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Note: This post presents Part 4 of my Guide to Polished Writing series. For more thorough coverage of the topic, please consider reading Parts 1 to 3 first.
Plot the Course
Phase 2: Create Your Framework
Begin mapping out the precise route you will follow when you begin your writing journey.
Make an Outline
Preparing an outline will allow you to map out the specific route you will take to reach your destination. (For guidance on how to format an essay outline, go to this page at BookRags [simple outline] or this page at Albany.edu [complex outline]. This traditional outline format may also be used for non-fiction books. For outlining your non-fiction book using the modern mindmapping method, visit this BookCoaching.com article. To create a plot outline for your fiction book, get the link to Holly Lisle’s free PDF mini-course at HollyLisle.com.)
Step 1: Main Points
First, determine your main points. Generally, about three main points are recommended when outlining shorter works, though this could vary considerably based on length of writing project, as well as depth and complexity of topic or storyline.
• In book length works, these are the equivalent of topical or chronological sections (non-fiction), major plot elements (fiction), or other similar divisions of your content into major categories.
• In articles, essays, or other short non-fiction pieces, these will include the main section topics and/or major points into which your work will be divided.
• In plays or screenplays, these will be your Acts.
• In short stories, these might be your sections or Parts (if your story is long enough and you stylistically choose to include these plot divisions.)
• For poetry, you’ll want to outline—or at least list—the progression of ideas and images you hope to achieve as your poem unfolds. The structure or lack of (formal) structure of your planned poem will, in large part, determine the degree to which you’ll be able to do this in advance of the actual writing of your poem. (Again, don’t worry too much about this, if your chosen poetic form is non-conducive to this particular planning technique; you’ll be able to make up for it during the creative stage.)
Step 2: Sub-Topics
Next, break these main ideas into sub-topics. (Again, the number will vary based on project format and size, as well as subject or plot complexity.)
• With books, whether fiction or non-fiction, this step will involve dividing your content into chapters. (This could vary, however, based on the book’s complexity, with more involved works possibly requiring further subdivisions prior to the chapter-division step.)
• For articles, essays, and other short non-fiction, these will be your secondary points or sub-headings.
• In plays/screenplays, and even short stories, these will be your Scenes.
• In poetry, this stage is akin to determining what you hope to convey in specific parts of your poem, such as in each verse—or even in, say, the first or last line of every verse (i.e., the progression of ideas and images that will carry the thread of your main idea or message through to the end of your poem.)
Step 3: Major Support
Then, add the major points of evidence, explanation, or clarification which support your premise, theme, or message to each of your sub-topics.
• For non-fiction books, these will be the major divisions of each individual chapter, or the main sections of which each chapter is built.
• For fiction books, this will consist of the skeletal structure, or basic framework, of each chapter—the main plot elements that will occur in the individual chapter.
• For articles, essays, and other short non-fiction, these will comprise your main supporting information for each sub-heading or sub-topic.
• With plays/screenplays, and short stories, these will be the plot portions that begin to unfold in each scene.
• For poetry, this section will likely be unnecessary—except, perhaps, in the case of lengthy epic poetry, which is broken down into sections, with various parts of the tale unfolding in each segment of the poem.
Step 4: Minor Support (Details)
Finally, add supporting details to each of your major supports.
• Book-length non-fiction, to be sure, will include still further divisions beyond these, as each individual chapter will also need its own outline (in which case, what we are here calling “supporting details” will, in reality, actually become the secondary points, or sub-sections, of each chapter-long subdivision of the book). We are, however, still following the same basic outlining format by applying outlining principles to both the main divisions and the more specific subdivisions of the larger work.
• For book-length fiction, this portion need not be nearly as involved as it is for non-fiction. In fiction, this would consist of notes on what the meat of the chapter, the actual narrative, will contain, including the specific scenes and descriptive and explanatory elements of the story. In fiction, it's rarely necessary to make a detailed outline of each individual chapter, as it is in non-fiction. It will generally suffice in this step to simply list any important plot or other elements you want to be sure you remember to include in the chapter.
• In shorter works, these will be the nuts-and-bolts details which illustrate, describe, or prove our points (non-fiction), fleshing out our piece, or a list of the specific actions, images, occurrences, conflicts, descriptive elements, or character-development revelations (fiction/plays/screenplays) that move our story forward. Again, for fiction, this may be limited to the more important elements, plot twists, etc., that the writer wants to remember to include.
