Overwrite First

Beginning writers often ask: How much should I write? In other words, if you have a 1,000 word writing assignment, should you stop at 1,000 words and just work with editing that? The answer is no. You should write much more than 1,000 words. You should write everything you can write to fulfill the assignment, even if it takes you 3,000 words to say it. After you have exhausted all your thoughts on the subject, then your task is to cull from it the 1,000 words you need. It is better to overwrite than to underwrite. It is easier to reduce 3,000 words than it is to expand 500 words. Writing until your thoughts are exhausted means you have not overlooked any possibilities for inclusion in your final draft. Your overwritten first draft will have many duplications and tangential information that can be eliminated. When you have an overwritten draft, you can select the best of your writing and scratch the rest. That way, only the best of your thinking and writing makes it into the final draft. Overwriting also allows you to free-associate and follow all your thought impulses. This leads to richer detail and greater flow in your writing than if you arbitrarily cut it short because you reached your word limit. It is always best to keep your mind working on an idea until it has emptied itself. Then you can begin the editing process that results in your finest, most polished work.

Passionate Detachment

Not becoming attached to your writing may seem counterintuitive. But actually, it's exactly what you need to do in order to write effectively. Becoming attached means being overly fond of certain passages or turns of phrase to the point that you are unwilling to change them even in the face of feedback that they aren't working. Writers must always be willing to tear into their work if necessary to make it better. That often means throwing out some of your favorite parts. I counsel my writing students to not become so attached to their writing that they're unwilling to change it because they can't grow as writers if they're too attached. So a healthy detachment from your work that allows you to write with passion and commitment, but also be able to step back and take an objective look is what you should strive for. This means being willing to delete or change significant sections of your work if necessary. It means being willing to scrap everything and start all over from scratch if that's what it takes to get your message across more effectively. The more you are willing to change your writing, the better your writing will become. Pay attention to the feedback you get on your writing. Pay attention to your own instincts. Then approach it like a master craftsman, one detail at a time.

Editing Process

Writers are often advised that editing is everything. But how much editing is too much? First drafts are usually gangly, awkward things that hang together by a loose thread, but tend to move in too many directions. They usually lack focus and tautness. This is where the first layer of editing begins - tightening up story lines, refocusing themes, eliminating tangential information, etc. Once the piece is in good technical form, the second layer of editing begins. This layer involves tweaking language, getting just the right word, just the right sound, just the right string of words together to make the message clear. In this phase of editing, sentences are tightened so that every word is essential and meaningful to the story or theme. Every word has a purpose and special effect on the work as a whole. This phase produces a good piece of writing. The third layer of editing produces excellence. This is where the work is again viewed as a whole and reworked from beginning to end. Entire sections may be thrown out or reworded if they are good, but not excellent. In this phase, the writer is ruthless in pursuit of perfection. Nothing is sacred if it doesn't contribute to that goal. Thus, the editing process progresses from the general to the specific and back to the general. The work is literally turned inside out. At the end of this final phase, the writer has exhausted all feasible possibilities and the work stubbornly stands on its own, not willing to bend to the writer's will. This is the time to stop. If you go beyond that, you're over-editing. The work will tell you when it's done. It will resist you. Finding just the right amount of editing, like the sweet spot on a tennis ball, will send your writing soaring to greater heights of excellence.

Read Actively

Reading should not be a passive activity for writers. Reading extensively is the best way to learn how to write. But simply reading is not enough. You must pay attention while you read. There should be another level of consciousness going on as you enjoy and absorb a novel, essay or article. On this other level, you should be making note of what excites you about the particular piece you're reading, what works well, and how the writer creates an impact on you as a reader. Conversely, you should be making note of what doesn't excite you about a particular piece, what doesn't work well, and why the writer fails to create an impact on you as a reader. You can still enjoy leisurely reading while being aware of the technical aspects of the writing. This active style of reading gives you twice the benefit because you are being entertained while learning. Reading is the best apprenticeship you can serve for writing. Read widely, but focus most of your reading on the type of writing you want to do. Learn from those who have already mastered the style or genre you aspire to. Absorb all you can from them through active reading and then, at some point, put the reading aside and start writing. Don't worry that you'll be copying someone else's style. Your active reading practice has allowed you to assimilate, not duplicate what other writers have done. Your unique style will emerge with time and practice because you have taken the time to acquaint yourself with excellence.

Simple, Clear Writing

As I select essays for my students to read and critique, I am astonished at the number of professional writers who have not yet grasped the concept that clear, simple writing is best. Too many writers seem to forget that the main goal of writing is to reach readers. They seem to be writing to impress or confuse by expressing themselves in complicated sentences, using words the average person doesn't know. This style of writing only serves to distance readers, not reach out to them. The best messages are conveyed simply in clear, powerful words. Writers should always strive to communicate above all else. They should write in such a way that readers can grasp their message easily. It doesn't mean that readers need to be talked down to. It means that readers don't want to wade through a bunch of highbrow rhetoric to figure out what writers are saying. Readers don't want their reading to be work. They want it to be relaxing, inspirational, compelling, and entertaining. Writers can deliver this best by keeping language simple and to the point, by being precise, by caring about the message and always staying on target with it. Readers don't need to be impressed with a writer's intellect. They need to be inspired by a writer's heart. Learning this lesson is sometimes the hardest thing for writers of all ability levels to grasp.

Daily Gifts

Writers often struggle with what to write about. This problem afflicts beginning writers and advanced writers alike. The difficulty may lie in focusing too much on subjects and not enough on impressions. The world is full of gifts for writers, if only writers are astute enough to receive them. These gifts come in the form of ideas, but they require paying attention. Daily experiences and details are rife with ideas for writing. It is a writer's challenge to sort through the thousands of sights, sounds and impressions that bombard us every day and focus in on them in a way that gives clarity and meaning to the ordinary. As a writer, you have infinite possibilities to consider every day. Maybe it's the way the morning moon creeps up over the horizon, the way a stranger's face smiles at you, the way the sunlight plays on a shiny object, the way you feel when your feet touch the earth, the way your dog seems to laugh when he runs. There is meaning in all of it, even the most minute, most seemingly mundane details of daily life. If considered calmly with an open mind, there is a larger meaning in even the smallest things. As a writer, your challenge is to remain open to these gifts of daily life, learn from them, grow from them, and then share that knowledge with readers. Stay awake, stay open, and you will never be without ideas to write about.

Sensory Writing

Writing is most often viewed as a visual medium. It consists of printed words on a page or a screen and we experience it with our eyes, so we think of it as visual. But viewing writing in this way is one-dimensional and misses some of its most critical attributes. Writing is also aural. When we read something, we not only visualize the words we're reading, we also hear the sounds of the words in our minds. We hear the rhythms, nuances and cadences of written words. We hear the music of language. Writing is also tactile. Good descriptive detail allows us to vicariously experience touching, smelling and tasting. Our sensory neurons fire in response to good writing and we feel the experience being described as if we were actually there. We can actually hear the sounds, smell the odors, taste the flavors and touch the textures the writer is describing. We can feel the emotions, even to the point of having physical reactions such as sweating and tingling and startling. This vicarious experience is real. When a writer writes well, we are transported into a different realm, a different sensory experience, a different slice of reality. To really understand the power of language and be able to use it effectively, we must view it in all its dimensions and appreciate the multi-sensory impact it has on readers.

Staying Connected

There is a danger with writers becoming so immersed in observing the world that they forget to live in it. Writing teaches us many skills, the most useful of which is to be a careful observer of the natural world and human behavior within it. We are taught to listen, watch and learn, and then write about our discoveries in a way that helps people see life through a unique lens. But too much observing and not enough doing can leave us bereft of that vital connection with everyday experience that is so crucial to connective writing. Connective writing is the type of writing that connects everyday experiences with new truths through the vision of skillful language. It's writing that helps readers see themselves and understand their world in new ways by making the common uncommon, the ordinary special. This connectivity can only be tapped into by interacting daily with the world. Writers who isolate themselves from everyday problems eventually experience a disconnect with the very readers they wish to connect with. It's the lessons we learn from our ordinariness that hold special truth for readers. They can relate and respond to our writing because they've been there. We can help them understand their experiences in new and meaningful ways when we're engaged in their same struggles. The irony is that we must first immerse ourselves in our daily lives before we can transcend them, and that transcendence is the writer's special gift.

Hunger for Words

In the news recently a poor child from a third world country was given the gift of books. She lit up when interviewed and said, "I don't even feel hungry when I'm reading." We all should love language and reading as much as this little girl. As writers, the written word should sustain us through the ills and misfortunes of our lives. To write, to read and to explore should be all that we truly need to be fulfilled. This child does not take books and reading for granted and neither should we. To be this enthralled with writing is the greatest gift we could give ourselves. To love language to the extent that our greatest joy comes in expressing ourselves with it is what we should strive for. It's from this type of love that the most moving and honorable writing comes. This kind of writing has the purest of motives, that of creative expression, and it touches readers the most profoundly. If you can do nothing else in your apprenticeship as a writer, at least rediscover that first love for language that swept you off your feet as a child. Feel again the innocence of a story that transforms you, of a literary journey that leads you to yourself and your potential. Find that thrill again, hold onto it, let it guide you, and your writing will soar.

