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For those seeking to rapidly improve their writing skills, the writer suggests starting with the practice of summarizing rather than simply copying. This idea gained traction in recent years, with sales of summarization books steadily increasing in bookstores. The core belief is that to write well, one must first master well-crafted writing.
While copying well-written sentences aids in acquiring new vocabulary and expressions, its effectiveness is limited. Copying alone yields relatively light training compared to the rigorous process of analyzing a piece, rewriting it after discussion and memorization, and finally putting it into one's own words. This aligns with the consensus among language education research.
Rather than merely replicating existing sentences, the ability to transform information into one's own language through thoughtful selection and restructuring becomes crucial. The writer argues that instead of focusing on copying, aspiring writers should engage in "summarization" exercises. For instance, when tasked with condensing a lengthy article to three sentences, one must deeply understand the core, identify relevant versus supplementary content, and carefully consider which sentences to omit without disrupting the original argument.
The process of distilling sentences to their essence inevitably leads to writing concise summaries. This form of summarization closely mirrors the writing process. The challenge lies in finding suitable material for summarization. Starting with columns or articles on interesting topics is a good beginning, then progressively challenging oneself with more complex and unfamiliar writings such as poetry or foreign literature.
While copying presents inherent value in capturing a compelling sentence, the writer believes it is time to shift training focus from the quantity of written material to the number of judgments made during the writing process. Ultimately, the number of high-quality decisions made while writing will shape one's penmanship.
Written by urgent.news from Hankyoreh's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.