• For poetry, these consist of the particular phraseology, and the specific imagery we choose to convey our message, as well as the manner in which we choose to express the more concrete aspects of our poem.
Asking yourself the questions listed in Phase 1 of this section and assembling your data into a coherent outline (or other format appropriate to the specific type of work) will help you maneuver through the planning stage, which is considerably more specific than the preparatory stage and puts each of the more-detailed systems into place that will enable you to move into the action stage—the stage of actually completing the project.
Happy framing!
Jeanne
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series: "Pursue the Goal, Phase 1: Complete Your Research."
Did you enjoy this post? Have any tips about creating a framework for your writing? Any outlining tricks, secrets, or preferences? I'd love to hear your ideas!
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Note: This post presents Part 2 of my Guide to Polished Writing Series. For more thorough coverage of the topic, please consider reading Part 1 first.
Prepare the Way
Phase 2: Articulate Your Intentions
Articulating your intentions is a way of compiling your newly-clarified purposes into a cohesive preliminary plan that will help you get started with your particular writing project.
Nonfiction:
Write out your thesis statement, or topic sentence, expressing exactly what your book or article will offer the reader. This will, of course, be based on your responses to the Phase 1 questions, which have laid out the purpose or purposes you have for writing this piece. At this point, your process will be similar whether you plan to write a book-length work or an article. In later sections, the process for each will vary.
Fiction:
Choose a genre appropriate to your planned story, and write out a plot synopsis, as well as any underlying message, or theme, you hope to convey through your story. Decide on a basic setting and overall mood and create a list of characters with a short description of each, indicating each one’s significance to the tale, as well as any character development that will prove integral to the story’s unfolding plot and theme.
List any specific settings/symbols/fictional techniques/literary devices you plan to use (e.g., suspense, irony, etc.), which would be instrumental in the effective presentation of your story. Here again the process for novels, short stories, and plays (including screenplays) will be quite similar at this early stage.
Poetry:
Choose your poem’s specific theme, focus, and tone. Decide on your poetic style and format, determining whether you’d like your poem to include end-rhyme, internal rhyme, and/or regular meter—or not. (Often, these aspects will take on a life of their own as the poem unfolds—so be prepared to change your plans here.) If your poem will be metered, either decide on a meter now or wait until you begin writing.
Decide on any specific literary techniques you’d particularly like to utilize to convey your message. (Here, again, you may be delighted to discover that some of these techniques will often strike you unawares during the writing of your poem, as inspiration carries you along; so don’t worry too much about these at this point.) Some examples: alliteration, assonance, consonance, simile, metaphor.
Your approach, as you begin plotting your actual course, will depend not only on your answers to the Phase 1 questions, but also on the time and care you take during Phase 2 to assemble them into a coherent expression of your intentions and to decide on the specific writing techniques and literary elements you plan to call upon to bring your work to life. Taking the time to ask and answer the Phase 1 questions and formulate your intentions in Phase 2 before starting to write will help you determine the best path to follow as you forge ahead in the direction of your goal.
Here's to your well-formed intentions!
Jeanne
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series: "Plot the Course, Phase 1: Design Your Project."
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts on articulating your writing intentions? Or, have any other insights on writing that you'd like to share? Can't wait to hear them!
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Writing Is Serious Business
No matter what kind of writing you do, writing is serious business—even if you happen to write humor. You might have them rolling in the aisles, laughing so hard they’re sure their sides will burst; yet, you, the writer, must be in total control of the entire process the whole way through. You can seem as if you aren’t, but that will simply be your well-thought out ploy to set the mood you’ve been planning to convey right from the start. You are the architect, designer, and creator of your written works, and it is you who make them what they are. They never happen by accident, but are always the result of choices—choices made by you.
Other than talent, creativity, inspiration, and imagination, the key ingredient in the writing process that will enable you to end up with the finished piece that you hope to produce is planning.
When you write, you must have a clear goal—a destination or purpose—in mind. If you have no idea what you hope to accomplish when you begin writing, how will you ever know whether or not you’ve succeeded? If you don’t know where you’d like to end up in your writing journey, how will you ever know what path to follow to get there, and how will you ever know whether—or when—you’ve arrived?