Step by Step

All writers, whether beginners or professionals, can get overwhelmed with the prospect of completing a writing project. Often it's because they try to focus on the finished product instead of parsing it down into achievable steps. If you find yourself in this situation, try mapping out your project into a process that involves numerous small steps. This can be achieved by writing an outline; or, if you're more visually oriented, drawing a storyboard. Whatever method you choose, the important thing is to break an overwhelming task into a series of mini-successes that will keep you motivated and productive. It's ok to envision the whole picture, the finish line, to have a sense of where you need to go. But don't dwell on that vision. Instead, focus on a first small step you can take to get there. That first step might be writing a sketch for one character. It might be working on a first paragraph or a first sentence or a title for a first chapter. Whatever it is, make it small, make it doable, and give yourself a deadline for getting it done. Then create a second small step, and when it's done, a third, and so on. Approaching your writing in this way will ensure many small goals are reached along the way and it will keep you focused on the process. A book or a story or an essay doesn't seem so daunting if you break it down to a sentence or a paragraph at a time. It seems impossible if you try to do too much all at once. Take your time, stay simple, stay focused, and your project will be done before you know it.

Working at Writing

There are no shortcuts in writing. As time-consuming and frustrating as writing can be, there is no easy way out. To make a piece of writing work, you simply must work at it, persistently and thoroughly. You have to take the time and make the effort if you want your writing to be effective. Beginning writers, especially, often look for a quick and easy fix to their writing problems. Instead of taking the time to start over from scratch, if that's what's needed, they attempt to apply bandaid fixes to the structural problems in their writing, and most of the time end up making their writing worse. Writing that has been "edited" in this shortcut style sticks out like a sore thumb to readers and turns them off. Writing that has been reworked carefully and thoroughly, on the other hand, will read seamlessly to readers, as if it had never been edited at all. The irony is that writing that reads effortlessly takes great effort to write. Accomplished writers know this. They know, when they take on a writing project, that they're in it for the long haul. And they embrace this process, welcoming the struggle and the process, not looking for ways around it. Know this about your writing: It will never be great unless you're willing to put in great effort. In writing, as with everything else, you can only reap what you sow.

Form First

One of the ironies of good writing is that you must first immerse yourself in form before you can free yourself of it. You must learn the basics first before you can develop creative style. You must learn the syntax of language and be able to write good, effective sentences and well developed paragraphs. You must be able to seamlessly string together words to present a coherent, meaningful message. To do this, you have to conform to structure and tradition until you have mastered it. Then, once this mastery has been achieved, you can work to free yourself from it. That means you can begin to develop your own style, take creative leaps, write in unusual and startling ways that stamp you as a unique writer. Once you can master a coherent message, you can work on creating a relevant message, one that resonates with readers and is unforgettable. But until you have mastered the form and function of language, your wings are clipped as a writer and you can't fly. Creativity is born of conformity. You can't free yourself from something you haven't yet achieved. So study the basics. Become a master of language before you launch into creative pursuits. Everything you have mastered in your writing apprenticeship will serve you well when you're taking that first solo flight with your new creative wings.

Writing Voice

Having a unique voice is something every writer craves. Experienced writers are in tune with their voice, but beginning writers often struggle with finding it. It seems counterintuitive that anyone should have to find his or her own voice. Isn't it something that should just be there naturally? Maybe. It depends on how closely a writer listens to inner dialogue - that particular way thoughts are put together when conversing with oneself. Is it an intellectual voice, a timid voice, a folksy voice? What kind of tone do you hear in your head when you're having an internal conversation? That's the voice that will tell you how to write. If you write like you think, you will have an authentic voice that reflects everything that is unique about you. It will carry the rhythms, cadences, and pecularities that make you who you are. Stay tuned to this voice and let it do your writing for you. It's easy to get distracted with other voices you may want to emulate or advice on how you should sound. Forget all of that and hone in on your own frequency. That's the frequency readers want you to share with them because that's what will produce honest writing that they can relate to. Stay true to your natural voice and your writing will soar.

Writing the Message

The message is the muscle in writing. While form and style are important logistically and even artistically, they only create the skeleton around which the muscle wraps itself. It's the message, executed perfectly with honesty and skill, that provides the power in a piece of writing. A writer is well-served to pay attention to structural issues because they're important. But they aren't everything. And a well delivered message that ignores traditions of form and style will still resonate with readers. Conversely, a structurally, technically perfect piece of writing can fall flat if the message isn't there. Message, in writing, is everything. Readers are faintly aware of form and style as they read an essay, novel, short story or poem. But that's not what carries them through the piece. That's not what engages them and makes them want to keep reading, makes them wish the piece would never end. It's the message that does all that. A message that gets to the heart of the issues gets to the heart of readers. It packs a powerful punch and it, above all else, determines whether a piece of writing is memorable or forgettable. So keep your message always at the forefront of your writing. Pay attention to form and style and tradition, but not so much that you forget your message. Say what you need to say. Say it as well as you can in the way that feels right to say it, and forget about all the rest. If you write from the heart, the structure will take care of itself.

Writing to Search

Those of us who clamor around among dictionaries, thesauruses, and grammar guides looking for just the right word or phrase to finish a thought may be searching for perfection in writing. We may be striving for just the right sound or meaning or nuance to deliver our message. We may be hunting for a specific syllable or word to firm up a sentence and make it stand on its own, proudly declaring its meaning. But those of us who lose ourselves in the syntax of language are also searching for something else. When we care so much about message and delivery and resonance, it's because we are searching for ourselves in the poetry of language. It's the soothing rhythm of the words we write that brings us closer to finding out who we are. Facing the blank page and working at it until it becomes something of beauty is an inner journey that we take to discover what we know and what we need yet to learn. So in the pages of dictionaries and obscure reference books, we search for the trivia of life in order to find its larger meaning. It's that simple sound or syllable that carries the beat of the larger message. As writers, we have to dig deep and bury ourselves in the detail and detritus and darkness in order to find the light. We reach the surface from the inside out, one word at a time.

Writing Authentically

Writing with an authentic voice is one of the hardest things for writers to do. It means not varnishing the truth to make it more palatable for readers. It means speaking from the heart, not the mind, and getting to what really matters. It means giving it to readers raw and letting them choke, gag, chew and digest what you have to say with what mettle they have to ingest it. It means writing without fear of reprisal or judgement or failure. Writing with an authentic voice is writing in a way that moves readers deeply because the writing touches inner truths, those that no one else dares to give voice to. Authentic writing rings true to readers because its goal is not to impress or surprise or wow readers, but rather to touch them in a place they have not been touched before. Writing authentically requires absolute, intense focus on the message itself without regard to form or function or tradition. It requires plowing through the rough, ugly stuff and getting the story told in its purest form, unadorned. It requires presenting oneself naked to readers. It's the hardest thing for writers to do because we all fear judgment. We all fear being seen for who we really are. But if we don't take that plunge into the scary waters of our own truths and write from that center, we will never produce the kind of writing that resonates in any lasting way with readers. We have to risk it. If we care at all, we have to take that chance.

Writing Effort

Writing well takes time and effort. It sounds like such a simple and obvious truth, but it's one that many writers fail to grasp. To do something well means first spending a lot of time and effort doing it badly. That learning process can't be skipped over. Writers have to slog through all the bad writing to get to good writing and that slogging process takes an incredible amount of time, determination and dedication. It means you have to write every day. You don't have to write well every day. You just have to write every day, even if what you're writing is trash. It's the daily act of writing, week in and week out, year in and year out, that finally breaks through the barrier and brings you to a higher skill level. There is no short cut for this process, yet many writers expect to reach greatness without first putting in the work. But the reality is, you not only have to put in the work, you have to love the work. You have to love the daily hammering out of words and sentences and paragraphs. You have to love the editing, the rewriting, the deleting and starting from scratch, because these are the things that will lead you to great writing. In fact, you have to love the process so much that the process is what matters to you most, not the goal. To write and to write daily, no matter what else is going on, is the mark of a true writer. Good or bad, famous or unknown, all true writers share this daily ritual. Write because you have to, because nothing else matters more, and you can reach your goals.

Start in the Middle

Common sense tells you to start a story at the beginning. However, in writing prose, the most effective place to start, whether fiction or nonfiction, is in the middle of things. A story told in linear fashion from beginning to end can be very boring for readers. The reason is because the surprise and intrigue is stripped by linear story lines. Readers want to guess what's coming next, but they also want to guess what happened before. They want to have to wonder and figure things out for themselves. If you start at the beginning, you eliminate this experience for readers. Starting in the middle of the action, whether it's a short story, novel or memoir, is hooking the reader into the story with the immediacy of what's taking place. Beginning with background information to set the story up doesn't provide that hook. Readers want to be fed the action bit by bit so they can piece the story together like a jigsaw puzzle. That's a huge part of the excitement of reading. Starting in the middle of the action gets readers involved instantly. Once you have them hooked and interested in the story, you can circle back periodically to the past to fill them in with important background information. This circling back is called flashback and is a critical tool in effective storytelling. Always leaving just enough information unrevealed so that readers are kept intrigued is crucial. If you start in the middle, rather than the beginning of your story, you can hook readers early and keep them wanting more all the way to the end.

