I recently ran across an article at problogger.net—Six Very Official Ways to Improve Your Writing.
While the article aims at helping the blogger improve her/his craft, the suggestions hearken to what we know delivers exciting and engaging language.
More importantly, Darren Rowse, encourages us to shift our attitude and approach towards blogging in a way that fiction writers can also benefit from:
1. Stop Trying to Sound Intelligent
Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time to write. It also requires time to decide what you’re going to. Hence, it’s best to keep it simply.
Yet not so easy. Remember less is more. And when in Rome do as the Romans.
2. Give yourself permission to write garbage
I really like this one. It reminds me of those writing exercises promoted by the Amherst Writing Workshops. Just let your hand move. Don’t edit. Don’t judge.
You’ll edit later. I’ve found with this attitude you can turn out some pretty nice stuff. It’s amazing what a little less drive towards perfection can allow.
3. Be a Ruthless Editor
Once you’ve gotten your words down–hopefully succinct and to the point. Remember less is more. Then make it even less–lesser. This is where good judgment comes in handy. Get rid of all those -ly- words, the ‘that‘s, the whereas‘s, ‘if’s, ‘but’s and ‘if only‘s. Remember its not legalese it’s people-ease as in user-friendly.”
4. Use MIGHTY verbs
Now for the power words. Passivity doesn’t cut the mustard. A blog aims to awaken the reader to the information on the page, like the reader of a novel or short story to theworld of the characters. As, is, was , were, be, being and been must take a second and third seat to the words like commit, stand, declare, raise, open, engage, motivate,
and decide.
5. Read aloud before posting.
Hearing the words you’ve written and read in your own voice develops voice. It awakens you, the writer to you style of writing. You hear when your words fall away from that established cadence and rhythm so apparent in awkward phrasing. Reading your words also makes plain t he mistakes that when read silently are not so evident to the eye.
6. Do what works for you
Last, but not least, just as every writer has her/his style they also have developed their own process for crafting words into a form–essay, fiction, poetry, etc. The good writer, over time develops an eye for identifying not simply their style, but how she/he comes to it–the highs, the lows, the middles and ends. We write. We mull. We lose our way. And then through editing we find the path the words have laid, somewhere near, but most often not the same as where we started. We embark upon a journey each time we write. The challenge is to adhere to the basic rules and stay the course. The beauty is to discover along the way what we had never realized. The gift is the transformation our words deliver first upon us and then to others.