Prepare the Way
Before you can begin to create a coherent and well-organized piece of writing, you’ll need to do a little prep work.
Phase 1: Clarify Your Purpose
To clarify your purpose, goal, or destination, ask yourself the following questions before you begin to write:
• For whom am I writing this piece? Is it meant for a specialized audience, or am I seeking more widespread appeal? If it is intended for a specific audience, who is that target audience? What do I know about that audience that will help me connect with it?
• Why am I writing this piece? Is it intended to entertain, inspire, inform, encourage, persuade, teach—or perhaps a combination of these?
• What do I hope the reader will take away from this piece? Do I want her to act on my recommendations? Do I desire to change his way of thinking about an issue? Would I like to help her solve a problem?
• Which vehicle will best lend itself to the journey ahead? What kind of “package” would be most appropriate for conveying the type of content I hope to deliver to the reader? Article? Book? Short Story? Essay? Poem? Play? Web Copy?
• To what niche, genre, literary or stylistic category does this piece belong?
• What materials, supplies, and resources will I need to effectively complete the project? Will I have access to these with reasonable ease and without great expense?
By asking yourself the above questions, you'll pave the way for the next phase, during which you'll make some concrete decisions about precisely what you hope to accomplish through your piece.
Happy questioning!
Jeanne
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series: "Prepare the Way, Phase 2: Articulate Your Intentions."
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts of your own to share about clarifying your purpose or about writing in general? I'd love to hear them!
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Cartoon used with permission by Brad Shorr, Word Sell, Inc.
Words: A Writer’s Perspective
Words: the writer’s stock-in-trade…the intellectual currency with which we transact our business of touching the hearts and minds of those for whom we write
Words: the attire with which we dress our thoughts before sending them forth to greet our reader, make his or her acquaintance, and hopefully create a wonderful first—and lasting—impression
Words: the vehicles which transport ideas across streets or across continents, spreading them far and wide for all to encounter on near or foreign mental soil
Words: the soul-fed fires which ignite emotions…passions…hopes…and dreams…inspiring action while themselves sitting dormant on the page…or, no sooner spoken, dissipating, like a cooling summer’s breeze
Words: the silken threads of color woven artfully into tapestries of beauty, strength, and grace by artisans who patiently hone their skills and ply their craft with care
Words.
Using Words Effectively
As writers, we are intimately involved with words. We use them every day to convey meaning. Yet, the degree of meaning we succeed in conveying to our readers through our words is directly proportional to the degree of skill with which we use them.
The Book of Proverbs contains a wonderful saying about using words effectively:
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” –Proverbs 25:11 (NKJV*)
What a lovely picture of the carefully chosen word!
The Writer’s Job
Our job as writers is to continually seek the best possible words to convey the precise thoughts we intend our reader to take away from our work. At times these words won’t come immediately, or easily, and we’ll have little choice but to think a while longer—maybe even to go back to that section later, or even tomorrow, looking at it with fresh eyes, a fresh perspective, and a fresh infusion of thought and inspiration.
Don't Let Deadlines Create Carelessness
Yet, when we face a deadline and have no time to wait for inspiration to strike—no time to let our writing “age” and return to it tomorrow—we simply have to tough it out. We must refuse to give in to the temptation to use a careless word or phrase—one that we know deep inside just isn’t “right.” (And the temptation to do so can be strong.) We need, instead, to mentally wrestle with the thought, to visualize the image we hope to convey, and pull from somewhere within ourselves—or if need be our thesauruses—the word that paints the most vivid picture of the thought we’re envisioning so the world can see it, too.
Poorly Chosen Words Create Misunderstanding
When we refuse to take the time to choose our words with care—and no doubt about it, that’s hard work—we’re often misunderstood. Our job as writers, then, is to anticipate the information the reader will require for accurately processing our ideas and then distill that information into a form (word, phrase, sentence, line) that the reader can grab hold of mentally and make sense of. This gives our readers satisfaction as they read our work—a sense of connection with our own thought process which helps them relate to our words and appropriate their meaning for themselves.
The Final Read-Through and Revision
When we’ve come to the end of a piece of writing (a blog post, article, chapter, or poem), we still aren’t finished yet. No matter how wonderful we feel about the job we’ve done, how clever we think our work is, or how pleased we are with ourselves, there’s one more step that we ignore to our peril: We absolutely must reread our work for structure, rhythm, sense, and flow. The very best way to do this is aloud, because sound is an important indicator of trouble in one or more of these areas.
