Even professional writers – from Margaret Atwood to Kurt Vonnegut – benefit from the expert guidance of an editor. The same holds true for anyone who puts pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – and represents either himself or his organization to the world.
But what if you don’t have an editor handy? Or the budget to subject every memo and email to scrutiny?
Try these three tips, and see how your writing improves:
Back in the day, Ms. Nancy Duty taught me—and the rest of Bruceville-Eddy High school—to use two spaces at the end of every sentence and after colons. Most of us were learning to type on IBM Selectrics, although a few were using the newfangled electronic typewriters. (The previous year, my eighth-grade class had started to learn typing on Macs, but the school still had a limited number of computers.)
(more…)
Last week, I received an email from a blog I subscribe to, one I’ve always regarded as highly professional. That opinion dipped somewhat when I saw the headline misusing the word “it’s.”
“5 Things [FORTUNE 50 COMPANY] is Doing to Improve It’s Image (That You Can Do, Too!)”
These master marketers had mistakenly used the contraction form of “it is” instead of the possessive form, which doesn’t take the apostrophe.
The rest of the article used the possessive pronoun correctly, but the headline still gave me that moment’s pause.
We’ll write more about the “its” vs. “it’s” debate later, likely many times over the course of this blog. The big lesson here is the need for proofreading. Even the most diligent among us can overlook a glaring error – especially when we’ve already reviewed the material a half dozen times or so. When you’re writing for public consumption, those glaring gaffes can cost you credibility.
Before you hit “send” or sign off on that brochure, have fresh eyes proofread for you. After a point, we become virtually useless when it comes to reviewing our own work – or a project with which we’ve been closely involved. We all know someone whose superior command of English grammar slips toward annoying. Take advantage of that person’s persnickety tendencies.
If it’s up to you and you alone, try this:
Step away from the words. Head to Starbucks. Go to lunch. Do something completely different and clear your head before you give a document the final once-over. Like driving, proofreading doesn’t mix well with distraction.
Print the document. We read differently on screen than on paper. It’s easier to catch mistakes on a hard copy.
Read the words out loud. This approach forces you to look at each word – no skimming. You might also find some rough patches that need help.
Check the details. Make a list of critical items like name spellings, addresses, telephone numbers, etc., and check it against the final document. (Someone close to me recently worked very hard on his company’s new business cards – only to discover the city name was misspelled in the final product.)
Sure, everyone makes mistakes. But in a business setting, those errors have the potential to flub your company’s first impression on a prospective client, employee or strategic partner. Do you really want to take that chance?
As I write this, it’s January 12 – or January 13, depending on your geography. (Since I’m presently flying over Alaska toward Japan, I feel caught between dates.) Regardless, we’re darn close to the start of the New Year. New resolutions, new beginnings.
For Mom and me, it’s the start of our latest adventure: three weeks in Taiwan with family.
For me and my business (and my writing life), today also marks the start of this new blog.
Beginnings always create unrealistic expectations of greatness. We feel the need to show our brilliance. This nasty pressure especially plagues writers, who so often give up on their craft because they’re disappointed with early attempts.
It’s okay to suck.
In Bird by Bird, one of the best books on writing I’ve ever read, Anne Lamott says it’s okay to write “really [crappy] first drafts.”
This isn’t just sound advice; it’s almost a universal mandate. Papa Hemingway himself said, “The first draft of anything is [doodoo].”
You have to write the garbage to get the gold.
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing the Great American Novel, a sales letter, or an e-book. With very rare exception, our first attempts fall way short of brilliance.
Sure, these initial scribblings may get the job done. Writing a memo to your boss? Just the facts will probably suffice.
But if you really want your writing to stand out, you must embrace the art of the rewrite.
Ninth time’s the charm?
Almost one year ago, the very talented Liz Martinez invited me to submit a short story for an anthology on Native American noir. I decided to take the plunge, seizing an opportunity to learn more about my Native American heritage.
My story came together over several months, many sessions of which felt like certain NaNoWriMo adventures. I’d sit at my computer or take a notebook and pen and write whatever drivel came to mind. Much of it sounded like crapola, but I had to forge ahead to the end.
Due to time constraints, I showed the complete, imperfect draft to my husband, one of my biggest fans – and one of my most direct critics. Tony offered praise and pointed out current plot holes.
I smiled, nodded, silently vowed not to do his laundry for the next three months, and went back to my keyboard. Roughly 50% of the story changed in the next draft.
We went through this exercise twice more before submitting the story for editorial review.
Then, Sarah Cortez, Liz’s sharp and insightful co-editor, gently guided me through the real revision process. While I’ve worked with editors in the business world, fiction editing was another animal. Together, we produced five more drafts before arriving at the final story that was submitted to the publisher.
The process, not the product.
So much in life comes down to the process, not simply the end product. For instance, I know very few writers who actually enjoy writing, but almost all enjoy the satisfaction of having written a solid piece.
Becoming a better writer – whether you’re a blogger, a marketing writer, a journalist, or a novelist – means giving yourself permission to write badly.
Whatever the challenge ahead, attack it with gusto. Accept the fact that success may involve many failed attempts. It’s the courage to fail – and to learn from our mistakes – that will ultimately transform our dreams into reality.
In this post, I’ll take a closer look at SEO and the process of optimizing websites for better placement within organic search results to improve website traffic.
Read the Article »
We're a New York/New Jersey-based copywriting agency that provides writing services for direct, traditional and content marketing programs.
©2024 Market It Write. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy