Do you have any writing tips?

[mvd]

Here are a couple of mine:

- Always create a web to organize your ideas first. I've found I can write more completely then.

- I've found it useful for me to imagine what others might think of what I've written or done. Sometimes my own perspective will miss something that should be changed.

Here are some tips on music reviews that I got from Howard Cohen from the Miami Herald:

- Limit how many times you say "I" or "me" in a review - don't personalize

- Even though music is subjective, write your review firmly

- Don't worry about the rating too much - focus on content

[jpgray]

1. Write without any idea of what you're doing

Then go through and do "from scratch" revision after revision. Way more exciting than tedious outlines, and teaches discipline.

[mvd]

2. Interesting

I'll have to try that with my blog. Often I write a first draft before posting my blog post.

[jpgray]

7. Also, avoid fragments. (cf. my first reply above)

:P

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

3. Limit your commas.

Many writers, use the comma, way too much, if you know, what I mean.

Don't do, that. It's annoying. Structure your writing, to avoid that.

[mvd]

6. Good one

That's one I use already. Some sentences I've seen look like run-ons even if they technically are not.

[Orrex]

16. I'd add to that

Familiarize yourself with the actual rules of comma use. I've seen a ton of writers who don't overuse commas per se, but they insert them where they don't belong.

For instance:

I've seen a ton of writers, who don't overuse commas per se, but they insert them, where they don't belong.

The argument is always that they intend to mimic the intonation and pauses of real speech, but as you point out this is in fact a failure of structure.

[NashVegas]

34. How I Would Put That

I've seen a ton of writers who don't overuse commas, per se, but they insert them where they don't belong.

[Orrex]

4. Swap out at least every fifth word of what you copy with a synonym

Otherwise, some busybody will accuse you of plagiarism.

Observe:

Spinning and spinning in the increasing circle
The eagle can't make out what the eagleer is saying
Stuff breaks
The middle can't keep it together
A state of ungoverned existence is unleashed upon the planet
The ocean, red with blood, is unleashed, and all over
The whimsy of spiritual purity is washed away
The greatest have no sense of stick-to-it-iveness
And the most awful are filled with diehard severity.

See how it works? Flawless!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

5. Write in a flurry.

Go back and worry about total organization later. Just get it all down first. I'm lucky in that sentences leap fully-formed into my mind; I was surprised to hear that many people spend so much time groping about attempting to form grammatically correct sentences. I just have to come up with the ideas, which is no easy task either, now that I think about it.

[rug]

8. Scads.

[Cobalt-60]

9. Fountain pens are cool

I've never been satisfied with the line from a ballpoint.

[rug]

10. Agreed. And I only use #1 pencils.

[jpgray]

11. Pencilitist.

[rug]

15. Speaking of elites, did you know Thoreau could lounge at Walden because he owned a pencil factory?

This book is a great read:

http://hans.presto.tripod.com/isbn/0679734155.html

[jpgray]

18. I'd heard that. I could simplify if I owned more pencil factories.

[graywarrior]

12. Less is more.

[mvd]

13. Another one I use

Sometimes I worry my writing is too concise, but I think of myself being able to say what I want in less space.

[graywarrior]

14. I copy edit for a living right now. I cut out lots of "wonderful" sentences.

[SteppingRazor]

38. Except when it's not.

That is, Less is usually more, but there are occasions when -- whether for ironic value or whathaveyou -- more flowery script is called for.

[Strawman]

17. "Make a mess." Peter Elbow

Similar to what others have already said.

http://www.mediaed.org/handouts/pdfs/ELBOW.pdf

I don't always write that way, but it's at least a useful concept to help me feel okay about getting started before I know precisely how to express my thoughts.

[Poiuyt]

19. Write the way you talk

It will be more natural that way. Don't try to show off with big words or flowery phrases. Think Hemingway.

And proofread, dammit! (or is that proof read?)

[jpgray]

20. I'd have longer sentences than a Thucydides/Dostoevsky lovechild if I wrote as I talk

:P

[Poiuyt]

24. Ah, Stream of consciousness!

My mother was a professional writer who studied English Lit in college at a time when that style was popular. She used to read to us from Ulysses every night. :)

[KurtNYC]

21. When editing, look at each of your verbs

see where you can use a stronger or more specific verb.

[jpgray]

22. Except for "said." "Said" is usually best.

Too many "inquired/exclaimed/muttered/ejaculated" and things start to get ridiculous fast.

[ellisonz]

23. Use footnotes.

:o

[sammythecat]

25. Here's one from Mark Twain

I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them--then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.
- Letter to D. W. Bowser, 3/20/1880

[femmedem]

32. Yup. And cut the adverbs, too.

When you think you need adverbs, what you really need are stronger verbs.

Also, eliminate unnecessary words. "Cut the adverbs" is better than "get rid of the adverbs."

[sammythecat]

52. That particular advice about adverbs is one I'm still working on.

Eliminating unnecessary words might be the best advice of all. When I look over something I've written I try to be as ruthless as possible and take back as many words as possible. No mercy. I try to be as greedy with my words as a miser with his money.

I try anyway. I just responded to a one sentence comment someone made to me and gave him 3 paragraphs. I've become an expert at beating dead horses. Not a very useful skill. :(

[swag]

26. "All writing is garbage." - Antonin Artaud

Keep writing.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

27. My dear mvd.........

Here's a couple of ideas that work for me.....

Write your passion.

As soon as you get an idea, a thought, an emotion, write it down...

Even if you can only write down a couple of words...

And then as soon as possible, get it back out, and let it reinspire you.

These have worked very well for me.


Good luck!


:pals:

[Longhorn]

28. If you're having trouble getting started, begin with the second paragraph.

You can add the first later but often you find that the second paragraph, maybe with some tweaking, will become your first.

Also, don't fall in love with your writing. Once you cut that unnecessary sentence or passage, no matter how great you think it sounds, you won't even miss it! But in case you do, cut and paste it into another document for safekeeping.

[deadparrot]

29. I'm a thesaurus whore.

I use it all the time.

Also, I find it easier to write the body of my paper first (this weekend, it was twenty pages) before writing the introduction and conclusion. That way, I have a more complete idea of what I want to say, and if my paper goes in a different direction, it's much easier to account for that.

Read the finished work aloud. Don't worry if you sound silly--you'll catch little mistakes or awkward bits that you'd miss when re-reading it in your head.

[petronius]

30. Proofread carefelly. (nt)

[wildhorses]

31. put pen to paper--

pretty much all i have to say about that:P

[AllegroRondo]

33. Dont be afraid to write badly

Just get your ideas down on paper first. Then edit the hell out of them.

[NashVegas]

35. Revise, Revise, Revise

Don't fall in love with a turn of phrase. If it's not necessary, be brutal.

Do not use words like "natch" and "oeuvre." They scream, I AM AN INTELLECTUAL/HIP WRITER WHO USES WORDS THAT ONLY INTELLECTUAL/HIP WRITERS USE."

Also, for music-specific reviews: find a central idea and stick with it. Everything else in the review should, as much as possible, support that idea.

[SteppingRazor]

39. I actually disagree with this one, though it's so often cited by writing coaches

I actually do comparatively little rewriting, my theory being that the first instinct is usually the right one. Indeed, many times, my finished work isn't much different than the notes I took at whatever event I may be covering.

[NashVegas]

40. I Always Do

Although I haven't done any serious writing in years, my habit was to mainly revise while I was still working on a piece. (Stuck on page 2? Go edit page 1.)

Heck, I can rarely let even one of my DU posts go by without editing after it's been posted already.

[SteppingRazor]

36. I agree with 2/3 of Howard Cohen's ideas...

I certainly agree with a firm review and a focus on content, but I use first person throughout. Most of my own music columns are about the personal experience of the show, rather than a vague, broader opinion of just the performers.


For example, here's my latest: http://www.southflorida.com/citylink/sfe-cl-031407musicdan,0,131077.story?coll=sfe-cl-three-promo


I just don't think you get the same reaction or quantify the same experience unless you write about what happened to you personally. Certainly, one should look for common ties to readers, but I think the lack of first person is just a vestige of journalism school's insistence on objectivity.

[mvd]

51. What happened is..

that I originally e-mailed about a review of his that I saw, and we started getting into deeper music discussion. I showed him a couple of the reviews I wrote at amazon.com, therefore the advice. A lot of people write in the first person at amazon, but he told me when writing a professional review, you don't want to do that so much. You're right that it's probably a holdover from journalism school. I'll try it both ways. :hi:

[RedStateShame]

37. More than likely, don't write

There are enough bad writers in the world, and Oprah Winfrey can only get hoodwinked by a handful of them. Not to say you're a bad writer, but play the odds.

[Wetzelbill]

41. learn all the rules

then break them.

Read. Anything and everything.

[SteppingRazor]

43. That second one's a really good one -- if you want to write well, read A LOT n/t

[reyd reid reed]

42. Don't think you don't need an editor

EVERYONE needs an editor.

When you're stuck, just write. Anything that comes into your head. Take a blank page and twenty minutes and don't let your fingers stop moving.

[Arugula Latte]

44. Vary your sentence length.

Go back, look at your verbs, and see if there is a more precise or more vibrant word to choose.

Also go back and pickout passive voice construction and kill it.

[raccoon]

45. Microsoft Word isn't always right with its suggestions.

Make sure you use the right word. Look it up in the dictionary if you aren't sure.

It's amazing how often you see the wrong word these days in books and magazines. I mean a word that is similar to the right word.

[Tsiyu]

46. Start by reading good writing

Continue to study the craft of writing; peruse the stylebooks and your old college Comp book.

Show, don't tell.

Read and ignore every last bit of advice on this thread and write.... :silly:

[skygazer]

47. Let others read your stuff

It's hard to remain objective about your work, especially if you've gone through several rewrites and have a lot of sweat invested in it. Let your friends read it with the eye of the general reader and encourage honest criticism. Often, a new reader will spot things that have become invisible to you.

[blueraven95]

48. show don't tell

it is almost always more compelling.

for example:

"His cheeks flushed slightly when he realized he had been caught in a lie."

instead of

"He was embarrased."

It's more interesting.

Letting readers to infer emotions and anticipate actions allows them to become an active participant in the story.

I've also been told to make your first line an attention grabber - often times a publisher will only read it (or just the first page) and you want to capture his or her interest enough that they want to continue reading.

[mvd]

49. Thanks, all

A lot of good ideas here that I'll try. I do try to vary my words using a thesaurus - I'm picky about repetition.

[datasuspect]

50. just write