Building Prose

Effective prose is not so much composed as it is constructed. Much like a building is put together according to a blueprint, good prose is put together according to an outline or storyboard. A building of bricks and mortar is assembled block by block, piece by piece. Prose is assembled word by word, syllable by syllable. Each piece of a building is inspected, weighed and measured before becoming part of the building. It's evaluated for its structural integrity and conformity to style. In the construction of effective prose, each word or sentence is also weighed and measured for its integrity to the structure and unity with the message of the overall work before becoming a part of it. A completed building is inspected for weaknesses after the work is completed, and those parts that don't hold up to the standards of the work and the industy are either removed or remodeled. If prose is approached in this manner with the same careful planning, construction and inspection, it will emerge as solid writing that will stand the test of time. It most certainly will stand the test of editorial critiquing and the scrutiny of a discerning readership. Using all the tools in a writer's toolbelt to construct effective prose is a painstaking but infinitely rewarding process.

Focus Your Writing

Sometimes writers are faced with so many possibilites for writing projects that it's hard to focus on just one idea. The distraction and lack of focus can result in nothing getting written. Writers often find themselves flitting from one project to the next, abandoning one when the going gets tough in favor of another that seems easier or more enticing. This constant shuffling of attention results in no real productive progress on any project. So what can a writer do to get focused? The best way to select a single project out of many possibilities is to listen to your own urges. What project have you been thinking about for months or maybe even years, but haven't yet gotten around to starting? What project is on your mind more than others? When you're working on several projects at once, which one grabs your attention the most? Which idea pulls at your consciousness the hardest? Which one excites you? That is the project you should be attending to. Putting all your energy into the one idea that you really care about and sticking with it until it's finished will be far more fruitful than flitting half-heartedly between several ideas you aren't really emotionally invested in. So listen to your inner urges and follow them to the idea that will inspire you to do your best writing.

Writing by Hand

With all of the technology available to writers today, it is easy to lose the skill of handwritten composition. Technology makes the writing process vastly easier, but it can also distance us from our writing. That connection of mind to hand to paper is a different connection than the one from mind to hand to keyboard. There is a sensual quality to putting pen or pencil to paper. There is texture and touch and the sensation of carving words into a paper canvas that's missing when typing on a keyboard and watching words appear on a screen. Writing on a computer is much faster and infinitely easier to edit. But writing on paper is more grounded, closer to what we feel when we write. The computer screen creates a distancing phenomenon that makes our writing more abstract, more removed, less real. Writing on paper is an immediate experience that puts us in the moment, makes our writing concrete because we can feel it, and connects us with our inner selves. Typing on a computer can be fast and blurred, and composing can seem almost automatic, thoughtless. But writing on paper slows us down, makes us savor each word. There is more thought, more pausing to reflect, more clarity. I encourage my writing students to maintain that connection between mind and hand and paper and not become lost in the screens of cell phones and computers and other gadgets that take us further from ourselves instead of closer. And I encourage them simply because there is no other feeling quite like the touch of pencil lead on paper. We should all strive to be as close to our writing as we can. It will make us better thinkers and better artists.

Write the Senses

We tend to focus on the visual in descriptive writing. But we have at our disposal the powerful senses of touch, sound, smell and taste. When describing, we should use all of the senses to create the kind of rich detail that readers will remember. The rainy day may be gray and chilly, but what does it smell like? What does the rain taste like? The wind may be howling, but what does it look like? Does it smell? What does a shabby room sound like? What does a frightened child smell like? Looking at these unusual dimensions of the things we're describing can bring new experiences and new perspectives to ordinary phenomena. It can turn our descriptive writing upside down and make it memorable. Will you remember a description of a reddish brown horse or a horse that smells like autumn leaves? Will you remember a description of a loud train or a train that blurs the trees like green butter? The senses that we don't expect are the ones that will resonate the most deeply with us. Give your readers the richness of our sensual world by using all the senses available to us. Begin to look at and write about your world in ways you haven't considered before. Your description will flourish and your writing will deepen.

Seamless Writing

Seamless writing is that which carries itself along, not pushed by the writer, but rather pulling the writer along. It reads effortlessly and the reader is unaware of the intricacies of its structure. We should all strive to write seamlessly. We care about the way we look and would never think of wearing clothing with the seams and tags showing. Why would we be content to have the seams and tags of our writing hanging out for all to see? Our writing is as much a reflection of who we are as our clothing, hairstyle, and body image. We should care about it as much as we do these other things. Writing seamlessly requires great attention to detail. But more than that, it requires unwavering attention to creative voice. Writing that is natural for a writer, that is germane to who the writer is, has language that flows. The writing carries the writer and reader along on a literary journey that is both simple and profound. It's simple because it's not flowery writing or puffed up writing. It's profound because it's honest writing, language that is raw and unfettered by convention, words that tear to the heart of matters. It's the kind of writing that readers want to read. They want to be moved by words the way they are moved by a stunning musical composition, following the rhythm and nuance of language through seamlessly constructed prose. Make your writing music to readers' ears.

Writing Pain

Revision is hard for most of us. It's akin to painstakingly building a sandcastle only to see it washed away with the next tide. We have a hard time letting go of our words. That's because our words come from within, and every word we let go is like letting a part of ourselves go. It's human nature to become attached to what we've created. But as writers, its the worst thing we can do. We have to let go to get to that next level of skill. Revision means re-visioning our work, seeing it with different eyes. And that often leads to tearing into our words like ravenous wolves. But we must be willing to do this. We have to be willing to throw it all out if that's what it takes. At the very least, we have to be willing to reassemble our sentences and paragraphs and chapters into passages that work, even if it means cutting out most of our original version. And then we need to rework it again until we have exhausted ourselves with the effort and it's as good as we're capable of making it. To do any less is to do half-hearted revision. Just merely rearranging our words, hoping they'll sound a little better the second time around is not truly revision. Revision cuts. It bleeds. It even hurts. But what you end up with when you're done is a piece of writing that is as honest and resonant and perfect as you are capable of, and that's what makes the writing process worth the pain.

Empty Minds

Lord Byron once wrote: "If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." This is a writer's dilemma. While writing can empty the mind of pestering thoughts and fears, the mind can also present itself as empty too often when writing is desired. Byron's approach to writing is a panacea for stress. It's why we journal and write letters to the editor and blog. There is a deep human need to express ourselves, be heard, and let off a little steam. That's the good end of the stick. The bad end is the one writers face much more often - having nothing to write. This is when a writer's true mettle comes into play. When faced with a blank page and a seemingly empty mind, writers can either cave in to writer's block or choose to go deeper. How can you go deeper when you're already empty? The answer is almost too simple - just begin writing. What writers must learn to do is trust their creative minds to wander the labyrinths of what appears to be thoughtlessness and find meaning. This may require some staring, some starting and stopping, even some nonsensical writing. But hang in there. It will all lead to something, and most likely something more profound than you imagined could exist in an empty mind. This is because our minds are never truly empty. They just seem that way sometimes because they're on idle. But given a prompt and a little persistence, our wonderful creative minds can deliver. So Lord Byron might have needed to empty his mind for his sanity, but our greatest challenge as writers is to never give up plumbing the depths of our minds, even when they're silent, to discover the inevitable surprises that lie within.

Reasons for Writing

Writing for the right reasons is as important as writing well. Do you write because you have something to prove to yourself or others or because you have been told you have talent or skill? Do you write with the hope of fame or fortune or for the status of calling yourself a writer? There are many reasons people choose to write, but none is as important as writing for the love of language. You may be able to write a technically perfect piece of writing, but if there isn't any heart in it, it will fall as flat on readers' ears as a dischordant note. What makes writing truly great writing is when it reflects the love a writer has for syntax, for rhyme, for alliteration, for nuance. In the same way that a dancer loves the movement of muscle and sinew and lives to be able to produce certain motions, a writer must love the movement of language and live to be able to produce certain sounds. Language must be music to a writer's ear. It must flow and sing and move the writer above the fray. To write because there is nothing else that means as much is the reason that will make all the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Think about why you write. Is it for the right reasons?

Impressions First

Before you do anything else in a written work, you must first impress your readers with your beginning. That first sentence, phrase, word, line must be a magnet that pulls readers into your work. If you don't capture readers at the beginning, you won't have a chance to capture them later because there likely won't be a later. Readers need a reason to read further. It's your job as a writer to give them that reason in your opening words, perhaps even before that, in your title. How do you create that beginning that pulls readers in? There are many time-tested strategies that work well such as beginning with a startling statement, question, quote, story, paradox or play on words. But these are just gimmicks if they're not used well. Readers can spot gimmicks like an ill-fitting suit. But if the strategies are central to the heart of your story, essay or poem; if they capsulize the issue, dilemma or intrigue that is to follow; if they send an arrow message straight to the minds of readers; then, they aren't merely gimmicks. They are effective, poignant beginnings that will not only lead readers into your work but do justice to the serendipity that will follow for readers who embark on your literary journey with you. Lead with powerful beginnings and readers will freely follow.

