Lesson 2: Ideas, Organization and Voice
The first three of six traits are: ideas, organization and voice. You must consider when you write are “What do I want to say?” (ideas and details), “What format will I use to say it?” (organization) and “Who will be speaking?” (voice).
Ideas
The Ideas are the main message, the content of the piece, the main theme, together with all the supporting details that enrich and develop that theme. The ideas are strong when the message is clear, not garbled. The writer chooses details that are interesting, important, and informative–often the kinds of details the reader would not normally anticipate or predict. Successful writers do not "tell" readers things they already know; e.g., "It was a sunny day, and the sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy white …" Successful writers "show" readers that which is normally overlooked; writers seek out the extraordinary, the unusual, the unique, the bits and pieces of life that might otherwise be overlooked.
Organization
Organization is the internal structure of a piece of writing, the thread of central meaning, the pattern and sequence, so long as it fits the central idea. Organizational structure can be based on comparison-contrast, deductive logic, point-by-point analysis, development of a central theme, chronological history of an event, or any of a dozen other identifiable patterns. When the organization is strong, the piece begins meaningfully and creates in the writer a sense of anticipation that is, ultimately, systematically fulfilled. Events proceed logically; information is given to the reader in the right doses at the right times so that the reader never loses interest. Connections are strong, which is another way of saying that bridges from one idea to the next hold up. The piece closes with a sense of resolution, tying up loose ends, bringing things to a satisfying closure, answering important questions while still leaving the reader something to think about.
Voice
Voice is the writer coming through the words, the sense that a real person is speaking to us and cares about the message. It is the heart and soul of the writing, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the life and breath. When the writer is engaged personally with the topic, he/she imparts a personal tone and flavor to the piece that is unmistakably his/hers alone. And it is that individual something–different from the mark of all other writers–that we call Voice. (See rubrics at educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/773)
View the two samples below that were written on the prompt “Family”. They represent a weak (Sample #1) and a strong example (Sample #2) of these top three traits. Read them over and, using the rubrics, assess what each piece would get for Ideas, Organization and Voice. To check your assessment with the experts, go to educationnorthwest.org and view the marked samples for:
Sample 1: Click HERE
Sample 2: Click HERE