Applicable Writing Advice?

Great writing tips abound. If you've been writing more than ten minutes, you've probably heard these two:  

"Write what you know."

"Show, don't tell."

While these contain great advice, there are certain words of wisdom I've found more applicable and helpful than others.

For example, years ago I came across this quote in The Elements of Style by Strunk and White:  

“Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”


This was something I practiced immediately. It dovetailed perfectly with the courses I'd just completed at the Institute of Children's Literature, where they taught us the value of word economy. 

Here's another favorite from the same book:

“Do not overstate. When you overstate, the reader will be instantly on guard, and everything that has preceded your overstatement as well as everything that follows it will be suspect in his mind because he has lost confidence in your judgment or your poise.

Overstatement is one of the common faults. A single overstatement, wherever or however it occurs, diminishes the whole, and a single carefree superlative has the power to destroy, for the reader, the object of the writer’s enthusiasm.” 

 

 

This quote brings to mind the exclamation mark and its generous use everywhere. And it makes me wonder if we are a society of people who shout all the time. Or are we guilty of overstating? Or maybe both. :)

 

One veteran writer's opinion on this advised counting the number of exclamation marks in a piece. He recommended eliminating all but one, and to carefully consider even the lone remainder. Ask, he said, "Is such emphasis necessary?"  

 

Ever since reading those wisdom filled words, my use of such in formal writing is deliberate and sparse.

While some advice seems more applicable or timely than others, I'm grateful for the wealth of info at our fingertips. Always something to learn, always something to improve upon, right? 

What advice did you find most applicable when you began writing? What have you found most useful lately? 

 

Happy writing,

Karen

Photo credit: Pexels

5 Classic Writing Tips

 
Good writing advice is timeless, and especially treasured when it comes from a wonderful friend. Nancy Plent, one such friend, came to mind the other day. I met this inspiring lady about 28 years ago. She fostered my writing journey even before I knew I was headed that way. We met when I was searching for homeschooling info. (She was the founder of Unschoolers Network, New Jersey's only state homeschool organization at that time.)

Since we lived 2 hours apart, we got acquainted through phone calls and emails, and before long, Nancy had me writing articles for the Network newsletter and helping with parent support services. Working with her was great fun; not only did she become a good friend, she offered more opportunities to write and build other skills. The experience was priceless. 

Nancy was the one who encouraged me to self publish a booklet for homeschool parents. She offered advice on content, formatting, and marketing. I would not have taken that step had it not been for her support. The booklet eventually became my first book published by a traditional publisher. 

Her advice, back in the days prior to the social media explosion, was spot on. I believe that its classic elements still apply to most any type of writing.

Nancy's Advice

1) Be real.  Authentic, down to earth, approachable - people relate to these qualities. Nancy's friendly, encouraging, and conversational writing style was worth emulating. 

2) Give readers something they need. Content must be appealing, target the right audience, and be user-friendly. Take away value is crucial - readers must be able to apply it to real life. 

3) Use examples. Well chosen illustrations nail your point. Help readers say, "Yes, I can do this!" 

4) Use words efficiently. Well written, concise content is appealing; clutter, rambling, and disorder distracts.  

5) Employ digestible blocks of text. Large sections of text can overwhelm and potentially lose readers. Not that they must be spoon fed a few sentences at a time, but a nice balance can help readers process content. 

Even though Nancy passed away in 2011, it makes me smile to think of the influence she still has on my journey. Timeless, treasured, and worthy of passing along.

Did you have anyone influencing your writing journey before you knew you wanted to write? Do any of Nancy's tips resonate with you?

Happy writing,

Karen 


Photo credit - Free Images

Your Turn!

As you know, I often feature my writer/blogging friends through announcements, interviews, and book spotlights. Since it would take years to get to everyone, I came up with an alternative. How about a mini interview right now? 

If you are game, kindly answer one or more of these questions in the comments: 

• What's the craziest thing you've ever done? 
• Favorites - Coffee? Tea? Chocolate? Vanilla? 
• When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
• What's the best writing/other advice you've ever been given?    

Don't be shy - it'll be fun to get to know you better!  :)

Have a great week! 

Happy writing, 

Karen


Photo credit: Free Images

Timeless Advice

What does the dawn of a new year prompt you to do? 

Make resolutions?

Start new projects?

Scan the horizon for opportunities?

It makes me do all of the above, and reflect on events and things I've learned in the previous year.