Writing by Ear

We often hear of talented musicians who "play by ear." In other words, they don't read sheet music. They create music by listening. It's also possible to "write by ear." This means listening to the sounds of your writing rather than focusing on structure, format and other rules of writing and English. You can write a technically perfect piece of writing, but it may sound flat to readers' ears. Language is very much like music in that it has cadence, rhythm, and sound effects such as alliteration and rhyme. If you can learn to listen to your writing rather than merely seeing it, you can learn a lot about your own writing habits and style and what makes writing effective. This is best accomplished through reading your work out loud. This allows you to hear your work more directly than a silent reading. What your tongue stumbles over, your readers will also stumble over. What flows smoothly off your tongue as you read aloud will also flow smoothly for readers. The sounds of words can produce many emotions and reactions. Pay attention, as you read your work aloud, to what emotions your words evoke in you. Then think about how these words will impact readers. Music moves through many moods as it progresses from softness to crescendo, and so does writing. Learning to listen to words and hear language in all its nuances will help you produce writing that is music to readers' ears.

Changing Your Writing

Writers must be willing to change their writing to meet the needs and demands of the publishing world or face not seeing their work in print. This begs the question, though, of just how far a writer should bend to accommodate the requests of an editor. As with most things, it depends. It depends on what the editor is asking, for what reasons, and how far it deviates from the writer's original vision. The irony of being a successful writer is that you must first believe in your own work. You must write as you believe you should write so that your work is a true reflection of you. However, you must also heed the advice of experienced, skilled people in the publishing world and be willing to consider the changes they suggest. How does a writer do both? The answer lies somewhere in the beginning of the writing process, not at the end. If you approach everything you write from your heart, write only what you care deeply about, and write as if it's the most important thing you will ever compose, then you will likely not be asked to change your work. The work will stand on its own and will sell itself. If you are asked, however, to significantly change something that you believe deeply in and feel that the suggested changes will compromise you as a writer, then don't do it. Knowing yourself as a writer is essential in sorting these things out. Changing for improvement is one thing. Changing for a sale is quite another.

Inspired Writing

Writers often hear that their writing must be inspired. It's generally understood that "inspired" means that the writing is original and exciting. I submit that inspired writing is writing that is born from pain and loss. It's that kind of writing that fills a deep hole left by the unthinkable, the unsurvivable, the unbearable. Inspired writing will help both writers and readers transform pain and loss into meaning. It will help soothe the loneliness of not being understood. If, as a writer, you can tap into that vast reservoir of personal pain and put something on paper that does justice to what you feel, then you have produced inspired writing. This is the kind of writing that makes you want to write because it has a universal purpose - to comfort those who suffer from the human condition. It's the kind of writing that readers want to get lost in because they find in it a salve that temporarily, possibly permanently, eases the wounds of their psychic pain. This kind of writing needs no awards, no justification, no critiquing. It exists separate from all that because it rises above the mundane concerns of the literary world and touches us in a place that is central to everything we know. It is all-knowing writing. It is writing we can't put down and dare not put down lest we miss the message we need so desperately to hear.

Natural Writing

Forced writing is language that feels tense and unnatural. It happens when writers don't trust their creative process and try to control it. If writing is allowed to flow naturally, like our thought processes, in a stream-of-consciousness pattern, it will feel natural and will read easily. It's a matter of physics - pushing vs. pulling. Forced writing involves pushing words into shapes and patterns that our critical mind tells us is "good writing." Natural writing involves letting the words pull us through a conduit of connected thoughts and insights that leads to discovery. It's hard to let go in this way and trust our seemingly unruly thought processes. After all, creativity is a beast that must be tamed, is it not? Ironically, it is when writers let go and let flow, without regard to rules and standards and expectations, that truly meaningful writing emerges. It is this pulling of words through our consciousness that allows the kind of honest, raw writing that moves readers. There can be nothing forced about creativity. It's rather a giving in to it, a surrendering, that transforms language from mere form to art form. Truly inspired writing comes from this place of trust and openness and it is available to every writer who is willing to let go.

Writing To Discover

Writing helps us see the world in new and surprising ways. It turns ordinary things into elements of wonder and it diffuses extraordinary things into common experience. The process of writing is an act of discovery. When we write, we go beyond the surface of our lives and delve into the subterranean landscape of our heart. This is where all wisdom resides. Creative endeavor is a path to that inner world. The great artist Pablo Picasso once explained it this way: "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." So, in losing ourselves in our creative pursuits, whether art or writing or music, we end up finding ourselves. We are able to pick up the detritus of human experience, dust it off, and see it again for the shining treasure it is. When writing, we are able to see life through a different lens, one that rises above the pettiness and focuses on the grander vision. Often, when writing, we are able to see things in surprising ways that give us unexpected insights into our own and others' situations. When pursued with intensity and focus, writing can deliver us from the sting of our realities and transform our moments into vessels for hope. So, never give up on writing. Never stop feeding your creative urge. It may be your only path to understanding what a remarkable gift resides inside you.

Detach From Your Writing

Getting attached to your words is the worst thing you can do as a writer. That advice may seem counterintuitive. After all, aren't writers supposed to bond with their own creations? It would seem so because you put so much effort into getting your writing just right that it only makes sense you would feel deeply connected to it. However, the danger of getting too attached to your words is that it makes you reluctant to change them, even if you're getting feedback that you need to change them. You may be so fond of a particular passage or aspect of your writing that, even in the face of feedback to the contrary, you continue to insist that it works when it clearly doesn't. So you tenaciously hang on to what you have created to your own detriment. What you should strive for instead is to be a perfect conduit for your creativity to flow through. Create your words, make them as perfect as you can. But then when they're done, let them go. Don't get attached. By maintaining a healthy psychological distance from your own writing, you'll be able to accept, digest and respond to feedback from others who may be telling you that your writing doesn't work, that you need to change something, that you don't have it quite right. It's only in detaching from your writing with a clear vision and an open mind that you are able to create your best work.

Write for Yourself

Writers are always taught to write for their audience. This is good advice because if you can write in a way that relates to your readers, you will be a successful and effective writer. In that sense, audience is everything. However, there is something to be said for the flip side; that is, writing for yourself. It's important, in fact critical, that you write what you want to write, what motivates you, what impassions you. Because if you don't care deeply about what you're writing, neither will your readers. If you can't lose yourself in the heat of your creativity, readers won't find themselves in it. So, in listening to those inner voices, you may have to buck conventional wisdom about what sells, what readers want, what's hot and what's not, and just write what turns you on. It is only in the committed discovery of self that writers are able to connect meaningfully with others. Don't worry about what all the prognosticators say about the publishing world. That's only a distraction. Just write what you feel, write it as well as is humanly possible, and send it out into the world. Because, ironically, it's what you so desperately need to say to yourself that readers so desperately need to hear. That raw, pure honesty of creation is what makes great writing and what makes writing for your audience have real meaning.

Writing With Effort

Writers we admire tend to write as if it's effortless. Their words seem to roll out perfectly every time they touch a keyboard or put a pen to paper. We like this type of writing, as readers, because it's effortless to read. Awkward, disjointed writing is a chore to read and is not a pleasant task for readers. But smooth, cohesive writing is a joy to read. The irony of effortless writing is that it takes a great deal of effort on a writer's part to achieve the illusion of effortlessness. Good writers don't strive for perfection, but rather for seamless writing - the kind of writing that conceals its own flaws. This requires tedious revision that attends to every detail. Much like a painter strives to have his brush strokes disappear within the painting so that the painting, when viewed, is a whole image, writers strive to have their syntax disappear into their prose. Readers don't want to "see" what techniques a writer is employing during the reading process. They want the techniques to be so smoothly woven into the fabric of the story or text that they are unaware of it. For writers, the work is about style, finish and polish; and to have a polished piece of writing, whether fiction or nonfiction, the writer must arduously exert the effort to sound "effortless."

Writing for Play

I take my writing students through a freewriting exercise at the beginning of every semester. The idea is to let their creative minds have free play without their critical minds interfering. Writers at every level can benefit from freewriting. It involves setting a timer and writing nonstop for a specified length of time, not letting your hand stop moving across the page, not letting your critical mind interrupt the flow of your writing with negative messages. This exercise can free up writing blocks and loosen up creative muscles. Freewriting encourages impulsive thought because there is no opportunity to police your thinking while engaging in freewriting. Writing in this way promotes focus through the intensity of being in the present moment. It encourages new thoughts and associations and gives you access to serendipity. Freewriting, ironically, creates a sense of control over the creative process; but it's a positive control. It's the kind of control that allows language play and new forms of expression to emerge. Because the critic is not engaged during freewriting, the creator has full rein and there are no limits or boundaries or rules. If you find yourself stifled or suppressed in your writing, give freewriting a try. It just may liberate you from what is holding you back and open the door for you to enter the next level of your creative life.

