Writing Practice Topic List [Advanced]

#1 – “A legend from Korea”

Tell a myth or well-known story from your country. You will probably need to do additional research to get more facts to talk about – ideally, do this research in your own language so that you clearly know about the facts of this myth or legend. Explain:

The gist of the story
Where it originates (if this can be known)
How well-known it is
What we can learn from it, and how you feel when you read about this tale.

Expressions to try use: legend, mythological, beast, creature, tale, tragic, ancient, gist of the story, shamanism, folk tale,

#2 – Tell a myth or well-known story from another country.

Tell a myth or well-known story from another country. You will probably need to do additional research to get more facts to talk about – ideally, do this research in your own language so that you clearly know about the facts of this myth or legend. Explain:

The gist of the story
Where it originates (if this can be known)
How well-known it is
What we can learn from it, and how you feel when you read about this tale.

Expressions to use: legend, mythological, beast, creature, tale, tragic, ancient, gist of the story

be careful of being overly informal, unless you have a specific goal that allows for this tone of writing
aim for precision in word choice – exactly the right word, exactly the right expression – ask yourself “is this understandable?”
aim for minimalism – kill “that” and any other unnecessary expressions/words
paint a complete picture, and assume the reader doesn’t know everything you know – assume they are an alien
But…. X, Because….. X. Rather change Because….. >>> As…..

#3 – “Hobbies and Cultural Differences“

Explore and compare how hobbies are influenced by cultural differences. This task comparative expository writing task will require you to think of your own culture, do some research, and then compare how people view and have hobbies depending on where they live in the world. Discuss:

You can choose to write a comparison of a pair of hobbies in two different cultures, or compare one hobby that is popular in one but not popular in the other.
Why they are more popular in these places, and how the environment affects whether people choose to have hobbies or not
How you think each culture could learn from the other and gain a healthier view of hobbies.

Expressions to use: cultural significance, hobby, tradition, pastime, cultural identity, popular, insight, cultural values.

BIG HINT: The easiest hobby to compare would be collecting. The next option would be baking. The right question to ask would be: why does the one culture do it more than the other?

#4 – “Why we need hobbies.”

You will write an expository essay, explaining why you think hobbies are beneficial for us, and why having hobbies can help us have a happier life. Talk about:

Why hobbies can help us.
How hobbies can help us reduce stress.
Give an example of a hobby you enjoy, and how it helps you personally.
What we can learn from hobbies.

Expressions to try use: varied interests, widen out, experience, persist, persistence, pressure, reduce stress, common point

#5 – “A Song”

Write about one particular song that you really like. You can talk about how you came across it, and why it is meaningful to you. It could be a song that reminds you of a specific event, a phase in your life, or one that evokes strong emotions. Focus on the emotions it evokes. You may also include how this piece of music reflects or contradicts your own background or what is normal in your society.

Expressions to try use: meaningful, takes me back, impact, influence, memory, attachment

#6 – A news item you care about

Introduce a controversial issue in the news that you follow closely or are concerned about. Explain the issue, how it affects people, and some analysis about what you think will happen in the future related to this issue. Note:

Avoid using too many flowery adjectives – be precise in you explanation and analysis.
Be clear – if a sentence does not contribute to the clarity, change it or remove it.
Practical – explaining how this affects people is one way to make this essay relevant and to the point.

The essay must be a google doc, and must have your name and a title. It should be no less than one page.

#7 – “Avoiding the Comfort Zone”

Your assignment is to write a straightforward essay titled “Avoiding the Comfort Zone: Understanding and Overcoming Complacency.” This essay should explain what it means to rest on one’s laurels and offer tips on how to stay motivated and keep growing, especially aimed at students.

What It Means: Begin by explaining the phrase “resting on one’s laurels” in simple terms. It means being satisfied with past successes and not trying to achieve more.
Why It’s a Problem: Discuss why staying in this comfort zone can be bad. It might stop someone from learning new things or getting better at what they do.
Real-Life Example: Give an example of someone who either fell into this trap or always kept pushing themselves to do better.
Advice for Students: End the essay with your own thoughts on how students can avoid this. Suggest things like setting new goals, always being curious, or trying new activities.

Your essay should be easy to read and to the point. Aim to help students understand why it’s important not to get too comfortable with past achievements and how to keep challenging themselves.

Phrases to use: Complacency, Self-satisfaction, Lifelong learning, Ambition, Self-motivation, Proactivity, Challenging oneself, Breaking comfort zones

#8 – “The History of….”

Do you like history? If your answer is no, this assignment might be a way to change your mind.

For this task, you will introduce the history of one topic, something you are excited about. You will need to do more research to explain what came before, what the current state of it is, and what will likely happen in the future.

Choose one topic. It can be: “The history of K-pop”; The history of soccer”; The history of ice-cream”; The history of space travel”; “The history of surfing”, or something similar that has a history that you can learn about and then explain.

#9 – Musician or Composer Biography

Write a biography of an individual musician or composer. They can be either contemporary or historical, whose work you admire or find intriguing. Explain their background and how they began producing music. Identify what their most important first work was, and explain why you think this one song was important. Also explain what challenges they face(d) in life. And finally, quantify how large their impact is or was on the world.

Ideas: Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, Prince, Mozart, Jimi Hendrix, Im Jae Beom, Aiyu

Expressions to use: legendary, topped the chart, genre, singer, compose, musician, experimental, broke up/split up

#5 – MBTI

#6 – A Faustian Bargain

#7 – Precious Plastic 001

This essay is

#8 – Precious Plastic 002 – Narrative

If you think about it, organic material (carbon-based material that comes from living things), might be the most rare, precious material in the universe – even if you believe in aliens, living things are very rare, and so are the materials they produce. Fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas are also organic materials – coal and oil are fossilized trees and dead animals from millions of years ago. Plastic is made directly from fossil fuels, and so although it is cheap now and is not valued by humans, in the big picture, plastic and oil should be more precious and rare than diamonds. Monetary value is a human idea, and so is even the idea of money. If you live on the moon or a desert island, money is worthless.

With this in mind, try imagine a time in the future where plastic is rare and very precious. Maybe humans stopped using it because they ran out of oil, or maybe they banned it completely, or maybe lost the ability to make it.

This idea of scarcity in the future is captured in the movie Blade Runner 2059.

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Paul Hoets is a freelance maker who lives in South Korea. If you liked this article and would like to contribute to his empire of dirt, silicon and tech. education, buy him a coffee!