7 Writing Techniques from Famous Writers for the EFL Classroom

When we teach writing, we often turn to coursebooks, exam criteria, and academic writing frameworks. They all have their place. But some of the most practical writing techniques don’t come from ELT methodology books at all. They come from writers.

Novelists, journalists, essayists, and writing teachers have spent decades thinking about what makes writing engaging, clear, and memorable. Their advice isn’t only for professional writers. Many of their ideas translate surprisingly well into the EFL classroom.

Over the years, I’ve borrowed writing techniques from different writers and adapted them into language-learning activities. They help students generate ideas, revise more effectively, and become more confident writers. Here are seven writers whose advice deserves a place in every English teacher’s toolkit. I first explored some of these ideas in If Franklin, Provost and Le Guin Walk Into My Writing Class on my Substack, A Journey in TEFL. This post expands the list.

Writing Techniques from Famous Writers

1. Benjamin Franklin: Learn by Reverse Engineering

Benjamin Franklin taught himself to write by studying essays instead of simply reading them.

His approach was simple. He would read a well-written text, make brief notes about each paragraph, put the original away for a few days, and then try to recreate it using only his notes. Finally, he compared his version with the original to notice what he had missed.

For language learners, this is an excellent noticing activity.

Instead of asking students to imitate grammar, encourage them to notice how a writer introduces ideas, builds paragraphs, connects sentences, and concludes an argument. Students begin to see writing as a series of deliberate choices rather than a collection of grammar rules.

Try this in class

• Give students a short article or model essay.
• Ask them to write only key points for each paragraph.
• Remove the original.
• Have them rewrite the text from their notes.
• Compare both versions and discuss differences.

Students quickly discover new vocabulary, sentence patterns, and organisational techniques without memorising templates.

2. Gary Provost: Give Your Writing Rhythm

Gary Provost says that writing isn’t only about correctness. It also has rhythm.

A paragraph made entirely of short sentences is grammatically accurate but monotonous. A paragraph made entirely of long sentences can feel exhausting. Good writing mixes sentence lengths to create emphasis and movement.

This is an idea students immediately notice once they see it.

Rather than teaching sentence variety as an abstract concept, let students experience the effect themselves.

This is one of the simplest writing techniques to bring into a language classroom, because students notice the effect immediately.

Try this in class

Give students two versions of the same paragraph.

The first uses sentences of almost identical length. The second mixes short, medium, and longer sentences.

Ask which one sounds more natural and why. Then challenge students to revise one of their own paragraphs by varying sentence length without changing the meaning.

It’s a simple editing activity that often makes their writing sound much more fluent.

3. Ursula K. Le Guin: Read Like a Writer

In Steering the Craft, Ursula K. Le Guin reminds writers that good writing begins with careful reading.

Reading for pleasure is different from reading like a writer.

Instead of asking, “What happened?”, ask questions such as:

• Why did this sentence work?
• Why does this paragraph feel engaging?
• Why did the writer choose this word?
• Why did the dialogue sound natural?

This kind of noticing develops stylistic awareness.

Try this in class

Choose a short paragraph from a story or article.

Ask students to highlight:

• verbs that create vivid images
• interesting sentence openings
• transition words
• repeated patterns
• descriptive details

Students begin borrowing techniques instead of simply collecting vocabulary.

4. Anne Lamott: Shrink the Writing Task

One of my favourite pieces of writing advice comes from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.

She talks about looking through a “one-inch picture frame.” Instead of trying to write about an enormous topic, focus on one tiny moment.

This is especially valuable for language learners.

Many students freeze when they see broad prompts like:

• Describe your holiday.
• Write about your hometown.
• Tell us about your childhood.

The topic feels too large.

Instead, narrow the focus.

Rather than asking students to describe an entire holiday, ask them to describe one breakfast, one conversation, one bus ride, or one unexpected moment.

Smaller moments often produce richer language because students remember concrete details.

