Writers are artists.
Since artists rely on splashes of color- deep, fiery reds, strips of clear, blue sky, dark shadowy blacks, to create an image, it is crucial that they know how to blend those colors into just the right shades. Likewise, it is as important for writers, who paint pictures with words, to know how to use their words as effectively as possible.
We start with the tools you have available... The parts of speech.
In 8th grade, I do not spend weeks teaching you what a noun is, what an adjective is, what a verb is. What we do explore is how to use those strong nouns, those striking adjectives, those exciting verbs to make your writing come alive and pack a powerful punch.
However, if you do not remember what a verb is, my comment to strengthen your verbs will not be very helpful.
Just as visual artists knows what colors to blend together to reach the perfect color, you need to know how to use your colors, or words, to make your writing impactful and memorable.
If talking about prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions, adjectives makes you nervous and say, "Huh??" Here are two resources to review the different parts of speech.
http://partofspeech.org/ is a wonderful website to review the parts of speech and get to know your tools.
Once you're more familiar with the parts of speech, give it a try and play Word Invasion to test yourself and your skills.
Remember, a writer has a limited tool belt to create sunsets, special moments, memories, nightmares, love stories, walks in history, celebrations, and conversations... know your tools. Know how to blend and strengthen your colors so you can paint a vivid picture in the mind's of your readers.
You are an artist!
