The best advice on writing
“If you want to write, why don’t you?”“I don’t have the talent.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know. I mean, I’m not especially creative. I was never, well, one of the creative ones. You know.”
“I don’t know. Let me see something you’ve written.”
“Well, I don’t, uh, have anything..”
“Why don’t you sit down and write something right now.”
“What?”
“Anyhting. Try a news story about a meeting you’ve just attended. Or just get something off your mind, something you’ve been thinking about, something that irritates you, an event or a person or place you keep remembering.”
“But I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how you do it. Writing’s a mystery to me.”
But writing isn’t a mistery. It is a process, a logical series of language acts than anyonewhocan write-- and read what they have written—can perform.
The best advice on writing: “Write what makes you happy.” (O. Henry)
posted by AnelKa @ 6:42 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
The best advice on writing I ever received was from a journalism professor who told me to read William Zinnser's book, "On Writing Well."
Synaptic mogul, a reviewer on Amazon, wrote this excellent summary of the book:
1. Do - prune out every word that does not perform a necessary function. Strip each sentence to its cleanest components. A clear sentence is no accident.
2. Do - use the thesaurus liberally. Learn the small gradations between words that seem to be synonyms.
3. Do - try to improve the rhythm by reversing the order of a sentence, substituting a word that has freshness or oddity, and by varying the lengths of sentences.
4. Do - make your first sentence the best one - your lead must capture the reader.
5. Do - make each sentence lead into the next. Readers think linearly.
6. Do - Take special care with the last sentence in your paragraph - it is the springboard to the next paragraph.
7. Do - make your paragraphs short. Readers think in segments.
8. Do - pay special attention to the last sentence. The perfect ending should take your reader slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right.
9. Do - Read it aloud to see how it sounds and re-edit - then do it again. Clear writing is the result of lots of tinkering.
On the other hand:
1. Don't - use passive verbs unless there is no comfortable way to use an active verb.
2. Don't - use adverbs that convey the same meaning as your strong active verb.
3. Don't - use adjectives when the concept is already in your carefully chosen noun.
4. Don't - use small words that qualify how you feel: "a bit," "a little," "sort of," and dozens more. Good writing is lean and confident.
5. Don't - use concept nouns:
Instead of - "The common reaction is incredulous laughter."
Write - "Most people just laugh with disbelief."
6. Don't - use the exclamation point unless you must, do use the period more frequently, don't forget the versatile dash, and cut down on the use of semi-colons and colons. If you don't know how to punctuate, get a grammar book.
Thank you both for comments!:-)I think the readers will find your advices very helpful:-)
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