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Type, Type, Type! My Thoughts On Becoming A Better Writer ♥
in I Want... Business!, I Want... Blogging!26 Jul 2010 | 20 Comments
Type, type, type. Type, type, type! Type your words! Type your WORDS!
Ahem. Allow me to switch off KC & The Sunshine Band's Shake, Shake, Shake.
Now! An expert on writing? Me?! Please! I’m as much as a virtuoso wordsmith as I am a master chef (and considering that I not only burned the vegetarian hot dogs that I was cooking for lunch today, but the bread rolls as well, this speaks volumes! Oh, and how could I forget the lid to the bottle of my barbecue sauce which so helpfully decided to fall off, too, drenching my charcoaled sausages and bread in sauce?! D’oh!), but in between listening to Queen and trying not to set my food alight, I do spend copious amounts of time engaged in this magnificent activity.
Blogging, tweeting, trying to convince my boss that saying ‘’oh, ship’’ is a totally excusable replacement word for an expletive that rhymes with ‘oven mitt’ in the newsletters and blogs that I write for her travel company (which usually results in me standing there with outstretched arms saying ‘’huh, huh? Get it – ship? Because we’re a travel company?!’’ Ba doom CHI!) – my fingertips are a regular companion of the keyboard's, and here’s what they’ve learned along the way!
Make Friends With A Thesaurus (Coffee Date Optional)
I don’t remember anything about fractions and I certainly don’t recall how to play the recorder (somehow I don’t think that my neighbours will be losing any sleep over this nugget of information!), but one thing that I have retained from my early education days is a teacher’s advice to experiment with using different words while writing. You see, I'd just written a story on how much I loved black labradors. ‘’I love black labradors!’’ I scribbled. ‘’Black labradors are the best because I love them!’’, my clearly cutting edge prose stated. ‘’Corrine, I love your story,’’ my polite teacher told me, ‘’but interesting stories use different words. What about if you said '’adore’’ in here instead of using ‘’love’’ so many times?’’
Mrs. Church, you were SPOT on. Interesting stories do use different words, which is precisely why I’ve enlisted Thesaurus as my writing companion when the only word that’s swirling around in my head is ‘’fantastic’’ and I’ve already typed it 8,658 billion times!
Re-Read Your Content Out Loud (It's Okay! It's A Totally 'Men-In-White-Jackets' Safe Activity)
Fact: I do this with almost every piece that I type up. Why? Because too often I’ll be sitting there, whacking my keys away, thinking that everything’s all fine and dandy and then bang! I’ll re-read it, and there it is. A spelling mistake. A missing word. Something that makes absolutely no sense at ALL. ‘’How could I have missed this when I’ve already read it three times?!’’ I think. I don’t know, but I don’t usually miss a great big whopping mistake when I re-read it out loud. Fact #2: doing this also helps me to determine how flowing everything is, how easy to understand everything is. And goodness, reading your content out loud doesn’t have to be a boring exercise: who said that you can’t recite it all in a Scottish accent?!
Consider Your Audience (Even If They're Purple, Scarf-Wearing Caterpillars! Which They're Probably Not)
So you’ve thumped out an article, you’ve re-read it to yourself (and PHEW are you relieved that you didn’t use that analogy!) and now comes the time in which you must consider the audience that’s going to be viewing it. How will your words make them feel? How are they meant to make them feel? Happy? Sad? (I hope not!) Informed? Inspired? What are they going to think when they examine your piece? What is the overall message that your piece is trying to convey, and do you think that it achieves it?
Stay True To Your Original Vision
Perhaps you started writing a novel on your passion for tennis balls. Maybe your blog/website is devoted purely to your hatred for snow globes. Whatever it is, remembering your original reason for beginning your project can help to keep your writing on track ENORMOUSLY. Stick a white label to your computer or laptop or pop a piece of paper beside it with the reminder ‘’does this piece demonstrate my hated for snow globes enough?’’ scrawled on it, and ask yourself the question every time you’ve finished typing something up!
♥
Do you have a secret writing tip? What? You won't tell me, because that would defeat the point of having a ''secret'' writing tip? Oh. I see. But what I lack in hotdog cooking I make up for in secret-keeping, I promise!
xoxo
Comments (20)
So many awesome tips. I do the whole reading aloud thing, before I go to post anything. I just need to make sure that it *sounds* okay...
I also do any editing on pad, while looking at a preview of my post. I just find that I write better with pen and paper :)
13 Sep 2010, xoxBubbles, http://www.xoxbubbles.wordpress.com
One thing I can say for sure - your writing makes me expand and enrich my English vocabulary (I am Bulgarian). Your posts are abundant with so many captivating words and expressions which I see for the first time (or at least used in this way), that I can't help but write them down in a special notebook all the time; reading a single post of yours takes much more time and gives much more pleasure taken this way, in small bites.
You inspire me to have a blog and try to write in English there, just for the unusual exercise, the beautiful words and personal satisfaction.
22 Aug 2010, Natalia
From one professional writer to another, yes, Thesaurus is god's gift.
