Friday, March 27, 2015

Room for Improvement...

There is always room for improvement. So, here are some tips for writing better and writing more colorful and full pieces.



Number One: Write With Wild Abandon and Re-Write Ruthlessly.

Remember, it is okay for your first draft to be awful and full of spelling/grammar issues. That is what re-writing and editing are for. And when you do re-write, be ruthless, cut everything unnecessary out.

Number Two: Use Short Words

Obviously you can't control the length of the words you need, but there is no need to use words of great length to seem smart.

Number Three: Use Short-ish Sentences.

Long sentences are confusing to your reader, but short sentences can make the piece seem choppy and staccato. Also, make sure your sentence is complete, fragments suck.

Number Four: Use Paragraphs of Appropriate Size.

Long paragraphs are hard to read and make the eyes of the reader wonder. Three sentence paragraphs are annoying and choppy.

Number Five: Use Active Language.

Active is awesome, passive is boring. Passive language is almost like stating the obvious and plain words. When you use active language, you invite the reader to bring the words to life.

Number Six: Know Your Objective.

Know what you are writing for and why you are writing. If you don't know then your piece will suffer and read like it has A.D.D.

Number Seven: Know  Your Reader.

Know who you are writing for. If you're writing for children, you wouldn't have a story full of violence and sex. When you know who your audience is going to be then it makes writing so much easier and it will make it better.


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