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How To Improve Your Writing In 7 Steps by Dennis Murphy
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How To Improve Your Writing In 7 Steps |
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Education
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I do a lot of my work at a couple of local coffee shops and internet delis. They make great second offices - as long as I keep buying coffee and sandwiches, they won't charge me rent! One of the baristas at the coffee shop saw me writing and said she was a terrible writer. I gave her some enthusiastic "attaboys". Then a few minutes later she came back with a specific question: How to I add to what I'm writing without watering down my message or filling it with "fluff"? I put my work aside and explained a technique I've used and have been teaching for years called "surrounding", plus I also reiterated the basic 5Ws. Whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction, these techniques will help you bring color and life to your writing without degrading your message. Here are the steps I try to follow whenever I write: 1. Remember the 5 Ws of good writing - Who, What, When, Where, Why. Answer these questions and you will keep your writing on topic. 2. Add the How - Tell the reader how the main character got to where she is, or how the event happened in the first place. Give explanations - don't leave your reader guessing. 3. Top it off with the Wow - In other words "the hook". Make sure you give your reader a reason to keep reading! Amaze them with a fact they couldn't get anywhere else. Show them a side of a character or a plot twist they've never read before. 4. Surround your words with color - Try this exercise: Print out one of your paragraphs double spaced. Circle each noun (person, place or thing) and underline each adjective (descriptive word). Brainstorm without stopping to judge your thoughts. How many more adjectives can you come up with to describe the nouns? Which ones bring an image to mind and create more interest? 5. Use a thesaurus, but with care - The surrounding technique will bring color to your work, but you don't want to overwhelm your readers with a psychedelic verbal cacophony! (Wow, even those last three words really brought a strong image to mind!) Be selective with your use of descriptives. Remember, "less is more" can be a wise mantra. 6. The power of 3 - Think of powerful ads you've seen and speeches you've heard. You will notice they talk in 3s much of the time, especially when they want to make a strong point. For example, "the Few, the Proud, he Marines", "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us", or "3 blind mice". I just gave you 3 examples of the power of 3... can you think of more? 7. Don't edit your own work - You love your work, admit it. You know you're a fabulous writer. You need to find someone who knows you well enough to be honest with you about your work. Depending on what you're writing, you may or may not want this person to be well-versed in your subject matter. In fact, if you are writing a "how-to", the best editor would be someone who knows nothing about the subject. If you can successfully teach your editor through your writing, then you have succeeded in writing well. Just remember that writing is a process. In fact, after talking with some of the world's best-known writers, I have learned that the minute one of their books is published; they find parts they want to change. It's one of the most common reasons for manuscripts to sit on shelves, unpublished and unread. The best writers know you have to Write, Write, Write! So, what are you waiting for? dissertation service
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