Now it is time to synthesize the reading you have done in this unit in order to analyze an essay you have written during segment one. Using either Zen in the Art of Writing or On Writing Well, come up with five principles of strong writing that you believe the author would endorse. Remember, you are not summarizing what the author said in the book; you are using your previous knowledge and the book to create your own ideas about what makes strong writing.

Put your principles into the following format:

“Strong writers…

(first principle),
(second principle),
(third principle),
(fourth principle), and
(fifth principle).”

For your assessment, select any essay you have written in this segment and analyze your own writing. Reflect on the five principles of strong writing you created from your reading synthesis, and then write a paragraph reflecting how your writing incorporates—or could incorporate with revisions—all five principles. Use actual examples from your essay to support your reflection.