Punctuation and grammar

You don't need to be a purist or classically trained in punctuation or grammar. In fact - sometimes purposefully sitting outside the norm can be a really enthralling thing for your reader (see e e cummings as a classic example of this).

I am not that great at either myself.

Spend some time reading about punctuation.

Try to make some improvements to your grammar just for the fun of it.

And ...

Read one of those "Write the right word at the right time" kind of articles or books. Any little speck of information you pick up will strengthen your writing.

It's a little like the old "learn a new word a day" trick. Writing well is about grammar and punctuation - try reading a piece which does neither well - you will agree!


(c) Pamela Weatherill 2008

Self Publishing Writers

If you have chosen the 'path less traveled' and are self-publishing - there are both advantages and disadvantages to this approach.

Here is a publication from the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) 'Hints for Self Published Authors' that is invaluable. Full of hints AND contact lists where you need them ...

While you are visiting the site - consider joining the ASA.

(c) Pamela Weatherill 2008

Maximising your Daily Experience

How can you maximise your daily experiences as a writer?

Well first you need to have adventures - whether these are internal or external. Go inside yourself and consider things you have never been brave enough to consider before. Alternatively - go some where new today, or somewhere you have been before but look at everything as if you have never seen it before. If you can afford to travel away from your home town, then do - removing yourself from your comfort zone assists you to really see what is around you.

At the least though, look for things happening around you. What is just slightly strange? What stands out? Jot down at least ten things per day that you could write about.

Your 'could write about one day' list can then become a speech, part of a novel, an article, a workshop or a poem. Even if you don't write about them today ... you will end up with a notebook of ideas, rich and from your own experience.

Be in a space where ideas flow to you.


(c) Pamela Weatherill 2008

Be Concise When Writing

Today's entry come from guest blogger Jennifer Stewart of write101. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!

Jennifer Stewart and Write101 have been part of the Web's writing community since 1998 and continue to offer detailed insights into the workings of the English language presented with just a touch of humour. Voted one of the 101 best websites for writers, Write101 has more than 800 pages of articles about all aspects of writing as well as a free online writing course, vocab quizzes, essay-writing tips for students and more. Whether you write for profit or pleasure, whether you're studying, working or retired ... there's something for every writer!

Time seems to diminish in direct proportion to the number of tasks that need doing,
so you need to make every word count when writing -- for your sake as well as your
reader's.

Here are some simple ways to ensure your writing is concise:

TIP 1
Sentences should be short; 25 words is the maximum, around 18 is better. Don't use qualifiers in your sentences unless absolutely necessary (qualifiers add nothing to the essential meaning of a sentence, absolutely is an example of a qualifier).

Paragraphs should also be short -- 3 - 5 lines maximum. Nothing is more daunting
than line after line of text.

Remember the rules of good writing you learned at school:

a.. Vary the length of sentences
b.. Vary the beginnings of sentences

TIP 2
Start each sentence with a different part of speech to ensure that your sentences have a different structure as well as different beginnings. Check these examples for ideas:

Adjective: Strange as it seemed ....

Adverb: Presently the crowd parted to reveal ....

Noun: Producers waited for the results of the ....

Verb: Flushed with success she ....

Preposition: Beneath the surface of the ....

TIP 3
Use Topic Sentences to begin each paragraph. The topic sentence contains the main idea of each paragraph.

TIP 4
Vary the length and structure of paragraphs. You can develop the topic sentence of a paragraph by any of these methods:

a.. giving examples
b.. listing features
c.. classifying features
d.. comparing or contrasting features
e.. defining terms

TIP 5
Link each paragraph to the ones before and after it to give your writing continuity; an easy way to do this is to repeat key words or terms at the beginning and end of paragraphs (not Meta Tag keywords, just the key ideas you've treated in that particular paragraph).

Follow these simple tips to help make your writing easier to read as well as write!