Finishing Touches
As you read, look—or better yet, listen—for awkward phrasing, confusing sentence structure, unclear meaning, or unpleasing, abrupt, or non-melodious language. Be sure you’ve used transitions that draw your reader smoothly and effortlessly through your text, creating literary bridges from one paragraph or sentence to the next. Take special note of the word order you’ve chosen and the rhythmic effect it creates, and when needed, reorder your words to give your writing a smoother, more fluid quality.
Ruthless Revision
You’ll nearly always find sections you thought were absolutely brilliant while writing them that on final read-through sound confusing and unclear. Please do your readers a favor and revise them—regardless of how clever or inspired they may have seemed at the time. We often become enamored with our phrasing, and convincing ourselves to let it go can be a struggle. But always remember that there’s lots more inspiration where that came from, so you can afford to cut a clever phrase for the sake of clarity.
The Finished Product
When we’ve finished revising our work, our goal is to have a piece of writing that’s clear, engaging, and easy for our audience to read, understand, and enjoy. And at all costs, we want to avoid repeating the mistake made by our friend in the above cartoon. He either didn’t give enough advance thought to the wording of his sign, or he didn’t reread it before posting it. (If he did reread it, he did so without considering the possible ways the public might construe it.) And that’s a mistake we never want to make with our writing.
Happy revising!
Jeanne
* New King James Version
This post is my entry to Brad Shorr's Word Sell Writing Contest.
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? Has Brad's cartoon inspired any thoughts? If so, we'd love to hear them!
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A Great Article on How You Can Develop Confidence as a Business Writer
The following article was written by my friend and fellow blogger, Joanna Young, of Confident Writing. This article is offered for free distribution by EzineArticles.Com; so I thought I'd share it with my readers to help you become a more confident business writer, as well as to highlight the wonderful content you'll find on Joanna's blog. (Many of Joanna's tips and techniques also apply to other types of writing, as well; so bear that in mind as you read, and look for places in your own writing where you can practice these helpful principles.)
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Business Writing with Confidence - An ABC Guide
By Joanna Young
Confident writing is an essential part of effective business communication. Most people would agree with this statement but how many of us have the skills or the confidence to put it into practice? Anxiety about grammar rules can leave people tongue tied. All too often business writing is seen as a barrier, a stumbling block rather than something that can add value to your contribution at work.
But here’s the thing: you don’t need to learn the rules of a grammar book to write with confidence at work. You just need to work on three basic elements of good business writing: authenticity, brevity and clarity. It’s what I call the ABC guide to confident writing at work.
Writing with authenticity
Writing with authenticity means being real, sounding human, sounding like yourself. It’s great for creating rapport with other people, whether that’s your colleagues, customers or potential clients. Most people want to do business with another human being and it’s even better if that’s someone they feel they can get to ‘know’ and trust.
To make your writing more authentic:
* Make use of plain, everyday words: go for short, simple words; avoid jargon and clichés; use everyday words rather than corporate or business speak
* Use a conversational style: this doesn’t mean slang – it does mean feeling free to use short sentences and contractions like “I’m” or “we’ll” or “let’s” (all great for the flow)
* Find your own words: spend a little bit of time jotting down your own words for the things that are most important to you (ideas, your business purpose, your values) and start to work them into your writing. This is a great way to sound like you really mean business!
Writing with brevity
Most people are drowning in information overload. So much for the paperless office – most of us are suffering from too much paper, a deluge of e-mails and more reports than we’ll ever have time to read. You’ll really start to win friends and influence people if you keep your writing short and to the point. Your readers will thank you for the time and effort saved, and you’ll also make your message more punchy, powerful and memorable.
To write with brevity:
* Keep each sentence short: aim for an average of 18 – 25 words a sentence. This is good writing practice and will get you into the habit of writing less
* Cut out excess words: go back and edit your work once you’ve written a draft. Cut out as many excess words as you can. Then do it again (and again till it’s done.) Enjoy seeing your message emerge more clearly!