Try this in class

Replace broad essay titles with focused prompts such as:

• The first five minutes after I woke up.
• A conversation I still remember.
• One object on my desk.
• The view from my window this morning.

Students usually write more, and with greater confidence. If you’re looking for more ready-made prompts built on this idea, two of my own class favourites are Walking Down the Street and A Letter to the Future.

5. Kurt Vonnegut: Every Sentence Should Earn Its Place

Kurt Vonnegut believed every sentence should do something. It should reveal character, move the story forward, or contribute in a meaningful way.

The same principle works beautifully when teaching revision.

Many student texts include sentences that simply repeat previous ideas without adding anything new.

Learning to recognise unnecessary sentences is an important editing skill.

Try this in class

Give students a paragraph containing several redundant sentences.

Ask them to identify which sentences:

• add useful information,
• move the text forward,
• merely repeat previous ideas.

Then have them rewrite the paragraph without losing meaning.

Students often discover that shorter writing can be stronger writing.

6. George Orwell: Choose Simplicity

George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language remains one of the clearest guides to effective writing.

One of his central ideas is remarkably simple: don’t use complicated language when simple language does the job.

This is particularly relevant for upper-intermediate learners, who sometimes believe that longer words automatically sound more academic.

They don’t.

Clear writing usually wins.

Try this in class

Prepare an intentionally overcomplicated paragraph filled with unnecessary adjectives, nominalisations, and wordy expressions.

Challenge students to reduce the word count by half while keeping exactly the same meaning.

It’s an excellent activity for B2 and C1 learners and encourages students to value clarity over complexity.

7. Natalie Goldberg: Write First, Edit Later

Natalie Goldberg encourages writers to separate writing from editing.

During timed free-writing, writers simply keep moving. No deleting. No correcting grammar. No worrying about punctuation.

For language learners, this removes one of the biggest barriers to writing: the fear of making mistakes.

Students who stop after every sentence rarely develop writing fluency.

Try this in class

Set a timer for five minutes.

Give students a simple prompt.

The only rule is to keep writing until time is up.

No dictionaries. No erasers. No grammar checking.

Revision comes later.

Many students are surprised by how much they can produce once they stop trying to make every sentence perfect.

A Practical Bonus: Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Techniques Toolbox

If the previous writers offer principles, Roy Peter Clark offers tools.

His book Writing Tools is full of practical techniques that teachers can adapt into classroom activities.

One idea pairs nicely with Gary Provost’s advice on rhythm: vary sentence length intentionally to create emphasis. Another focuses on placing strong words at the beginning or end of a sentence, where readers naturally pay more attention.

Rather than treating writing as inspiration, Clark treats it as a craft that improves through small, repeatable techniques.

That mindset fits perfectly in the language classroom.

Final Thoughts

None of these writing techniques require expensive materials or complicated lesson plans.

Good writing instruction doesn’t have to rely entirely on writing textbooks.

Some of the most useful classroom ideas come from people who spent their lives thinking deeply about writing itself.

Franklin teaches us to notice. Provost teaches us rhythm. Le Guin teaches us to read like writers. Lamott teaches us to narrow our focus. Vonnegut teaches us to edit with purpose. Orwell teaches us clarity. Goldberg teaches us fluency before accuracy. Clark reminds us that writing is built one small technique at a time.

None of these ideas requires expensive materials or complicated lesson plans. A short text, a thoughtful prompt, and a little time for revision are often enough.

Sometimes the best way to teach writing is to let great writers become our co-teachers.

What do you think about these writing techniques? How can you adapt them to your classes?

Further reading for more about their writing techniques

• Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1994.
• Provost, Gary. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing. Signet, 1985.
• Le Guin, Ursula K. Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story. Mariner Books, 2015.
• Vonnegut, Kurt. “How to Write With Style.” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1980. Collected in Bagombo Snuff Box, Putnam, 1999.
• Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” Horizon, 1946.
• Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Shambhala Publications, 1986.
• Clark, Roy Peter. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. Little, Brown and Company, 2006.