In ESL Students: Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day (Part One), we looked very briefly at three of the keys to good writing: spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Then we discussed the fact that good writers read a lot. I sent you to do some reading on the topic of your choice to get some ideas of what you might write. I hope you enjoyed it!

Our last two keys to good writing are organization and vocabulary.

Organization is a tough one, even for native speakers. And it's even tougher if you've learned to write another language first.

* First things first: As a general rule, English essays and other forms of writing usually start with the most important point. For example, here's the start of a letter to a friend:

December 26, 2008

Hi Janice,

Thank you for the card. You asked for pictures of the family-here are some from yesterday!

Marie and Daniel hosted Christmas this year. They had the tree nicely decorated and a lovely meal prepared when we came. There was turkey, potatoes, yams, carrots, stuffing, gravy, a Greek dish prepared by Elizabeth (chicken wrapped in bacon), homemade buns, chocolate cake, and pumpkin pie (also courtesy of Elizabeth).

This is Richard, of course. He works as a courier and does sound for worship services.

Like a business letter, this friendly letter starts by referring to the message that Janice sent. It then states the purpose-to send her pictures as asked.

* Follow with details: The first picture shows Richard by the dinner table. Beside it is a description of the lovely meal prepared by Marie and Daniel. Details about Richard follow.

* Conclude: This letter concludes with a simple Thank you for keeping in touch, again referring to Janice's original message.

However, conclusions in informational writing are often a summary of the main ideas. Print off a couple of informational articles that interest you. See if you can find these:

* Introduction-is there a sentence near the beginning that tells you what the article is about?

* Main Ideas-are there several paragraphs? Does each one have a main idea? Does each one have details about that idea?

* Conclusion-does the last paragraph summarize the main points?

This is the pattern for much of the academic writing in the Western world.

Now, would you like to improve your writing in just 10 minutes a day? The secret is simple, but don't be fooled by that-it will work!

Got a pencil? Got your essays, business e-mails, articles or whatever you want to learn to write? Spend 10 minutes a day-more if you want to improve faster-copying. This is not cheating because it's not for your teacher or your boss. It's for you.

As you copy correct writing, you will start to see patterns in spelling, punctuation, grammar and presentation of ideas. Think about what you're copying. Notice the spelling. See what words the writer uses. Does the writer use a lot of long sentences, or does s/he use sentences of different lengths? How about the paragraphs? Are they long or short, or some of each?

Does the writing follow this pattern:

* most important idea

* details

* conclusion

like the friendly letter I showed you?

Does it follow this pattern:

* introduction

* main ideas with details

* conclusion

like most articles?

Or does it follow another pattern?

Copy correct writing for 10 minutes a day. Then come back next week and check out ESL Students: Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day (Part Three). I'll give you a powerful and interesting method for improving your vocabulary.

Margaret Welwood is an English as a Second Language Instructor, freelance writer and editor. She has taught English as a Second Language in Alberta, Canada, for over 25 years. To sign up for her free seven-part vocabulary course for adults, click here: http://www.teachyouryoungchild.ca/registration_form.htm To learn how to prepare your young child for success in school, click here: http://www.teachyouryoungchild.ca