* Write within limits : set yourself a word limit and practice working to it. It’ll improve your skills of writing with brevity and help you stick to the point
Writing with clarity
You’ve got something important to say so you want your writing to stand out. Clear writing makes it easier for people to read, follow and understand what you’re saying. Now this is the place where grammar does come into play because there are some rules – whether you like it or not – that are there to help us understand your meaning. You need to master these basic rules if you want your message to be clear and easily understood.
To write more clearly:
* Know your point : be clear what you’re trying to say, and why, before you start to write. Boil your message down to no more than 10 words. That’s your message: focus on that and it will shine through your writing
* Manage your writing: work out which grammar points are stopping you from writing with clarity (like use of apostrophes). Ask a colleague or friend to help identify them. Then take responsibility for learning and applying the rules. There are plenty of books, websites and writing coaches who can help with this
* Keep it simple: use short sentences, cut out excess words, use plain, everyday language
I don’t know if you noticed some common themes running through these writing tips. Keep it short, keep it simple, use plain language, know your point and stick to it. These are the fundamental rules of good business writing and if you apply them you will find it easy to write with authenticity, brevity and clarity. Effective business writing needn’t be hard – it can be as easy as ABC.
Joanna Young is a writing coach who helps people to write with confidence - to realise the power of their own words. You can find out how to work with Joanna or read more of her writing tips at Confident Writing.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com expert=Joanna Young
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Hope you've enjoyed these great tips on confident writing by a very confident writer! Don't forget to visit Joanna's blog for more great content on writing confidently!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Was it helpful? Have anything to add? If so, please feel free to comment!
And, while you're at it, why not visit Joanna' s blog and do the same?
September 29th 2007 21:20
Sugar & Spice Anthology Needs More Conventional Online Poetry Written By Women
Gerald Bosacker of Bosacker Books, is putting together a poetry anthology, to be entitled Sugar & Spice. This compilation of the works of various female poets which have already appeared online in one internet venue or other will be comprised of conventional, mostly rhymed and metered poetry.
A number of my own poems will be included in the anthology, and I wanted to share this opportunity with my female readers who have written poetry of this type and had it published--or may yet have it published--online. Remuneration will likely be small; however, your inclusion in the anthology would give you one more--or perhaps your first?--published clip. And since it will be in a print publication, it will likely carry a bit more weight among future potential publishers than an online publishing credit, as it's generally so much easier to be published online.
The Opportunity, In Mr. Bosacker's Own Words
Here's what Mr. Bosacker had to say to me in an e-mail written in response to my submissions back in July:
If your intent is monetary compensation, refuse permission as the financial yield will not be great. I sell poetry, and receive but a small fee, even from large magazines. I do take pleasure in the paid recognition, no matter how small. SUGAR & SPICE does not auger huge sales, but all of the royalties will be divided amongst the authors, in proportion to their share of print. I will not contribute, nor share royalties. I have no idea how well the anthology will sell, but it is not a scam, nor profit making venture.
Let me know if you wish to be included...
Anthology Release Delayed Due to "Scarcity of Good, Conventional Poetry, Written By Women and Posted on the Internet"
Mr. Bosacker had hoped to release Sugar & Spice by October 1st, but has had trouble amassing enough good conventional poetry written by women which has been published on the internet. His latest correspondence of a few weeks ago informs me that, at this point, he only has about one-third of the poetry he needs to fill the 200-page book. At that rate, it could be a while before the book goes to print--unless the internet poetesses among us will begin submitting our best work ASAP.
Visit BosackerBooks.Com for Submission Information
Feel free to visit the Bosacker Books website for more information about the planned anthology and/or to find out how to submit your work. The book's cover may be viewed at the following link: Sugar & Spice Poetry Anthology.
While Sugar & Spice will likely not be a high-profit venture for those of us whose work is included, there is always the possibility that it will sell better than Mr. Bosacker expects. Whether or not it does will no doubt--in part, at least--be dependent upon how much buzz we ourselves are able to create for the book via our websites, blogs, word-of-mouth, and possibly even through asking our fellow writers and bloggers for their help in spreading the word.
Are You a Conventional Female Poet Who Has or Will Soon Put Your Work Online?
If you are a female poet and you have some well-crafted conventional poetry sitting in the bottom drawer of your desk, the back of your closet, or even the darkest corners of your garage or attic, you might just want to consider digging it out, reassessing its quality and appropriateness for this market, touching it up if needed, posting it on one of the online poetry websites* first, and then submitting it to Mr. Bosacker for the Sugar & Spice Poetry Anthology.
