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Simplify
Strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Examine every word to see if it needs to be there, and simplify or remove it. Use the simplest word possible. Even replacing words like “assistance” with “help” and “sufficient” with “enough”
Style
Try to personalize the narrative. Use first person pronouns if possible. Even if it is not first person, personify if possible.
Avoid tentative statements with qualifiers. Speak firmly.
The Audience
Write primarily for yourself. The audience is too varied - don’t worry about them (for now).
Use words/phrases that are natural to you.
Words
Avoid using adjectives as nouns. (“the greats”, “notables”).
Avoid using nouns as verbs (“to host”).
Avoid nouns chopped off to be used as verbs (“enthuse”, “emote”).
Avoid padded nouns to form verbs (“beef up”, “put teeth into”).
When stringing words together, consider how they sound. People read with both their eyes and their ears.
Try rearranging any phrase that has survived a century or two. Compare it with the original. If the original is better, ponder why.
Read aloud if need be. Try reversing the order of your sentence, or varying their lengths. You don’t want monotony, but do this judiciously. Also try substituting words with synonyms if there is too much monotony.
Usage
How do you know what is good usage and what isn’t? Languages evolve. Who gets to be the gatekeepers?
He does not have a compelling answer on how to handle this dilemma. He recommends distinguishing between usage and jargon. Also, beware of new phrases/words. Would the older way of saying the same thing be more pleasing to read or hear?
Also consider whether this new usage will last!
Example: Disposition
Unity
The only way to learn to write is to write a certain number of words per day/period.
Unity is the anchor of good writing. Examples:
- Unity of pronoun (stick to first/second/third person - don’t keep switching)
- Unity of tense
- Unity of tone/mood (formal? playful?)
- Unity of role (e.g. switching between a memoir and writing an encyclopedic entry)
Ask yourself:
- In what role am I going to address the reader? (E.g. reporter? Average Joe? Teacher?)
- What pronoun and tense will I use?
- What style? (Impersonal? Personal but informal? Personal and informal?)
- What attitude? (Involved? Detached? Ironic? Judgmental? Amused?)
- How much of the material do I want to cover?
- What point do I want to make?
Don’t try to be the “definitive response” (i.e. comprehensive or “the last word”). Limit the scope! Think small. What corner will you cover? Then cover it and be done!
Every nonfiction piece should leave the reader with one provocative thought that they didn’t have before. Not more! Decide on that point before you write! Once you know that target, it makes answering the earlier questions much easier.
Once you’ve decided these, don’t dogmatically stick to it. If, midway, it seems to lead you elsewhere, go with it! Then come back and revise as needed.
The Lead and the Ending
The most important sentence is the first. It needs to encourage the reader to continue reading. And likewise with the second sentence. Continue with this till he is hooked. This text is called the “lead”.
There is no prescribed length for the lead. But do consider the audience and tailor to them.
Every paragraph should amplify the prior one. Focus more on details and less on entertainment.
The last sentence of each paragraph is important! Put a twist in it. Or humor. Something that convinces him to continue.
If you are doing research, collect more facts/data than you need. Mine it for something that could be a good lead. Of course: Don’t spend all your time on research. You need to start writing at some point.
Always try to convey your information in narrative form.
Give about the same amount of thought on the last sentence as the first. It should take your readers by surprise and yet seem just right.
If you have made the point you wanted to make, you need to stop. Look for an exit.
A good quotation is one way to end.
Bits and Pieces
Prefer active verbs over passive ones.
Prefer shorter words over longer ones.
Verbs are your most important words. Pick them well. Choose precise verbs. Pick powerful ones - not dull ones.
Scrutinize all your adverbs and remove them if they are unnecessary. Often, the verb being described conveys well enough what your adverb is saying. Apply the same rule to adjectives (“precipitous cliff”).
Eliminate as many qualifiers as possible. They make the text timid.
Avoid exclamation marks. Reorder the words in your sentence to provide the emphasis. Avoid it for humor. Understatement is better than overstatement.
If your next sentence will change the mood, begin it with “but” or something similar. “However” is OK but is a lot weaker than “but”. Avoid beginning or ending a sentence with it. “Yet” is in between and acceptable. Other good words:
- nevertheless
- still
- instead
- thus
- therefore
- meanwhile
- now
- later
- today
- subsequently
These can often replace a larger clause and shorten the sentence.
Use contractions if they sound good or you want it personal.
“That” vs “which”. Prefer “that”. If “that” is a little ambiguous and you find yourself writing more to clear the ambiguity, chances are you should use “which”. If it is following a comma, “which” is likely more appropriate.
Concept noun examples: “The common reaction is incredulous laughter”. Contrast with “Most will laugh with disbelief” They often replace a verb.
Creeping nounism: “Going broke” vs “having money problem areas”. The symptom is combining multiple nouns where one noun/verb will do.
Don’t overstate. You didn’t want to kill yourself because you missed the season finale.
Do not exaggerate - your credibility will be gone.
If a sentence is giving you too much trouble, remember that eliminating it is always an option! Consider it if you’ve spent too much effort trying to fix it without success.
Shorter paragraphs are better - but you can overdo it.
Don’t overexplain. Trust your readers to be intelligent.
Writing About People: The Interview
When quoting someone, start with the quote, then insert “Mr Jones said” in the middle. Not the beginning or the end.
“Said” is OK. Don’t spice it up! Avoid adverbs like “He said, smiling”.
Writing About Places: The Travel Article
It is tempting to write about everything you liked. But you are writing for the reader. Write what is interesting or new to them.
Avoid travelese (e.g. “villages nestled in the hills”, “wondrous waterfalls”, etc).
If a phrase comes to you easily, be suspicious of it! It likely is a cliche or travelese.
Don’t say the shore was scattered with rocks. Which shore isn’t?
Writing About Yourself: The Memoir
Write for yourself, not for others. But you risk writing too much. So make sure everything you write serves some larger purpose.
Memoir vs autobiography: The latter is comprehensive. The former is about some corner of your life. It is a window to your life. Let that direct the style.
The Sound Of Your Voice
Find your voice and stick to it from piece to piece.
It takes a lot of effort to sound very informal, while still being easy to read. If you are taking this route, read it aloud and fix/amend.
Cliches are the death of taste. Most writers have them in their first draft, but they remove them later.
If a writer has a voice that you want to write like, feel free to imitate!
The Tyranny of the Final Product
Don’t start with a goal of getting into The New Yorker or something similar.
Before writing, think about:
- What you want to write about
- Why you want to write about it
- How you want to write it
Any time you can tell a story in the form of a quest or pilgrimage, you are ahead of the game.
“Writing for yourself is a powerful search mechanism: there’s no better way to find out who you are and what you know and what you think.
A Writer’s Decisions
At the low level, learn how to write pleasing sentences. At the high level, learn how to organize the article. Stringing together pleasing sentences alone will not lead to a good article!
Each sentence should be about one thing. Break up long sentences.
Making yourself stupid or gullible gives the reader a great feeling of superiority. Do it, but only in moderation.