how to improve your writing skills
DESCRIPTION
These six tips will help police officers sharpen their writing skills and produce better police reports.TRANSCRIPT
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How to Improve Your Writing Skills
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.
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How to Improve Your Writing Skills
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.
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Writing police reports takes time and effort.
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You want to please your supervisor…
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…but maybe your writing skills aren’t as sharp as you’d like them to be.
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What are some things you can do to become a better police writer?
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Here are six things you can start doing right away.
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1. Enlist a friend.
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Ask a friend to look over your reports before you submit them.
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Pay attention to what others tell you about your writing. You can learn a lot that way.
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Even the best writers sometimes have trouble spotting their own mistakes. Another set of eyes can be a big help.
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2. Use resources.
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If you’re writing on a laptop, use the spellchecker and grammar checker.
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If you’re writing by hand, keep a dictionary nearby—and use it!
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The Internet has many free resources for police officers.
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3. Proofread.
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Don’t be in a big hurry to hand in your report. Read it over carefully at least twice.
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4. Keep a notebook.
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Jot down reminders about words that cause problems for you.
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5. Read.
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Nothing (nothing!) sharpens your brainpower like reading.
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You’ll pick up all kinds of information about language without even realizing you’re doing it.
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Set aside some time for reading every day.
(It doesn’t have to be serious or heavy!)
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6. Keep it simple.
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You don’t need a lot of grammar terminology to be a good writer.
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Good writing isn’t complicated!• Start every sentence with a
person, place, or thing. • End every sentence with a
period. • Keep your sentences short.
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Let’s review.
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Here are six things you can do TODAY to start becoming a better writer.
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What’s stopping YOU?
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You can learn more about report writing at
www.YourPoliceWrite.com.
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All the resources there are FREE: www.YourPoliceWrite.com.
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And if you’re looking for a low-cost, practical book…
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The Criminal Justice Report Writing Guide for Officers is available from www.Amazon.com for just $17.95.
View a free sample online.
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An e-book edition is available from www.Smashwords.com for only $11.99.
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A free Instructor’s Manual is available on request: Send an e-mail to jreynoldswrite at aol.com.