If your work is already posted online, so much the better! You will be able to submit it to the anthology with a minimum of hassle. So, scour the sites you've posted your work to, find your best poetic masterpieces, and consider submitting them if you'd like to be a part of this book project.
If you don't already have some conventional poetry hidden away somewhere--either online or off--but have the heart of a poet(ess), why not write a few poems, submit them to the poetry site(s), and then forward them to Mr. Bosacker. Send your best work, though, because Mr. B is looking for very well-executed conventional verse. Let's show him that good conventional poetry written by women and published on the internet isn't really as scarce as he thinks it is!
Best of luck to you!
Jeanne
*A few of the better websites that accept poetry are Creative-Poems.Com and MoonTownCafe.Com. To learn more about submitting your work to these sites, please see my earlier posts, Calling All Poets! More Info About Creative-Poems.Com and Calling All Poets 2: More Info About MoonTownCafe.Com. Other possible websites for posting your poetry--though they are not exclusively poetry sites--are Helium.Com and Associated Content.
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September 19th 2007 01:00
Short Stories Sought for Two Unusual Anthologies
Hadley Rille Books is seeking short stories for two of its upcoming anthologies: Desolate Places and Ruins Metropolis. If you happen to be an author of tightly written Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, or Mainstream Fiction, with a knack for expressing the "eeriness and wonder of a desolate place"--which can be either on earth or anywhere else in the universe--or a talent for creating captivating tales about ruins (in particular, a tale based on the third issue's cover art), Hadley Rille would like to hear from you.
Desolate Places: An Anthology Exploring "Magnificent Desolation"
For this volume, Hadley Rille seeks Science Fiction stories set in--you guessed it--desolate places. The folks at HR believe that "desolation stirs the imagination." For these tales, they prefer physically desolate settings, as opposed to more abstract desolation. A few of the questions they'd like your story to answer are the following: "Why are your character(s) there and how do they react to such a place? What do they expect to find?"
Ruins Metropolis: A Volume of Mysterious Dimensions
For this particular volume, as its title indicates, the company seeks stories dealing with ruins--specifically, the ruins depicted on the anthology's cover--with the story revolving around a particularly mysterious woman--also on the cover--who should be the story's protagonist. For this anthology, the third in the company's Ruins series, stories may represent a number of different genres--including Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, or Mainstream--as long as they feature the "ruins" theme.
Deadline, Story Length, and Payment Info
Deadline for submissions for both anthologies is October 31st, 2007. Ideal story length for both would be 2,000-6,000 words, though stories ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 words will be considered. While up-front payment for stories is relatively low ($25-$30 each), authors also receive royalties and one copy of the book. In addition, the opportunity for getting your fictional creations into print, demonstrating your prowess in crafting Fiction, and gaining exposure for your work within the above genres should provide another great motivation for you to consider this market.
Submission Guidelines for Both Anthologies
You may follow this link to read the info and guidelines for submitting stories to the Desolate Places Anthology. And here's the link for info and guidelines--as well as the cover art for which a story is sought--for the Ruins Metropolis Anthology.
Try Your Hand at Creating Desolation and Ruin
If you enjoy writing Fiction of the type described above--in any of the genres mentioned--take a look at Hadley Rille's guidelines for these two anthologies. You just might be able to make a few bucks writing the kind of stories you love. And, if you've already got a story or two lying around that you believe would fit one or both of these categories, by all means, consider sending it along. But, be sure to follow the guidelines; and, if you have any doubt that your story or story idea in fact fits what the company is looking for, be sure to query. Hadley Rille would be more than happy to answer your questions about exactly what they're looking for for these two anthologies.
Best of luck writing about desolation and ruins! And may your writing career be just the opposite!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
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Answers to Your Writing Questions
Daily Writing Tips is the place to go for the answers to all those nagging little questions that so often come up about the myriad nuances of the writing craft. You'll find thorough, well-written pieces here, containing valuable principles which will enable you to greatly improve your writing.
Advice from a Knowledgeable Team
The helpful advice you'll find here comes from three writers and an editor with an interesting variety of experience under their collective belt. This writing team brings its fellow writers, who seek sound advice for polishing their work and perfecting their skills, a wide range of time-honored principles and helpful hints about such topics as the following:
-The Shortcomings of Proofreading
-Proper Word Usage
-Correct Grammar
-Effective Spelling
-Writing Numbers and Numerals
-Using the Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing
-Proper Use of Articles
-Eliminating Unnecessary Phrases
-Using Imagery
-Increasing Vocabulary
...and much more.
