Spring - The Season of Creation

Spring is here!  Ok.  Technically, it actually isn't until the 20th, but it's beginning to feel like it anyway.  When I first stepped outside yesterday, I was delighted by our first real taste of spring.  The thermometer bragged of temperatures in the 60's, and although we've had a mild winter, it was a treat none-the-less.  In eager anticipation, I walked the premises of our property in search of snow drops, crocuses and tips of tulip leaves barely breaking the soil.  By the time I completed my rounds, I caught the fever - spring fever that is.     

I love spring.  It's definitely one of my favorite seasons.  Confession:  I've never really been able to narrow it down to one, but I can say with certainty that winter is at the bottom of the list, despite the fact that even it has it's own special qualities.  But what I love about spring is that it's the season of creation.  Birth.  New life is everywhere and it's so exciting.  I can only imagine how God must have felt as He created it all in the beginning!

But for me, the best thing about spring is the way it makes me feel.  Like many people, I find myself inspired by all things new.  Sometimes it comes in the form of cleaning my house from top to bottom, but at other times, it plants a seed within my soul.  I want to soak in all the beauty around me, but I also want to be an active part of it.  I want to create.  So I set aside my inhibitions and do what I love to do: I write. 

That's why I'm here today.  I'm partnering with mother nature and letting that seed of inspiration sprout into a blog post - my first in nine months!  Say what? Yep.  It's true, but even though I haven't been diligent here, doesn't mean I haven't been working on other things.  Last spring, I actually outlined my first book, but then did nothing with it all summer long.  In fact, I did nothing with it until my dear friend and writing partner, Betsy Henning, approached me about wanting to participate in Nanowrimo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.

For those of you who don't know, Nanowrimo is simply a project coordinated by the Office of Letters and Light, a non-profit organization with the goal of helping people (young and old) attain their writing goals.  Specifically here, the goal is to write a 50,000 word book in the month of November.  According to their website, "it is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.  I'll say!

"Let's do it!" Betsy challenged.  She spoke of it throughout the entire month of October, even going so far as to sign up for an online Nanowrimo preparation class.  She meant business.  She really wanted to do this thing. 

"Yeah.  Sure.  I'll do it," I said, unenthusiastically.  But when I went back to the outline I worked out the previous spring something moved me.  I don't know if it was belief in my story, the fact that I knew I had something to say and needed say it, or if it was that I just needed to know if I could write a book from beginning to end.

Whatever the reason or reasons, I committed wholeheartedly.  Betsy and I worked diligently all month and completed our first manuscripts slightly ahead of the allotted time.  It was a victory for us both.  We completed the writer's equivalent to the marathon.  Of course, I know mine needs a lot of work.  It accurately fits Anne Lamott's definition of a "shitty first draft," but I am comforted by the fact that according to her all good writers write them.  And hey, I did it!   I outlined and wrote a book and now I need to move on to the next step - revising and editing.  I know I will spend many hours at it, but eventually, I hope to end up with a good second draft and maybe even a terrific third draft (that's what she says happens if you keep at it!).  


So here I am, sprouting my little seed of inspiration once again and hoping that with hard work and diligence, great things will begin happening elsewhere in my writing life as well.    
        

Three Tips to Avoid Repetition in Your Writing

It's true that we all have different styles of writing and editing. I have never been able to sit down and write something start to finish. Whether that's good or not, I do not know, but it's what works for me. I write the first paragraph, stop, reread, edit, then go back to writing.

Last week I spent many hours working on my short story for the 76th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition, and as I edited, I was reminded of the importance of avoiding repetition in writing. Of course, there are always cases where it is used in order to help your writing flow and make sense, or to emphasize a point. In those cases it's important to come up with new and unique ways of saying what you want to say. That's part of the creative element of writing.

Avoiding repetition is important primarily for the fluidity of your piece. When you continually repeat, your writing becomes choppy and hard to follow. But most importantly, nobody is going to want to read what you've written. Who really has time to read the same thing over and over? And who really wants to? If you can get creative with your words and phrases, your article will be more interesting for your reader.

Three tips to avoid repetition:

(1) Did you ever read a story or article where the main character's name is used way too much? It breaks down the readability of your piece. When you are using a person's name, try replacing it with pronouns whenever possible. Obviously, you must introduce the character you are talking about, and there are still times it is necessary to use the actual name, but when appropriate use him, her, or he, she etc.

(2) Reread your article out loud, or listen to someone read it to you. Hearing as opposed to reading it inside your head, is helpful for catching those words and phrases that are repetitive. I can't tell you how many times I have read something I wrote to a friend and caught words that repeat.

(3) Your thesaurus is your friend. Don't be afraid or ashamed to pull it out of your bookshelf, or from your Microsoft Word program. Sometimes you may even find a more appropriate word than you were originally going to use. Plus this blessed little book also has the added bonus of widening your vocabulary.

Repetition is a part of writing. We all do it. It's something that we don't think about a whole lot because we are paying attention to proper grammar and sentence structure. But it's there in your rough drafts, and that is where it needs to end! So be on the lookout.

Until next time take care!

