Sunday, February 15, 2015

On Your Mark! Get Set! Write!

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On Your Mark! Get Set! Write!
Twelve Ways To Improve Your Writing.

Composing articles is a discipline; it's very difficult, brain-wracking work. But, when you get it right, you've done a service to others. Article writing is hard work because thinking is hard work, and the two are inseparable. It takes courage to write. Don't be afraid to write. Writing - whether an essay, story, article, manuscript, or text - asks something of the reader:.

1 Agreement.
2 Understanding.
3 Belief.
4 Action.
5 Satisfaction.
6 Sometimes just a laugh!

Written words are the mainstay of communication in establishments, but they often fail to do their job. Individuals who have problems in getting their composed message across could possibly know the right words, but they don't use them. They can express themselves in plain-spoken language, but they think the short, simple words they use in everyday conversations are unworthy to be committed to paper. To write well, you will need to get your ideas across simply and clearly. It's quite difficult, but it's easier than you think. There are three basic requirements:.

You must want to write.

You must be willing to work hard - thinking means work.

You have to follow basic guidelines.

People write to get a message across. If you're reluctant to write, don't be. If you think you've got to string together big, fancy words and high-sounding phrases, forget it! "The first law of writing, the law to which all other laws are subordinate, is this: that the words used have to be such to convey to the reader the meaning of the writer." (Anon). How can you spice up your writing and make your message clear? Total Immersion - hard slogging - research, making notes, laying the groundwork, thinking out the plot or content, playing with your approach. Successful writing depends on good preparation. Leave what you have written for a while, then come back and rewrite, revise and put your ideas in order. Now is the time to pay attention to detail. Check facts, spelling and grammar. Become a logical and rigorous editor.

12 Tricks To IMPROVE YOUR WRITING.

1. BE NATURAL. If you can, you should write the way you converse - easily, naturally. Use words and sentence structure that you would use if you were talking to someone sitting across from you.

2. BE SIMPLE. Keep clear of expensive words. Don't use alleviate when help will do. People do not forget short words. Use short paragraphs, too. The sight of a long paragraph tires the reader before the reading begins.

3. BE CLEAR. Each sentence should contain only one idea. Short sentences carry punch!

4. BE ACCURATE. If your article contains facts, be sure that the facts really are facts.

5. DELETE DEAD WOOD. William Linsser says "Clutter is the disease of writing. We are a society strangling in unwanted words and meaningless jargon." To avoid clutter, keep each sentence clean and concise. Leave out words with no function. Delete adverbs with meanings already covered in the verb. For example: the radio blared loudly! The word loudly is not necessary. Adjectives also clutter our language. Take for instance: the wet rain fell. The word wet is needless.

6. AVOID JARGON. Jargon is shop-talk, a specialized language. Jargon is contagious and should be consciously avoided, unless you are certain that it means the same to your readers as it does to you. Take for example, a scientist using scientific jargon wrote: The biota exhibited a one hundred percent mortality response. He could have written: All the fish died.

7. USE CONCRETE WORDS (not abstract). A concrete word would mean something tangible or particular.

8. USE THE ACTIVE VOICE (not the passive). Make your writing more vigorous and direct. Insert the verb in your sentence up front so that it pulls along the rest of the words. Passive: Dick was slapped by Wendy. Active: Pauline slapped Dick. The second sentence has more power. You can almost feel the slap in the active example.

9. TALK TO PEOPLE. Make impersonal sentences personal. Write the way you talk in person-to-person sentences. Use personal sentences naturally for they allow you to vary sentence lengths and will help you talk to your readers in the active voice.

10. HAVE A PLAN! Writing, like everything else you do, should be planned. Before you start writing, think through why you are writing - your aim, and what you wish to say - your message. Put your main ideas into words and work out what order your ideas should be in - your plan. Put your plan on paper. Only in this way can you be sure that you have a plan. You should not start to write without a plan.

11. EDIT AND REVISE. Few writers can produce what they are after on the first try. Revising is an integral part of writing. After reading your final draft of an article or text, ask yourself: does this writing sound logical, are the main ideas developed adequately, are the ideas in logical order? Is the purpose of the article clear? Are there any unwanted words in the writing, does every word carry meaning? Is the ending logical and satisfying, does it wrap up the article successfully?

12. GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. No one can know everything about a subject. Occasionally you ought to rely on material written by others. When you use other people's material, give them credit. Name the source of your ideas and facts, including ideas and facts that have been paraphrased or summarized. Let your brain and pen free flow. Feel the freedom of your creativity. Jump start your creative juices and start writing. For further motivation try out our gel pens off the website Den Of Goods, ladling on inspiration and life to your writing!

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