While sifting through writing tips that impacted me in 2012, my thoughts rested on timeless advice.

You know, the kind that sticks and finds application in everything you write.

The first tidbit that popped into my head came from an info sheet entitled Weedy Words. It was included with my course materials from the Institute of Children's Literature.  

It spoke of the importance of weeding unnecessary words, not only to meet word counts, but for sharp prose. To my newbie thinking, I was axing precious verbiage. I learned, though, that crisp writing didn't mean sacrificing good content. This advice continues to have a huge impact on my work.

What ageless pearls of wisdom have influenced your writing?

Happy writing,
Karen

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Practicing Tight Writing

 

Keep it Sharp!

Concise writing sounds good in theory. But how do we keep things tight and still communicate well? Word counts mean sharp, effective writing. Here's what Strunk and White have to say in The Elements of Style:

 “Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” 

Love that! Are there unnecessary parts in your writing? I've tossed many words over the years, and continue to refine each time I write.

Someone else weighed in on the topic:

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”  Thomas Jefferson

Editors would love Mr. Jefferson. Excellent point, and wise words to remember, don't you think?                                              

How do we tighten our writing? Develop a keen eye for unnecessary words and phrases. And practice, practice, practice!

Here Goes...

A telegram is an excellent way to practice concise writing.

Write a telegram, limited to 15 words or less.  Small and unnecessary words are left out. The word STOP is used as the punctuation between sentences. Don't count STOP in the 15 words. 

Here is an example:

Grandma joined circus STOP  Mom upset STOP Dad angry STOP Circus your town Saturday STOP Bring Grandma home STOP Karen

So, are you up to the challenge? Share your telegram with us! What techniques do you use to keep your writing tight?


Happy weekend,
Karen

Text copyright Karen Lange 2010. No text may be used without prior permission.
Image credit - Ambrozio  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1210411

P.S. The Rules

More on Rules for Writing

Thanks to all who provided input on Monday's post about writing rules! I value your thoughts, and appreciate the time it takes to stop by and comment.

It seems that I was on target with my short list, which included:

1) Practice writing
2) Stay connected
3) Keep learning
4) Give back

So what else?

Your two cents added up to more great guidelines:

• Fighting and working through discouragement - several of you brought this one up.             
• "Don't get the big head" (my paraphrase) - keeping that ego from thinking too highly of itself.
• Read an assortment of things often, to enrich, provide a bigger worldview, and generate ideas.
• Pray. Divine guidance. For me, always a given.
• Let it rest. Don't be in a hurry to submit after the last word is typed. A new day provides fresh perspective.
• Trim it up! Our best work has usually been cut, cut, and cut some more.
• Keep a positive outlook. Ties in with fighting through discouragement.
• Chill. Don't get defensive about feedback. Let it settle in and then process.
• Chocolate. Yes! How could I have forgotten this one? Silly me.

Do you have anything else to add? When was the last time you were discouraged with your writing? What did you do about it?

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Karen


Photo credit: dbgeorge http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1086794

Analyzing the Pieces

  

Diagramming Sentences

I am tutoring a 7th grader in English, and one of the things we are covering is sentence diagramming. I wouldn't have chosen this topic on purpose, but this student has had little experience with it and the new school she's attending in the fall will cover it in depth. 

What's your take on diagramming sentences? Love it? Hate it? As a child, I didn't see the point, nor remember my teachers telling me why we had to do it. Researching for these lessons, however, has unearthed a bit of background info on why it is a good tool to help students learn. Not only does it help develop thinking skills, dissecting a sentence helps understand its structure, causing one to think analytically. The author of one grammar lesson I came across said that the exercise helped develop his critical thinking skills and caused him to analyze literature more thoroughly.

My thoughts? Well, I still don't do cartwheels over it, but I can see where it can be useful in the big educational picture. The grammar book we are using teaches that isolating the prepositional phrase first is a key step to breaking the sentence down into manageable pieces. This has taught my student to think before she attacks the sentence, so this is a good thing. I realized, too, that it's caused me to look more closely at what I read and write - at structure and how sentences work together.

What, if any, grammar exercises have you found helpful in your writing? When you read, do you mentally take things apart and analyze the writing? Do I have any volunteers for teaching sentence diagramming if I am unable to make a tutoring session? 

Share your thoughts please; I have my pen and tablet ready to make a back up tutor instructor list...

Happy writing, and a happy weekend to all!

Blessings,

Karen