Keep it Simple

"Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon."
~ On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Nothing in this world is quite as difficult as trying to read something that is not readable! Perhaps we don’t know there is junk in our writing. Or maybe we have a feeling, but for some reason are attached and cannot let go. We think we need it—our article cannot do without it. Maybe you think, “I can’t get rid of that comment. It’s a reflection of who I am.” The truth is, if it’s loaded with too much, your style and intent is lost on your reader anyway—likely because he quits reading.

If you aren’t sure whether your writing is filled with unnecessary junk, there is hope for you yet! Think of writing as a bit like baking. Baking is very precise. If you add too much or too little of an ingredient your cookies turn out a flop. Writing is much the same. If you add words that are too complicated or repetitive you create a piece that is hardly readable. If you don't add enough then your article has no substance.

According to William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well, “…the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest component.” When you read what you've written ask yourself whether that word is necessary to get your point across.

Avoid overusing words or phrases. If they are not essential to your point, eliminate them. If you feel they are necessary, but you've already used them too much then come up with a unique and interesting way to say what you want. A couple words I struggle with are “just” and “very.” Most of the time they are not needed, but they somehow manage to slip their way into my writing.

Another thing to remember is to keep your text simple by paying attention to word meaning. I've discussed this a little bit in a past blog, but using the wrong word is confusing to your reader and adds unnecessary complications to your writing. If you are even slightly confused about meaning, look it up.

Finally, it is important to consider the actual length of what you are writing. In this fast world we live in, people often don't have the time to spend more than a few minutes reading. So give them what they want in smaller doses. This is ideal in a blog situation where someone may enjoy what you write, but might not be able to read more than a few minutes at a time.

Writing is a skill--a craft. It is learned with time and experience and really education. Reading on writing is great. A couple books I recommend are William Zinsser's On Writing Well, and Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. Those books and practice will help you develop a discerning eye--and take you to the next level of your writing career.

See ya next time!

Be a Better Writer: Avoid These Common Mistakes!

In my last blog I discussed the difference between proofreading and editing—both very important elements of writing. Understanding the difference is great, but what can you look for that goes beyond the basics of punctuation?

Incorrect word usage is something that often grabs my attention when I am reading an article. When words are used improperly, the writer automatically loses credibility. You must be vigilant about choosing the correct words and using them in the correct context.

As a writer, you must thoughtfully choose the words you use—whether it’s for a short story, poetry, or writing a cover letter. The following examples are some of the most commonly made mistakes that I see, but should be avoided at all costs.

(1) Anxious vs. eager - I see this mistake all the time. Anyone who has ever had anxiety knows that there is an extreme difference between being anxious and eager. If you are looking forward to meeting your favorite author, you would not say, "I am anxious to meet Stephen King." Instead you would be eager to meet him--unless you are afraid he might act out a gruesome scene from one of his books. Then you might be anxious.

(2) Center on vs. revolve around – Often writers will combine the two and instead write “center around.” Well, you can’t be in the center and around at the same time. I might say that I want you to center your attention on my blog right now.

(3) Concerted effort - one person cannot make a concert but he can make a concentrated effort.

(4) Accept vs. except – accept means to take, and except means to leave out. Try to remember that the “x” in except means to exclude. Please accept my advice on word usage--except when I make mistakes!

(5) Criterion vs. criteria - Some words with Latin or Greek roots have plural forms that end in “a.” These words are commonly mistaken for singular words. Remember you have one criterion and many criteria.

(6) A lot vs. alot – ok, so this one is very basic and not really about meaning, but I see it misused so often, I think it’s worth mentioning. Remember that “a lot” is always two words—not one. But you can allot a job to a friend.

I hope these suggestions will help you when working on your writing project—whatever it may be. Choose your words carefully, and remember it’s the simple things that add up to make you an expert in the writing world.

Proofreading Vs. Substantive Editing

Perhaps something that not everyone knows is that editing has more than one facet. Although not exactly a diamond in itself, good editing may take your story from a diamond in the rough to a priceless piece of literature.

Editing at its most basic level is known as proofreading. It is looking over a document for simple grammatical errors. Spelling, punctuation, word order or word agreement (too instead of to) are all things a proofreader looks at. It's often done after a more intensive edit and is usually the final check before submittal.

Substantive editing (also known as developmental editing and comprehensive editing) is a much more thorough overhaul. Changes may be made for improvement of clarity, organization, and overall structure. The intended purpose of the article is always on the forefront of the editor's mind, and the readers are a huge consideration. The editor will decide whether the language is relevant and appropriate, and if the article will make sense to them. It may require a partial or total rewrite of an article. A substantive edit will often cost more because there is usually much more work involved.

Proofreading and substantive editing are both important for their own reasons. Proofreading is important for the simple reason that it's the little mistakes we make that ruin our credibility as writers. It's those very mistakes that say if a writer doesn't care enough about his piece to fix the small stuff, then why should anyone else? The unfortunate result is that the best story you ever wrote ends up in the circular file.

Substantive editing is equally important because if an article does not read well, you will lose the reader's interest. If you lose the reader's interest, then once again, credibility is lost.

So if you want to make a career of writing, or if you want to write something that people will keep on reading, then do yourself a favor and take the extra time to turn your article into a sparkling diamond.