Write Vividly

Writing vividly will make your writing more memorable for readers. Vivid language paints word pictures. Readers will connect more with your writing if they can visualize your ideas. By using visual words that appeal to the senses, you can help readers "see" what you're saying. Appeal to all five senses with words that evoke sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Use concrete nouns that are specific and precise and don't require adjectives to help them get their meaning across. Use dynamic verbs that are active and lively and don't require adverbs to help them get their meaning across. Make your word choices accurate and pointed so that your writing is not dulled by unnecessary, imprecise or redundant wording. Make every word work hard and carry its weight. If it's superfluous and doesn't enhance your writing, throw it out. If it doesn't create an image in readers' minds, toss it. Eliminate every word that doesn't project a defined image, something readers can connect with and retain. Say things in unique and unexpected ways, using strong, targeted words that create vivid word memories for readers. Readers love to visualize what they read. Writing vividly will make your prose unforgettable.

Organize Your Writing

Oftentimes writing can be ineffective just because it's not well organized. The ideas may be sound, the tone and style may be appropriate; but if it's not well organized, it can fall flat. Your goal as a writer is, first and foremost, to communicate with readers. So it makes sense to organize your writing in the most logical, reader-friendly order. Remember that when you write, readers are embarking on a journey with you and they look to you for clear guidance along the way. Think about the order in which you present information. Is it the most effective order for reader understanding? Are you providing the appropriate background information about your ideas before you present them to readers? Are you building up to major points or climaxes by building reader interest and intrigue? Are you transitioning smoothly from idea to idea and passage to passage? Does your discussion unfold in a logical way so that readers can clearly follow your progression of thought? Have you devoted majority space to your major ideas and minority space to your minor ideas? Do all of your ideas bear a clear relationship to each other?
Well organized writing that attends to these details weaves a thread of continuity that readers can easily follow and results in a cohesiveness that makes good writing and good sense.

Minimize Modifiers

Overuse of modifiers can weaken your writing. Modifiers are words that add extra explanation. Adverbs modify verbs and adjectives modify nouns. It is tempting to add a modifier when you feel the noun or verb is not powerful or explicit enough by itself. In other words, it needs a helper word to get the meaning across. However, modifiers can actually detract from the power and clarity of language, especially when they're overused. It is much better to work with the original noun or verb and see if you can find a more effective substitute, rather than simply tacking a modifier onto a weak noun or verb. For instance, instead of saying "she walked quickly," say "she hustled." This eliminates the weak verb (walked) and substitutes it with a strong, explicit verb (hustled). It also eliminates the need for the modifier (quickly). Instead of saying "it was a heavy rainstorm," say "it was a downpour." This eliminates the weak noun (rainstorm) and substitutes it with a strong, explicit noun (downpour). It also eliminates the need for the modifier (heavy). Bogging your writing down with unnecessary modifiers will complicate and weaken your writing. Find the power in your writing by crafting clear, concise nouns and verbs that convey your meaning without any assistance from helper words. Readers will find your prose lean and likeable.

Manage Your Ideas

Having too many ideas is a dilemma writers often struggle with. While it might seem like a good problem for writers to have, it can actually impede writing production because the writer may have trouble sifting through multiple ideas and selecting one to focus on. There may be too many possibilities and trying to narrow them down may be overwhelming and distracting. There are some tips you can employ, however, if you find yourself in this predicament. Write down each idea on a separate piece of paper and sort them from most appealing to least appealing. Then select the top three that you find most exciting and feel most motivated to write about. This selection process is important because, if you are excited about an idea, your writing will reflect that excitement and be more effective. Consider your top three selections and ask yourself which one you care most about. If you find this hard to decide, ask yourself which of your top three ideas do you know the most about. This knowledge base will make your writing process easier than researching something from scratch that you know little or nothing about. Also, ask yourself which idea seems to have the widest reader appeal. You don't want to write something that readers won't find interesting, even if it interests you. Finally, ask yourself which idea you will be likely to execute the most successfully and the most expediently. You want to set yourself up for success, not failure; and honing in on ideas that are most likely to bring about that success will give you the confidence to keep writing. Don't be afraid to generate lots of ideas, but learn how to control and manage those ideas instead of letting them manage you.

Literary Muscle

Writing is powerful. It has literary muscle to inspire, change and empower readers. But much like a physical muscle, it must maintain proper tone and be kept fit in order to be maximally effective. When a muscle is too lax, it needs to be toned and tightened to be structurally sound. Conversely, when a muscle is too tight, it needs to be lengthened and elongated for structural stability. Writing can also be too lax or too tight. If writing is too lax, it rambles and meanders around the central theme or message. Readers get lost in all the convolutions. Lax writing is wordy, full of modifiers and repetitive wording, and generally lacks form. To tighten up lax writing, sentences need to be stripped of unnecessary wording and their content refocused on the central message. Any words that deviate from that message need to go. Long, rambling passages need to be shorter and to the point. On the other hand, if writing is too tight, it sounds terse and choppy. It lacks flow and transition. Readers find it to be confusing and disjointed. To loosen up tight writing, sentences need to be elongated with language that creates rhythm and fluidity between ideas. Short, choppy sounding words should be replaced with words that have a softer, smoother sound. Ample transitional wording should glide the reader from one idea or passage to the next in a seamless way. Writing needs conditioning just like muscles do; and writing that is fit, that is tonally intact to readers' ears, will have a powerful impact and leave a lasting impression.

Write Honestly

Writing honestly can be one of the hardest things for you to do. There is a tendency to write the content that you think others want to read rather than the content you want to express. There is also a tendency to write in the style that you think is expected of you rather than in the style you prefer. This is a common inclination among writers. Writers, after all, seek acceptance among their readership and it is natural to want to please readers. The irony, though, is that readers don't want the complacency of the expected. They want to be surprised, inspired, shocked, fascinated, changed by your writing. And what they need from you is honesty. They need you to write from your heart and be courageous with the truth. If you water down the truth, readers won't be moved by your writing. But if you give them the raw, unsoftened truth of your message, they will respond to your honesty. Writing about difficult subjects in particular demands this type of veracity from writers. But no matter what your subject matter, readers need you to give it to them straight. This requires boldness from you and a commitment to both emotion and intellect. Good writing requires both. Look beyond the surface of your ideas and dig down to the message that lies beneath them. Give that message to readers as simply and honestly as you can and they will respond with respect and gratitude for your vision.

Diversify Your Writing

Writers are often advised to stick with what they do best. In other words, if your strength is writing nonfiction, then play to that strength. There is wisdom in this advice. If you discover your niche in writing and hone your skills in that area, you multiply your chances for success. However, there is something to be said for diversifying your efforts and branching out into unfamiliar territory. For instance, if your strength is nonfiction, you may want to try writing fiction or poetry and vice versa. Many of the skills you have honed in one area of the writing craft are transferable to other areas of writing. For instance, pacing and climax that are used to create tension in fiction can also be utilized by nonfiction writers to create that same level of reader involvement. Rhythm and meter that are used in poetry to create flow and transition can also be used to create fluid prose. Trying different creative pursuits broadens your skills as a writer and opens up more opportunities for you because you are perceived as more valuable to readers and editors. This makes you more competitive in the challenging world of publishing because a diversified writer is relevant to a wider audience. So, while it is good to play to your strengths and hone your skills in the type of writing that comes naturally to you, don't eliminate possibilities for expanding your creative horizons and diversifying your skill set.

Knowing Your Style

Writing is personal. Even when you are writing objectively about topics unrelated to yourself, your writing is distinctly personal. It is an expression of who you are. Your style and message are subjective because they are an extension of your personality and no one else puts her thoughts together or expresses herself in writing exactly like you. This personalizing is your strength as a writer. It's what makes you different from other writers. It's what creates a unique voice in your writing that can be recognized as belonging only to you. So it is important to capitalize on this strength. One of the best ways to do this is to write like you talk and think. Listen to the rhythms and style of your conversation with others. Listen to the way thoughts organize and flow in your mind. Then write like that. Trying to write in some style that is foreign to the way you naturally think and express yourself will come across stilted and insincere. But when your writing reflects your unique essence as a person, your special view of the world, it will be authentic and meaningful and it will ring true with readers. Connecting with readers on this level will allow you to be a more effective writer because readers will feel like they know you and they will be more receptive to your message.

Revise by Design

Writers are always challenged to revise their work, but it is not always clear how to go about the revision process. The natural inclination is to just tear into your work without much forethought. However, it's best to organize your revision by developing a plan. There are several things you can ask yourself to help guide your revision process. First, it is important to consider the main purpose of your writing and ask yourself if you can accomplish that purpose in a better way. You may have written a technically good piece, but if it doesn't reflect the main purpose, it lacks the proper focus and therefore doesn't accomplish your goal. Next, ask yourself if your writing follows whatever guidelines or traditional structure it's supposed to adhere to. If not, those guidelines can be your skeleton structure for the revision process. Anything that doesn't fit within that structure has to go. Next, ask yourself what primary message you want to convey to readers and whether or not you have conveyed that message. Is your message presented in the most effective way and is it crystal clear to readers? Finally, ask yourself if you understand whatever feedback you may have about the piece from an editor, instructor or writing peer. If you don't understand their critique of your work, ask them for clarification. Find out specifically what needs to be changed and then consider how you can make that change. Planning in this manner before revising your work leads to better final drafts and makes the revision process more positive and productive for you.

Expression vs. Experience

Writers often are advised to write what they know. The thinking behind this advice is that you will write best what you know best, and there is much wisdom to this advice. It is often what you are familiar with that you are most passionate about, and that passion is reflected in your writing. Writers tend to have more credibility with readers when they have personal knowledge or experience with their subject matter. The other side of the coin is that limiting yourself to writing only what you know can greatly restrict your creativity. The argument can be made that writers don't need to write only what they know. That's what imagination is for. The thinking here is that if you can imagine something, you can write it, and imaginative writing is just as passionate and powerful as writing that is informed by direct personal experience. There are also many examples of excellent writing that are the culmination of a writer's extensive research into a previously unfamiliar subject. Whether you write about what you know from personal experience or write about what you have come to know through research, the goal should be the same - effective, passionate writing that resonates with readers. It's not the source of your knowledge that matters to readers as much as the expression of it, and they will connect with anything you write as long as you connect meaningfully with them.

Hook Your Readers

Whether you are writing nonfiction, fiction or poetry, you need to open your writing with a hook that grabs readers' interest. The hook has to be the first thing readers encounter or it won't function as a hook. If you grab readers' interest, curiosity, and intrigue at the outset, you have readers who are invested in continuing to read because they need to satisfy their curiosity. There are many ways to hook readers. You can present your most striking idea, statistic or quote right up front. Instead of burying this information in the body of your work, put it right up front where it can be the most effective. Another way to provide a hook is to present readers with a paradox or something that seems counterintuitive. It will make them want to read further to find out what you have to say. You can present readers with an intriguing mystery that they will want to solve by reading on. You can open with a poignant story that captures the essence of your message. Whatever you use, make sure it is the most powerful hook in your arsenal. You have one chance to grab readers' interest, right up front, in the first few words or sentences. If you haven't grabbed their interest in the first few opening sentences or lines, you've lost them. Readers have to be pulled into a piece of writing before they will make any commitment to read on. Don't pass up this opportunity to bait readers with your most relevant and intriguing language and reel them in to your literary world!

Develop Writing Discipline

Writers, like any other skilled craftperson, must develop discipline in order to be productive. Whether you are a student writer, hobby writer, or professional writer, having a disciplined approach to writing projects is critical for success. One of the ways you can develop discipline is to set deadlines for completing and/or submitting your work, especially if deadlines have not already been set for you by editors, instructors, writing group reviewers, etc. It's important to have a deadline to keep you motivated and productive when your energy and enthusiasm are fading. Another way to develop discipline is to start projects early so that you have plenty of time to fix problems, re-think your project, or start over if you need to. Once you've started a writing project, stay on track with the focus and structure of it. Constantly remind yourself what the purpose and message of the project are. This will keep your writing time disciplined and productive. Another way to develop discipline is to establish a writing routine. Write daily, every other day, weekly, or whatever works best for your lifestyle. Once you've established your routine, stick to it no matter what else is happening. Other methods for developing discipline include formal planning or outlining before beginning a project, using structured exercises as warm-ups, keeping a log or diary of your progress, etc. No matter what method or combination of methods you use, developing discipline will keep you writing and writing well.

Sharpen Your Writing

Writers sometimes find that the excitement of an idea may not always translate into exciting writing. Writing can fall flat on readers' ears. When this happens, it is usually because the heart of the message was not conveyed well. The writing may be technically perfect, but it doesn't resonate emotionally with readers. To sharpen writing that you suspect may have fallen flat, return to the emotion that you felt when you first conceived the idea (i.e., anger, hope, challenge, etc.). That is the emotion you want readers to feel. After pinning down that emotion, select dramatically charged language that conveys that emotion, relying on tone and slant. You can also sharpen flat writing by using specific detail that readers can connect to instead of general, vague language that keeps readers at a distance. Flat writing can be sharpened by using simple declarative sentences, by using startling or unique facts, and by keeping your writing moving without stalling over lengthy or boring passages. These techniques and others, when employed always with an eye toward the heart of your message, will create energy in your writing that readers will find captivating and anything but flat.

Beat Writer's Block

While experienced writers often confront writer's block in the middle of a project, beginning writers often become blocked before they ever begin a project. This is a fear-based block. The fear for beginning writers is that they may not be good writers and may fail miserably if they try to write; therefore, their fear keeps them from writing at all. There are some useful strategies for overcoming writer's block. The first and most important strategy is to do the necessary preparation or pre-writing work before beginning to write. This involves focusing your topic and your approach (or slant) on the topic, researching your topic, writing a brief outline and reviewing whatever writing guidelines or sample writing you have at your disposal. The second strategy is to shut off the critic and begin writing. Your goal is to just get the first draft written without concern for perfection. You want to get your thoughts down without the interruption of editing until you have a completed first draft. The third strategy is then to spend the necessary effort revising your work. Don't be afraid to tear into it, making significant changes, or starting all over if necessary. By doing the necessary planning, freewriting and revising required to polish your work, you'll keep writing blocks at bay and produce the best writing you are capable of.

Write Clearly

Think of your writing as a pool of water. Readers look at the surface of your pool and seek to find their own reflection there, but they also look into the depths of your pool to gain greater insight. If your writing is murky or cloudy, they can't see your meaning as clearly; however, if your writing is clear, they can experience your meaning in profound ways. One of the ways writing gets murky is if you try to say too much in one sentence or paragraph. Readers can get lost if your writing becomes too convoluted or circuitous. Write simply and cleanly with generally one major idea per sentence and one subject per paragraph. Your writing can also get murky if it is nonsensical. This is writing that usually involves grammatical issues such as subject/verb disagreement, commonly confused words, sentence fragmentation, etc. These types of errors can confuse readers and cause them to miss your message entirely. Another issue that can make your writing murky is writing that contradicts itself. Make sure that your ideas and details are consistent throughout and present a clear message. Write as if you are teaching readers. Teachers strive to communicate everything clearly so that their meaning is easily grasped. A writer's goal should be the same. Keep your writing focused and insightful and readers will see your message through your lens.

Build Word Bridges

Good transitional wording is a key skill in a writer's tool box. Transitional words are words or phrases that connect one idea to another and smoothly guide readers through a writer's thought process. Transitional words are like signposts that tell readers where the discussion or action or story is going next. These words transition readers from scene to scene, point to point or subject to subject. They are words, phrases or sentences that repeat key ideas or key wording to inform the reader how what they just read relates to what they are about to read. They create smooth segues that create an almost imperceptible transition from one section of writing to another. If done correctly, readers are consciously unaware that a transition has been made. They just know they are reading easy, smooth writing that makes sense to them. Transitional wording becomes especially important when you are transitioning from one idea or subject to another in which the relationship between the two is not obvious. In these cases, you need to use wording that builds a bridge allowing readers to cross over to the next idea or subject without any difficulty in understanding why they are moving in that direction. The last thing you want your readers to do is get lost in your discussion or story because then you will have lost their attention. So help your readers traverse the landscape of your thoughts with effective transitional wording that keeps them engaged, informed and interested.

Choosing Words

Word choice is an important aspect of effective writing and is something writers agonize over in the composition process. There are three aspects of words to keep in mind when struggling with word choice: denotation, connotation and diction. The denotation of a word is its literal dictionary definition. For example, the word "liberal" is defined as a person who is tolerant or nonjudgmental. The connotation of a word is its emotional coloring. For example, the word "liberal" in American culture means a personal who is socialistic in nature, a bleeding heart activist. The diction of a word is how a word sounds and the effect its sound has on readers or listeners. In other words, does a word sound soft or harsh or odd to the ear? For example, the word "liberal" is a soft sounding word and evokes a sense of openness and acceptance. When struggling with word choices, consider their denotation, connotation and diction. It is not enough to just consider a word's meaning or translation. Use the shape, sound, rhythm and tone of words to evoke the mood and emotional response you intend to elicit in readers. Words are a writer's tools. Use them thoughtfully and deliberately to channel your message in the most effective way possible.

Connect with Readers

Being able to connect with readers is a hallmark of effective writers. Readers must relate to what you write on an emotional level if you are to have a lasting impact on them. How do you establish this emotional connection? The short answer is: by being real. Being real in your writing means presenting recognizable, complex ideas, much as real life is both recognizable and complex. So, when writing scenes, events, descriptions, etc., strive to mimic real life. This is accomplished through using vivid sensory detail and compelling, realistic examples. Readers can relate to your writing if they can relate to and recognize the details you've presented. This style of true-to-life writing, even in fiction, keeps readers interested because they can see themselves or someone they know within the scenes and descriptions you've crafted. This establishes a strong emotional connection between readers and your writing. When readers connect at this deeper level, their curiosity is piqued. They start asking questions as they read and they look eagerly to you for the answers. Because they can relate to your writing in such a personal, tangible way, you have captured their interest. Engaging your readers with strong, vivid writing will keep them connected and keep you in demand.

Revise for Purpose

Writers are always admonished to revise, revise, revise. But how do you go about accomplishing this task? Revision involves three basic things: adding text, cutting text, and rewording text. What combination of the three you need to do depends on the writing project and its purpose. With that purpose in mind, look for wording that doesn't accomplish the purpose and begin your revision there. You may find that you need to add text. This involves providing more detail to enhance reader understanding, clarifying your message, adding transitional language for better flow, etc. Conversely, you may find that you need to cut text. This involves looking for unnecessary, repetitive wording and simplifying or deleting it. It involves cutting passages that are too wordy or awkwardly worded. Look for areas that readers might have a tendency to skim over and cut those out. Any text that doesn't advance the purpose of the work should be eliminated. Finally, you may find that, rather than adding or cutting text, you need to reword your existing text for better impact and effectiveness. This largely involves re-slanting your wording so that it conforms better to the purpose of the project. For instance, you may have written argumentative style when the purpose is to be instructional. Learning to revise your work for conformity to purpose will make your writing more effective, more readable, and more likely to leave a lasting impression.

Develop Your Writer's Voice

Writers are often advised to develop their voice, their own unique imprint as an artist. But what exactly is a writer's voice and how do you develop it? Developing your voice as a writer means discovering your own personal style that is distinguishable from other writers. If you think about the writers whose work you enjoy, each one has a unique voice that you recognize almost immediately when you hear or see some of their work. A writer's voice involves tone, perspective, cadence, rhythm, slang, dialect, speech patterns, etc. that are unique to that writer. These are the distinctive qualities that reflect you as a person and make your writing style yours alone. The more in tune you are with these nuances of your personal style, the more that style will be reflected in your writing. Style is something that can't be forced. It must come naturally. So, when you're writing, think about how you talk, how you express yourself, what your particular slant on life is, and be aware of how this can be expressed in your writing. Probably the best way to develop your writer's voice is to write about what you care deeply about. When you're writing about your passions and commitments, your natural voice comes through because it's being carried by your emotions. You don't have to think about style. It just pours out of you with fluidity and candor. This is the type of writing that best defines you and makes you an original writer that readers will both recognize and be inspired by.

Think Before Writing

American journalist Christopher Morley once said: "The problem is to teach ourselves to think, and the writing will take care of itself." There are two important types of thinking that writers can utilize to enhance their writing skills. These types of thinking are especially useful in developing and refining ideas or topics to write about. Creativity experts define creativity as the production of something original and useful which, they say, is achieved through a combination of divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking involves generating many unique ideas as a starting point in the process. This type of thinking has also been referred to as brainstorming. It involves using free association to spin as many ideas off of an original idea as possible without any restraints or parameters. It is a kind of warm-up exercise for the brain. Convergent thinking comes next. After the generation of as many ideas as possible, convergent thinking involves focusing in and combining these ideas into the best result. Both are necessary to develop useful, refined writing. Employing a process such as this will result in ideas or topics that are thought out in advance and have the best chances of resulting in successful writing. It is tempting to jump into writing projects without doing the necessary thinking work first. Train yourself to think first and write second. The results will make your writing shine.

Speak Your Writing

Language was originally in oral form. It was spoken and heard, not written and seen. Even today, spoken language is more powerful than its written counterpart. Spoken language sounds different than written language. It connects more directly with our emotions, and it is often easier to digest than written language. So it is important, as writers, that we stay connected to the spoken form of our writing. When editing your work, don't rely solely on a silent reading of it. Reading silently can lull you into thinking your writing needs little or no revision because you are experiencing your writing passively. Reading your work aloud, however, jolts you and wakes you up because it is an active experience of your writing. When you read your work aloud, you hear things that you don't notice with a silent reading. Everything leaps out at you when you read aloud - awkward wording, phrases that don't sound right, nonsensical wording, awkward transitions, choppy writing, style inconsistencies, etc. These are all things that a silent reading of your work may gloss over because the reading mind tends to skim or glide over words and groups of words. The speaking mind, however, lingers over and pronounces each individual word, causing it to notice the sound and detail of each one. So, when you're editing your work, use a combination of silent review and reading aloud to gain the best perspective you can and make the most of your revision process.

Set Writing Goals

Writers need to set goals just like everyone else. Goals are the framework around which you will build your craft. But it is important to know what kind of goals to set. Beginning writers often set lofty, generalized goals (i.e., I want to write a bestselling novel). While this is an admirable goal, it is not an immediately achievable one and can easily lead to frustration, disappointment and a sense of futility. This happens because the goal is too overwhelming and sets you up to face insurmountable odds and likely failure. What you need are smaller, more specific, achievable goals (i.e., I will write an outline of my novel idea or I will write a sketch of the main character of my novel). These smaller goals, once achieved, become the building blocks for your larger goal of a published, successful novel. Smaller goals allow you to achieve gradually and to build confidence in your writing. They keep you focused on the work at hand, the process of writing, so that you're not distracted or overwhelmed by a larger goal. If you work steadily at these smaller goals, you will eventually have your finished novel or short story or essay. Because you have taken the time to build your writing project one small block at a time, you will have a finished work that is polished, structurally sound, and one that you can be proud of. So, dream big, but work small.

Writing Anywhere, Anytime

A skill that is important for writers to cultivate is the ability to write anywhere, anytime. Often writers feel conditions have to be perfect for them to write. The stars must be aligned. The muse must be calling. It must be perfectly still. They must be perfectly comfortable, and they must be inspired. As a result, these writers often get little or no writing done because it's impossible to achieve such conditions of perfection. Life is full of distractions and imperfect conditions; and if you let them detour you from your goals, you will never be a productive writer. It is important to simplify the writing process so that you don't have to have your computer in front of you to write. Work on being able to write with just pencil and paper. Learn to write on your lap instead of on a desk, to write on the go instead of being stationary, to write in little segments of free time instead of long blocks of it. Make your craft mobile and flexible so that you can do it anywhere or anytime the opportunity presents itself. This will allow writing to be integrated into your daily life instead of being a separate formal activity you do only in certain places at certain times. Writing in this stream-of-consciousness manner will enable you to write in a more focused way because you are teaching yourself to regularly tune out the world and tune into your writing. It also allows you to capture those spontaneous bursts of creativity as they occur instead of waiting for a more ideal time when the thought and the inspiration may be lost. Instead of trying to set aside time to write, try making writing a natural part of your daily life, and reap the rewards of more creative and productive work.

Tactile Writing

In this age of technology, writers have to be careful not to become too dependent on computers. While computerization has made a writer's work easier and faster in a myriad of ways, it has also changed the nature of writing and our relationship to the written word. Prior to the computer age, writing was a very tactile experience. It was the scratching of pen on paper or the clacking of typewriter keys punctuated by the rhythmic clunking of the typewriter return. Writers were connected to their writing in very sensual ways. What the computer has ushered in is a disconnect from this tactile orientation to a mostly visual one. On a computer screen, our writing automatically "looks" better and therefore seems better than when it is scribbled on a sheet of paper. As a result, we often have an illusion that our work is more polished than it really is. When typing on a computer, our mind works differently than it does when applying lead or ink to paper. Different neurons fire and thought is processed in different ways. I encourage my writing students to regularly produce handwritten work so they don't lose that vital connection from mind to hand to paper, because it is profoundly different than the connection from mind to keyboard to screen. By all means, utilize all the benefits that technology brings to the writing process, but don't lose touch with tactile writing. The quality of your writing will be greatly enhanced by the sensual experience of handwritten work and you will find greater enjoyment in the writing craft.

Failing to Succeed

Like most pursuits, writers must take the bad with the good. While the ultimate goal is good writing, there needs to be room for some bad writing along the way. A mistake some writers make is trying to be perfect. These writers may say: "If I can't write well, I don't want to write at all." The problem with this view is that it's not realistic. Even the most accomplished writers occasionally write badly. It's part of the writing process and it's part of being human. The quest for perfection often leads to paralysis. To achieve perfection is such a daunting goal that writers can become frozen in the face of such overwhelming odds and end up writing nothing at all. To not allow yourself to write badly or make mistakes is to deny yourself the opportunity to experiment and grow as a writer. The paradox is that, in order to write well, you must give yourself permission to write badly. If you never write anything because it might turn out badly, you won't have anything to work on, to refine, to learn from. All you will have is your fear. At least having some bad writing to your credit is better than having no writing to your credit at all. It is through the failures and mistakes of our writing that we're able to learn and develop as writers and ultimately experience success. It is not possible to have writing success without first experiencing many failures. Welcome your failures, learn from them, and pave your way to well-earned writing success.

Finish Your Work

Starting writing projects is easy. Finishing them is the hard part. A common problem many writers face is working on multiple projects simultaneously but not being able to complete any of them. These writers tend to flit from project to project, working on each one a little bit at a time, but never delving deeply into any single one. When the writing becomes difficult on a particular project or the work becomes stalemated, they switch to another project for which the writing is easier. The hard work is staying with a particular writing project even when you become blocked and working through the rough spots until it becomes easier again. Abandoning your work when it gets difficult often results in the work never reaching completion. It also robs you of an opportunity to grow as a writer, learning to persist even when it seems hopeless and trusting that the writing process will see you through the difficulties. This persistence will pay big rewards in completed work and the satisfaction of having stayed with it when it would have been easier to walk away. Working on multiple projects is fine as long as the multi-tasking doesn't get in the way of finishing your work. An idea may be beautifully conceived, but until it's fully executed into a completed work, it's just an idea. Finished work is what defines you as a writer and keeps you growing as an artist.

Generating Ideas

Generating ideas for writing projects can, at times, be a writer's toughest challenge. Sometimes ideas appear on their own, emerging from a subconscious level and presenting themselves in ready-to-go form. Sometimes a vague notion of an idea hovers near the conscious level, but it is not yet a fully developed idea. More commonly, however, writers are simply stumped regarding what to write about. Beginning writers will often say: "I want to write, but I don't have anything to write about." How do you come up with ideas when the blank page is staring you in the face? There are many techniques writers use to generate ideas and it's just a matter of discovering which techniques work for you. Listing ideas through free association is one technique. This can be done by either listing words or ideas in a linear fashion or by making a drawing that links ideas together with lines or arrows, much like the spokes on a wheel. Drawing works well for people who are visually-spatially oriented. Another technique is closing your eyes and putting a finger on two words in a book or magazine (i.e., justify and humor) and then developing a concept or story from those two words. A variation of this technique is pairing two odd things that don't normally go together (i.e., fence and socks) and developing an idea from them. Another technique is to put yourself in a new environment or engage in a new activity, pay attention to the sights, sounds and senses you experience, and write about them. There are numerous ways to get your creative neurons firing. Using these types of techniques regularly will keep you supplied with ideas and with the motivation necessary to continually grow your writing repertoire.

Reduce Writing Stress

Trying to complete a writing project can be stressful, especially if there's a deadline or if the project is particularly difficult or new territory for you. Learning how to handle writing stress is critical to your success as a writer. Letting stress get out of hand can be a huge distraction in the writing process and can even stop your writing cold in its tracks. It is always important, when writing, to keep your eye on the goal, but it is especially important when the writing itself becomes stressful. Keeping your goal in mind and repeating it to yourself (i.e., finishing a chapter or report or poem) can actually lessen your stress because it keeps you focused on something positive (the goal) and distracts you from the negative (the stress of the process). There are also other ways to tackle writing stress. You can feed yourself positive affirmations (i.e., I can and I will complete this project). These affirmations re-track your thought processes from "I can't" to "I can." You can also adjust your thoughts when you hit a stress wall. Allow yourself to acknowledge that the stress you're feeling will pass. It's a rough spot, but it need not derail you. You can learn to go with the flow of writing by reminding yourself up front that your writing project will have ups and downs and, in fact, even expect the down times. Incorporate them into your mindset as just part of the writer's territory. Getting a handle on stress will keep you writing past those blocks and fears that crop up and keep you actively engaged in the writing process no matter what else is going on.

Freewriting

Too often writers focus entirely on the goals of their writing projects and forget about the process of writing. The drive to finish that story or chapter or report are so strong that writers are in automatic pilot and missing out on the "experience" of writing. There is much to be learned and enjoyed by focusing on the process of writing instead of the goals. The process is where the true art resides, so to move it to the background is to miss out on the most rewarding aspects of writing. To help you stay in touch with the process, work intermittently on writing that has no goal other than to write. In other words, you are just exercising your writing muscle for the pure purpose of enjoying the act of writing. The best way to do this is freewriting. This is a technique often used by writers to warm up before beginning a writing project or to regain momentum during a block or stalemate in the middle of a writing project. It involves setting a timer or using a watch or clock to track the time and simply writing about whatever comes to your mind for a specified period of time. The trick to freewriting is to not let the editing part of your brain kick into gear. Your task is to write non-stop, using free association of ideas, until the time is up. You will find that this periodic exercising will not only keep your writing skills in good shape, but it will also help you stay attuned to the many nuances of the writing process that make it such a rewarding endeavor.

Persistence Pays

The most important tool an emerging writer can cultivate is persistence. Too many writers give up too quickly. They let struggles such as writing blocks and rejections stop their forward momentum. Some writers quit just as they are about to experience some success. Many writers never get the journey started, being so afraid of failure that they don't even take those first important steps. It is absolutely critical to your writing life that you persist in spite of the frustrations and failures, in spite of the odds, and never stop in your tracks. You must learn to look at these setbacks as part of the natural progression of your writing career, know that they are normal, and trust that you will get beyond them. Your setbacks as a writer, particularly rejections, need to be kept in perspective. They are rejections of pieces of your writing but not of your writing as a whole and certainly not of you as a writer. Rejections are a bump in the road, not a head-on collision. Remember that many fine works were rejected multiple times before being published. The difference is that the writers didn't give up. They persisted in spite of what seemed to be overwhelming odds, kept believing in their work, and eventually found the path to publishing success. Persist with your writing, even when there seems to be no reason to, keep your momentum going, and never stop believing in yourself and your writing. You will find that your persistence pays the sweet rewards of a lasting and successful writing career.

Appeal to Senses

When writing description, writers tend to focus primarily on the visual sense. They use descriptive language of shape, size and color that appeals to the eyes. While visual orientation is a natural and primary reference point for us, it is by no means the most powerful. When writing a descriptive scene, consider using the senses of sound, touch, taste and smell. We tend to register these senses on a more subconscious level, and therefore, underutilize them in our writing. But some of our most impressive memories are associated with a smell or a taste or a texture. Stretch your descriptive muscles to put together interesting combinations of the senses that will resonate with readers and bring your descriptions to life, for instance: the rain smells like orchard apples or the spring tastes like lemons. These sense combinations give your writing more depth and make it more thought-provoking. Your readers' experience will be greatly enriched by them and your writing experience will be more interesting for you. Whether you are writing fiction, nonfiction or poetry, appeal to all the senses and your vivid writing will be an experience your readers won't forget.

Writing Simply

Writing simply and plainly is the best policy for most writers. There may be occasions when flowery, embellished language is appropriate or even required. But for the most part, your job as a writer is to communicate clearly with your readers. This is best accomplished through lean, clean prose that gets directly to the point and doesn't lead readers on a contrived literary goose chase. This type of direct writing is achieved through careful selection of words, eliminating unnecessary or redundant words, and reducing the amount of modifiers (adverbs and adjectives) that make writing seem convoluted and confusing. Some writers mistakenly think they must use big or unknown words to impress readers, but it often has the opposite effect. Readers don't want to have to wade through difficult passages of prose. They don't want to have to stumble through overly wordy language that seems awkward and forced. They want writers to make reading easy for them, spelling everything out smoothly, plainly and as succinctly as possible. If you remember that your goal is to communicate, not confuse, you will choose language that gets to the point, informs readers clearly, expresses your ideas effectively, and gets the job done.

Inspiration vs. Perspiration

Should writers wait for inspiration to strike them before writing and should they write only when inspired? There is much to be said about the power of inspiration that can carry writers like a magic carpet, sailing them toward their goals. Writing while uninspired can be tedious drudgery that is very discouraging, which begs the question: Should you wait for inspiration? Not according to famous writer Jack London who said: "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." The club he spoke of is the perspiration part of the equation. What he meant is powering through those droughts of inspiration with sheer will and writing anyway. Writers who wait lose because they lose precious writing time that can never be regained. If you wait for inspiration, you may write only rarely or never at all. A true artist keeps producing even when the well is dry, knowing that eventually inspiration will strike again and the going will be easier. Applying yourself to your writing consistently through the power of perspiration or determined effort will keep you on track and steadily writing through the good times and the bad. It will teach you not to let the down times distract you from writing. It will teach you not to make excuses for not writing. Welcome inspiration when it knocks on your door, but don't put your writing life on hold waiting for it to visit you.

Follow Writing Rules

Writers are faced with many rules of writing and editing. It is tempting to ignore those rules and go it alone. Beginning writers often do this at their own peril. Certainly there are examples of writers who ignore all the rules and write brilliant masterpieces. But those instances are rare indeed, and those writers are extraordinarily gifted. For most of us, most of the time, we will benefit from listening to and following long-established guidelines for writing well. These guidelines exist because they are time-tested and sound; and for most people, most of the time, they are true. An unwillingness to follow sound writing principles or editing advice often comes with lack of experience and a tendency to overestimate one's writing abilities. Successful writers know that they must rewrite their work repeatedly to achieve their goals. They welcome rather than reject editing advice and they usually implement whatever editing changes have been offered to them. Novice writers, on the other hand, tend to believe their first drafts are just fine and don't need any rewriting. They tend to resist any urging to change what they've written. This resistance is ultimately what keeps them from developing and succeeding as writers. Embracing writing and editing rules will strengthen your writing and help you succeed. View these guidelines as helpers to get you to your goals and you'll find that you've turned your writing stubborness into writing success.