Categories are listed below:
-Book Reviews
-Business Writing
-Fiction Writing
-Freelance Writing
-General
-Grammar
-Misused Words
-Punctuation
-Spelling
-Word of the Day
-Writing Basics
Here's to Your Literary Health!
So, if you'd like to have all those nagging little questions about writing answered to your satisfaction--and the overwhelmingly large ones, as well--and pick up a few new vocabulary words while you're at it, check out Daily Writing Tips, where a tip a day can mean better literary health!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
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A Virtual Trip Around the Blogosphere
In my latest travels around the blogosphere, I've uncovered some excellent content that can truly be a boon to any writer interested in a fresh approach, a new inspiration--in short, any writer seeking the motivation to write with renewed vigor and vitality.
Confident Writing: Posts to Both Inspire and Get You Thinking
Please check out Joanna Young's excellent post, When Writing Means Spirit Spilling, at Confident Writing. This piece explores the process of writing from the deepest parts of ourselves and, through quoting the wisdom of several knowledgeable bloggers, links out to other blogs you'll find most helpful in your quest to grow your own writing.
Two of Joanna's other pieces, The Ingredients of Confident Writing, and How to Learn from Your Writing, are also insightful looks into the components that help make our writing fresh and engaging. They also link to other related posts on her own blog and/or elsewhere in the blogosphere.
The Golden Pencil: Pieces on Perfectionism, Freelancing Dos and Don'ts, and Marketing Your Work Objectively
Anne Wayman, at The Golden Pencil, has written a succinct, yet very helpful post called, Don't Worry About Perfection--Go for Effective, reminding us that perfectionism is a trap and wisely counseling us to let it go.
Anne has also posted two guest pieces that offer practical guidance to help writers more effectively run their writing business. Top Dos and Don'ts for Freelancers, by Lori Widmer, offers 14 basic tips to help writers "make a go of freelancing," and Sending Out Ships, by Charlotte Rains Dixon, counsels us to write personally but submit our work objectively.
Passionate Blogger: Giving and Receiving Series to Help You Reap the Same Recognition You Sow, and How to Avoid Information Overload in Research
Wild Bill, at Passionate Blogger, has posted the first two parts of his excellent and informative multi-part series on giving and receiving: Give and Receive Series - Part 1 - Technorati Favorites and Give and Receive Series - Part 2 - StumbleUpon. These two posts explore the importance of giving lavish recognition to other writers/bloggers and letting the "getting" take care of itself, specifically covering how to do so through Technorati Favorites and StumbleUpon. The upcoming third post in the series will explore how to do this using Alexa.
Another excellent post on Wild Bill's site, about avoiding information overload when researching and writing blog posts (and which could also apply to other types of writing), is Stop Cramming for a Post! This insightful piece is an apt reminder that focusing on what we do know (known, in blogging, as our niche), can help us steer clear of excessive and unnecessary research, saving us valuable time and making us more productive.
A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye: Customer Service and Productivity for Freelance Writers
Lillie Ammann, at A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye, has written a brief but inspiring post, called The Simple Truths of Service: Will You Be a Johnny Today? that points us to a helpful video and serves to remind all freelance writers how important good "customer service" is to writer-client relations--despite the fact that, as freelancers, we have no "Customer Service Department." This piece--along with the video it introduces--tells us, in effect, that we must be our own "Customer Service Department."
A second great post, entitled How Do You Stack Up Against the Average Worker in America? asks us, as homeworkers/freelancers, to weigh our own productivity level against that of the average American working outside the home, providing an interesting comparison of the two, and hopefully providing writers with a little incentive to work on becoming more productive.
Four Great Blogs to Bookmark and Return to Again and Again!
It is my hope that the above posts will help you become more effective at both the craft, and the business, of writing. Why not bookmark these four great blogs, so you can return to them later to check out the other valuable content they are certain to post in the future! (You may also want to search their archives for buried treasure!)
