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H O M E B L O G R E S O U R C E S F R E E C O N T A C T

Timothy Sharkey ・Author

– author of Writing Made Easy: Just the Basics

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Full Book Description of
WRITING MADE EASY:
JUST THE BASICS

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

Writing Made Easy: Just the Basics explains how to make writing easy. It provides a “just-the-basics” approach to writing and it eliminates the complicated information that gets in the way. It includes expert definitions and helpful examples of what is really needed in writing – with professional scholarship and a literary sensibility – from an author who has taught English

Preface to
WRITING MADE EASY:
JUST THE BASICS

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

The good information about writing should be easy to find in one book. It should not be hard to find in several different books, or on several different websites, or in 800-page English 101 textbooks. It should be easy to read and easy to understand as well. It should not be complicated or technical or burdensome or discouraging.

Introduction to
WRITING MADE EASY:
JUST THE BASICS

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

“Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!” is what I always told my students about their writing in my English 101 and English 102 classes in college. I told my students to follow the wisdom of the KISS acronym (as in Keep It Simple, Stupid). I told my students to follow the “Less is more” philosophy of Mies van der Rohe because less is more effective than more.

Contents of
WRITING MADE EASY:
JUST THE BASICS

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

Preface   1
Introduction   3

Chapter 1: Writing Basics   8
       Components of Composition   8
       Grammar   10
       Syntax   11

WRITING TERMS
EVERY WRITER SHOULD KNOW

from Writing Made Easy:
Just the Basics

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

BOMBASTIC (L bombyc cotton, silk, as in the cotton padding of shoulders in coats): inflated, padded, overblown language. For example, “Chicago’s nickname of ‘The Windy City’ came from its bombastic politicians, not its skyscrapers.”

CLICHE (F cliché stereotype): an expression so overused it is no longer effective. For example, “You're as busy as a bee.” “I slept like a baby.”

HOW TO USE
WHOM CORRECTLY

from Writing Made Easy:
Just the Basics

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

Using the word whom in a sentence can be challenging for most people. In fact, most people avoid using the word whom altogether. They just use the word who all the time, which is perfectly acceptable. As a matter of fact, whom may be considered stilted or academic or ostentatious, and some people in some places may take umbrage at its use.

THE ALPHABET'S ORIGIN

from Writing Made Easy:
Just the Basics

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

The English language today uses Roman letters from the Roman alphabet. It also uses Arabic numbers from the Arab world. Most of the different languages of Europe – Italian, Spanish, French and German, etc. – use the Roman letters from the Roman alphabet.

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DIALECTICS

from Writing Made Easy:
Just the Basics

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

Dialectics in philosophy (not to be confused with a dialect in language, as in a southern dialect in American English) involves a thesis (i.e., a person’s opinion about something), an antithesis (another person’s disagreement with that person), and their interaction, which produces a higher synthesis of thought. The basic

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INTERVIEW WITH
TIMOTHY SHARKEY

Published on Smashwords
2022-04-30

Why did you write Writing Made Easy: Just the Basics?
I wanted the general public to have access to my information about writing and not just the students in my English 101 and English 102 classes in college. I wanted to show people how easy writing can be.

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ASK THE AUTHOR:
TIMOTHY SHARKEY

Published on Goodreads
05-05-2022

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Timothy Sharkey: Master the language as much as possible. Good writing requires good sentences. Never write a bad (or incorrect) sentence. Make your sentences flow smoothly with music and rhythm. Study the masters. Write with precision—like Shakespeare.

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REVIEWS

Student Evaluations & Teacher Observations
from Professor Timothy Sharkey's English 101 class
and his other college classes

“Professor Sharkey changed my mind on how to approach writing. He made everything seem so simple. I remember in the beginning of the class, he stressed keeping our sentences short and to the point. I had never had a teacher tell me something so simple, yet so effective. . . . Professor Sharkey has shown me that anyone can be a good writer.”

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LATIN TERMS
FOR WRITERS

a partial list from Writing Made Easy:
Just the Basics

TIMOTHY SHARKEY

A POSTERIORI (L a posteriori from the latter): known only after something has been observed: known from experience. For example, “It was not easily proven a priori but it was easily demonstrated a posteriori.” (A posteriori is the reverse of a priori.)