My writing tip is to refrain from writing in passive voice. That is, don't write, "We will be going to the mall today." Instead, write, "We will go to the mall today."
29 Jul 2010, Monica at In Wanderment, http://www.inwanderment.com
Creative writing is my favorite hobby! Usually what I do is I recite the scene in my head as it would be on paper first before I write anything out. That way I hear it in my head and know if it sounds good. My thesaurus is also my best friend, whether I'm writing a story or a paper.
28 Jul 2010, Marie, http://nothing-better.org
I used to think I can be the best novelist in the world but somehow, I lost interest. I still love reading so much though! I read everything even the boring magazines or articles just out of curiousity. I want to write a bit more for my blog but sometimes I'm not sure if it sounds okay...I will definitely use your tips!! xoxoxoxoxooo
27 Jul 2010, Shin, http://www.fashioncappuccino.com
Fantastic post! Great tips.
27 Jul 2010, Kat, www.fiercefrostings.wordpress.com
Love this advice, especially since I don't have writing tips as much as I just try and write and edit it as much as I can!
27 Jul 2010, Mel
I think I'm just going to start calling you my guru, what with how you give me all this fabulous advice! Sheesh, stop being so fabulous all the time. No, don't actually! I love it!
26 Jul 2010, Miss Peregrin, http://missperegrinssecrets.blogspot.com
Another great and helpful article!
26 Jul 2010, Anisha, http://livelifedeeply.net
Great post. I think I need an original vision, my brain is like the kerbside on hard rubbish night!
26 Jul 2010, kathryn, http://www.project-kathryn.com
I'm just as good a chef as you- I can only make things that can be toasted and/or microwaved! I'm always leaving out words when writing, and they're usually the key word of the sentence, so I need to work on that.
I don't have any writing secrets, at this point I'm more trying to pick them up rather than give advice!
26 Jul 2010, Stef, tiaras-and-tulle.blogspot.com
Another wonderful post, Corrine... I am still finding my voice and my niche... I have to force myself to post anything because it's never as perfect as I would like! The reading out loud tip is great.
Thank you xx
P.S. To my fellow Microsoft Word users... Shift + F7 is magical.
26 Jul 2010, Laura, lifebeautylaughter.blogspot.com
Good tips!
Another one comes from my literature teacher, she used to say "kill your favourite ones".
This means that you may fall in love with some sentences you've written, or with a word, or with an image, an idea, and so on.
But if you realize that they do not fit, not at all, in what you're writing, you have to cut them.
Trying to make them fit where they don't will ruin your piece.
You may save those for later, or start new with them where they do fit, if you really want to.
Just don't be too attached to what's not fitting, even if it looks so good to you ;)
26 Jul 2010, Euforilla, http://euforilla.blogspot.com
These are great suggestions :]
I constantly struggle with words [I blame this on my lack of education] and I swear I re-read everything a billion times before publishing it.
Amazing post :] ♥
26 Jul 2010, Skye, http://skyebloo.tk
These suggestions are amazing. I really needed this, because the last few days I've been writing and re-writing all of my posts a dozen times, never satisfied.
I think I've kind of reached a dead end and need to remember my original goals for the website.
26 Jul 2010, Allie O'Bannon, http://www.little-skeleton.com
Raquel - Oh, psh. I think you're a wonderful writer, Raquel! I don't think that I've ever NOT laughed or smiled while reading your words - and yes, I definitely agree with you on the honesty part. I probably should have mentioned that somewhere! (Maybe that could be a future post?) I used to be so fixated on thinking you had to write a certain way - intelligently. (Read: hugely complicated words.) SERIOUSLY. (Again with the hugely complicated words.) Then I realised how a) boring that was; and b) difficult and time consuming it was to try and write in a style that wasn't my own, and promptly gave up! Thank-you very much for your lovely (as always) feedback!
Sian - Hey, me too! Thanks Sian :)
26 Jul 2010, x Corrine/Frock & Roll x, www.frockandrollonline.com
I wish purple catepillars were reading my things :) Great tips Corrine.
26 Jul 2010, Sian, http://twitter.com/siancdavies
I don't think I'm a great writer, but I have my moments. I think the main thing for me is not censoring myself - I need to swear when I want to, use 'intelligent' words when they pop into my head and use the metaphors that make sense to me. I think that readers will usually appreciate honesty to your own style.
Great tips as always! xx
26 Jul 2010, Raquel, http://misschiaroscuro.blogspot.com
Julie - You are not! Liar! I don't think ''terrible'' and *you* can be used in the same sentence, Julie. But thank-you so much!
26 Jul 2010, x Corrine/Frock & Roll x, www.frockandrollonline.com
I'm a terrible writer (and I'm worse in Spanish). I just write whatever comes out of my mind and am too lazy to edit/re-read.
I'm going to start doing that, I remember that I was better in high school but college made me think less and less about it (since writing wasn't important and what mattered was that your program/equation/experiment went along fine).
I'm totally using these tips to get my writing back to top shape :D.
26 Jul 2010, Julie, http://juliettemaxwell.com