Until next time,
Jeanne
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The following article on effective writing is reprinted here with permission, in the hope that its timely tips will help you more precisely convey the points you desire to get across to your readers--whether in a magazine or journal article, on your blog, in an ad for your product or service, in a sales letter, or in your essay, report, poem, short story, novel, or non-fiction book.
This article is Copyright 2003 by Cathy Stucker, IdeaLady.com.
Words That Work
Do you sometimes agonize over choosing just the right word for your letter, brochure, ad or other written materials? Words have meaning, and choosing the right words is important.
Headlines and titles are especially important. You want to use words that will grab the attention of readers and encourage them to read more.
As they read more, you want to persuade them. This is true whether you are writing a sales letter or brochure, a how-to book, or a novel. Writing (good writing, anyway) is designed to convince the readers of something. You may be trying to sell them something, teach them something, or get them to believe in your story. In any case, the words you choose will directly affect your success.
First of all, be precise. Is it bi-monthly or semi-monthly? You may think they are the same thing, but they're not. Bi-monthly means every two months. Semi-monthly means twice a month. There is a big difference. Make sure your words have meanings that express what you mean.
To find just the right word, use a thesaurus. I like to use the thesaurus in my word processor, because I can quickly jump from one word to another.
When using a thesaurus, however, remember that the words you see listed will be similar in meaning to your original but not identical in meaning. Make sure you fully understand the meaning of any word you might use. Back when I was working in personnel, I received a resume that referred to the applicant's "promiscuous" experience. I don't think that's exactly what
they hoped to convey (at least, I hope that's not what they meant).
There is a wonderful book called, "Words That Sell" by Richard Bayan. It is like a thesaurus for marketing copywriters. For example, if you look up "Results" you get suggestions including fast-acting, never lets you down, performs, does the job, and many others. There are categories for many types of marketing messages.
Choose words which produce the emotional response you want. Words that get attention include new, secret, free, unknown, cash, insider, etc. These words give the impression that you are letting the reader in on something special.
Use alliteration. That means words that begin with the same sound. For example, Peter's Perfect Plan or Secrets of Super Success. Hard sounds (such as p, k or t) and the s sound are especially good. Say your line out loud to see how it sounds.
Watch for hidden meanings. Words may have acquired new meanings, and those new meanings may alter the effect of your sentence. Be aware of new slang usage. Your dictionary may not be current enough to help you. (Borrow a teenager for the most up-to-date information!)
Avoid jargon (most of the time). Don't assume your readers will understand what you mean when you use a technical term or bit of jargon. Use clearly understood language. If you must use jargon, explain it. One time you can use jargon is when you know your audience will understand it, and your use of jargon will mark you as one of "them". Jargon can identify you as someone who knows an industry.
Ask for input. Ask friends and potential customers to read what you've written. What do readers think of when they read or hear your words? Do they come across as friendly or abrupt? Do they seem believable? Do they properly convey your message? If so, congratulations! If not, keep working at it.
No matter how good your writing is, it can always be improved. So, keep reading, keep writing, keep testing and revising to make your writing as good as it can be.
You'll find lots of great information on growing your business and more at http://www.freearticles.biz/. Most articles may be freely reproduced at your web site or in your print or online newsletter.
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Hope this article will prove valuable to you in your quest to make your writing all that you'd like it to be!
Happy writing!
Jeanne
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Just in case you fiction writers out there need a bit of inspiration to sit down and pen a tale--particularly a suspenseful crime tale, I will share with you my flash fiction piece, Confession. This short story won a recent writing contest at Iron Pyramid Publications (out of 64 entries) and is currently ranked #1 out of 52 stories about "The Other Woman" on Helium.Com. (Though the rankings at Helium can change daily, Confession has so far held the #1 slot since its posting in January 2007.) It's quite suspenseful--or so I'm told.
Read on--and then sharpen your pencils, fire up your computers, get creative, and start writing!
Confession
A Wife Lets Her Unfaithful Husband in On a Murderous Little Secret
Hello, Darling.
You'd better sit down. I have something to tell you.
I went for a walk tonight...to your mistress's house. Yes, Darling, I've known about her for weeks. And, you know, it wasn't as difficult as I'd imagined it would be.
She didn't utter a sound when it hit. I hadn't really expected her to. Her eyes merely took on a fleeting expression of...shock--as if she couldn't comprehend what was happening and was absolutely petrified by it all--and then...it was over.
All it took was one shot. It was wha |
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