Providing more power to your pen:

Composing the ‘write’ stuff!

Gaston De ROSAYRO

If you want to develop better writing habits you will have to do more than just write. There are lots of things you can do to improve your writing. You can work on your grammar skills, and you can collect writing resources and useful writing tips and ideas. Put all these things in your writer’s toolbox and you will be in good shape. But it will all be for nothing if you don’t ever take the time to read.

Reading is the single most important activity that leads to better writing. In fact, it is just as crucial as actually writing. So let’s talk about why it’s essential for writers to read as much as possible. English is the foremost spoken and written language in the whole world. That is why it is absolutely crucial for you to know how to develop good writing skills in the good old Anglo-Saxon lingo. Better writing usually comes from doing - that is, through practice.

But reading other people’s writing also plays an important role in improving your own writing skills. For example, reading helps you develop your vocabulary and improve your spelling, which in turn helps your reading, which in turn continues to improve vocabulary and spelling.

The cycle goes on. Reading also gives you writing styles to emulate. You can improve your writing by not only doing, but also seeing how others do it.

People respect high quality writing. If you deliver your work in a strong and error-free package, people take you seriously. That is because your message must come through clearly. Remember your words reach people’s hearts and minds. Your writing must hold the attention of the reader. Above all it should be enlightening, educational and entertaining - and if possible inspiring.

Part of the ways on how to develop good writing skills is in feedback. How else would you know how good or bad your work is unless you show it to others? A lot of people fear this stage because they do not really want to hear criticism of your work.

However, that is part and parcel of the whole process. It is like the story of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes.’ Do you really want to live the rest of your life wearing no clothes just because you cannot handle a little honesty? You do not have to answer this impertinent question unless you are an exhibitionist or a naturist. It is natural to be a little apprehensive about showing your...ahem, your workings...to others, which is why I suggest you only show it to those people who you really trust. They will give you the honest feedback you need without mocking you for your efforts.

Even successful writers and authors need to keep learning how to develop good writing skills. You simply cannot remain stagnant just because you are too lazy to read or write or too afraid to hear what other people think. Don’t let anyone or any type of criticism get you down. Think positively that you have a lot more potential than you realise.

A good writer needs to have a good vocabulary one that is both broad and deep. That is because a good vocabulary is essential to clarity, power and precision. If you have a large stock of words at your disposal, you can choose the most effective word. The larger your vocabulary the easier your words will flow.

Improving your vocabulary can come from incidental learning from context, direct learning, or a combination of these. The best incidental learning comes from reading good books and associating with people who have a good spoken and written vocabulary. Direct techniques include looking in a dictionary for unfamiliar words. Another direct technique is to record definitions of new words in a notebook, which you review whenever you get spare time. You should try to learn at least one new word a day.

Learning to spell is integral to good writing, because correct spelling ultimately helps you communicate your message to others. Since language is shared, then your spelling must follow the accepted standard pattern. And, crucially for persuasive writing, correct spelling gives writing credibility. Nothing is more annoying to a copy editor, sub-editor or editor than a consistently bad speller. So does good grammar. They all go to support vibrant writing.

But they do not always create effervescent writing. There are a great many correctly written lifeless sentences. The best writing comes to life, and then is refined just enough to make it crystal clear. Good grammar prevents ambiguity. By contrast, bad grammar confuses your reader, slows their reading, and shows your ignorance, which can lose you respect, influence, and credibility.

Yet sometimes rules of grammar get in the way of good writing. If this is the case they can and should be broken, otherwise your writing will become pedantic and even mechanical. One such rule is that a sentence should not begin with a conjunction. Both words ‘and’ and ‘but’ can certainly be used to begin a sentence, or even a paragraph, but not to end one. Using either of these conjunctions to start a sentence can be a natural transition to carry the reader forward.

Short words and sentences are usually best. They have more punch. They hit the gut hard. Writing better English means writing clear English, correct English, and persuasive English. Make sure you at least know the parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs and adjectives. Find fun ways to learn the parts of speech. Know the difference between the active voice and passive voice. Using the active voice is one of the best ways to give power to your writing.

Also, learn the basics of punctuation. Words have meanings. Respect those meanings. Get radical and look them up in the dictionary, find out where and how effectively they have been used. Then use them where you think appropriate. Don’t flaunt authority by flouting your ignorance.

Professional writers always edit their own work and revise it before submitting it to an editor who attempts to improve on it or give it a special polish. Be ruthless with your own writing. Chop out every unnecessary word. How would you know what can be slashed? Read what you have written leaving out parts you question. If the piece still makes sense, leave out the excess. Compressed writing packs a punch.

Effective writing does not mean being able to string a couple of sentences together. It must include a clever turn of phrase instead of hackneyed cliches to give it life. Cliches are, in the newspaper classic instruction, to be avoided like the plague. There are exceptions, of course, such as when you hit on the right cliche. You would be surprised how useful a cliche can be, used judiciously.

This is because the thing about writing and particularly journalism is that you do not have to be ever so clever but you do have to be ever so quick. And for heaven’s sake, desist from preaching to the reader.

If it is a sermon your reader wants, there are temples and churches to oblige!