. Writing can be lean or built; it can perform\u00a0or disappoint; it can delight\u00a0or ache. Sometimes, existing layers of writing skill must be shredded to make way for something newer, stronger.<\/p>\n