Letting Go

Sometimes we pay too much attention to rules. In an effort to be the best writers we can be, we stuff our heads with so many dos and don'ts that, when we actually sit down to write, we are frozen. Creativity is a finicky companion. It likes to come out and play and it likes to be given free rein. In return, it can bless us with riches we never dreamed of. But if it feels too stifled, too corralled in by too many rules, it can retreat and disappear altogether. If this happens to you, you'll need to tease it out of hiding again. This means letting go for awhile of all the forms and structures and conventions and just freewriting as if there is no purpose, as if there is no reader or editor, as if there is no other reason than to just write. If you allow this much room, your creativity will emerge again, cautiously. To keep it from retreating, you'll need to continue feeding it with freeplay, letting it bend at its own will, until it grows and strengthens and becomes resilient enough to withstand the onslaught of convention. You'll need to make regular play dates with your creativity to keep it strong. Insert into your work schedule ample time to play-write. This can be in the form of a journal, a writing sketchbook, an idea log, or something else you come up with. Whatever it is, do it regularly; and after your creative mind has had time to follow its whimsies, then put it back to the hard work of conforming to rules and structure and convention. All work and no play, as they say, makes for a dull person. The same holds true for writing. Letting go of the rules periodically will strengthen your creative powers and boost your productivity - a handsome payoff for a little bit of fun!

Writing In Tone

Tone is so important in everything you write. You can think of tone as the words between the words. Tone is conveyed by what you're not saying, and what you're not saying can sometimes scream at readers, drowning out what you are saying. Writers tend to focus too much on content, to the detriment of tone. It is important to be accurate and thorough and honest in your writing, but it's also important to give readers literary medicine that they can swallow easily. You get nowhere with readers if you offend or insult them or talk down to them. So paying attention to the tone in your writing is critical to connecting with readers. The best way to do this is to really "listen" to what you've written. Look for the connotations and turns of phrase that may send the wrong message to readers. When you read your writing back, do you have any negative gut reaction to what you're saying? When you read it aloud, does it convey the mood or attitude you intended it to? Does your writing "sound" the way you hear it in your head? Getting tone right doesn't mean you edit out truth or shock or fury. It means that you make sure your words don't betray your message and that the timbre of your language is harmonious with your intent. Writing must resonate aurally to be effective, and having your message and your tone in sync will make it fall like music on readers' ears.

Writing Muscle

Writing is like a muscle. A muscle must be exercised regularly to maintain its tone and stability and to do its job of supporting bones and body parts. If a muscle is not exercised regularly (daily), it can atrophy. So can writing. To gain strength and flexibility as a writer, you must write regularly. There isn't an easy way out. You have to exercise your creativity in order to expand it, and that doesn't mean doing the same thing repeatedly. Just as muscles need a variety of exercises to stay strong, so does writing. Challenge yourself to do things differently as often as you can. Write a genre you haven't written before. Put seemingly opposing or odd ideas together and work them into a descriptive passage or storyline. Ask your creative muscle to stretch in ways it normally doesn't. By writing regularly, even when you don't feel like it, you will gain the same benefits over time that you gain by exercising regularly. Musculature needs attention AND tension to grow and strengthen. Your creativity also needs your regular attention and it needs tension from the challenges you throw at it in order to develop. Exercise your writing every day, challenge yourself every day to write just a little better or a little differently, and keep the pressure on. You'll be astounded at the results.

Theme and Thesis

Both theme and thesis are important to good writing. To write well, you have to go beyond your theme (subject matter) and delve into your thesis (your belief about or interpretation of your subject matter). Both are critical to reading and writing literature. It's not enough to be well versed in your subject. Just being knowledgeable doesn't translate into good writing. You also have to get beneath the skin of your subject and explore how you feel about it. This underlying belief is the message you need to communicate to readers. When reading a work of literature, you can only truly understand it when you get to the writer's emotional landscape, the way the writer views the world and the subject's place in that world. Likewise, when writing a work of literature, you have only truly written it when you've peeled your subject down to its innermost layers and revealed those raw emotions to readers. It is only then that you have truly communicated to readers. Writing is as much about discovering as it is about knowing. Flannery O'Connor expressed this best when she said, "I write to discover what I know." Know your subject well and you will write well; but know yourself well, and you will write sensationally.

Aspire to Inspire

When engaging my students in writing exercises, they are encouraged to consider the ageless adage that "it's not what you say but how you say it" that matters. Shouldn't all writers look at their writing this way? After all, what good does thorough, accurate, technically perfect writing do if it bores readers to death? It's not the content that inspires readers, but rather the way writers deliver that content that makes all the difference. How you express yourself on the page is what makes you the unique writer you are. Sure, content is important and research and accuracy are crucial to good writing. But when it all comes together, it's the way you phrase things, the rhythm of your language, and the structure of your sentences that gives you the power to inspire readers. Informing is one thing, but inspiring is quite another. All writers aspire to inspire, and it's through paying attention to stylistic nuances of cadence and syntax and flow that they are able to achieve it. It's through paying attention to how they say things. A good writer can write about anything, but an excellent writer can write about anything and make it sensational, no matter how mundane it is. By concentrating on how you say what you say, and making that your primary focus, you can be the kind of writer that matters to readers.

Thinking and Writing

Writers must think clearly in order to write clearly. This doesn't mean that writers can't write in response to the chaos and confusion of life. But it does mean that they need to have some perspective to write effectively. Thinking clearly doesn't mean having it all figured out. In fact, some of the best writing has come from writers' journeys of discovery. But clear thinking involves reflection. It's thinking that has a purpose. When thinking clearly, there is an active effort to focus the disconnected flow of ideas and images into useful discovery. There is an effort to develop new interpretations of events, to consciously evaluate the accuracy of information and ideas. Clear thinking also involves creativity because it uses association techniques to generate ideas or images. When writers engage in clear thinking, they are actively seeking form and function in the soup of life's chaos. They are making order and meaning where none existed before. This is the special talent of writers - taking the confusing, the frustrating, even the mundane and transforming it into something inspirational and enlightening for readers. All the writing skill in the world won't make up for muddled thinking. Good thinking habits are a writer's most valuable tool and most valuable gift to readers.

The Tug of Writing

Good writing tugs at readers. It makes them feel on edge, uneasy, torn, outside their comfort zone - and this is exactly what keeps them glued to the page. Writing doesn't have to be mystery or thriller writing to achieve this edge. It simply has to be compelling. Good writing tugs at readers' minds and hearts and instincts and moves them off center so that they're open to new experiences and perspectives. It changes readers. Writers accomplish this change in many ways through effective plot, structural techniques, and good storytelling. But mostly they do it through using selective language - emotionally charged language that is heavily laden with meaning and symbolism. It's language that causes readers to have a visceral reaction. It tugs at readers to pull them in a new direction. Writing that doesn't have this pull isn't memorable. It won't keep readers up late turning page after page. It may not keep them turning pages at all. Writing has to do so much more than merely inform or entertain readers. It has to fundamentally alter their consciousness. So when you read your own writing, listen for that tug in your words. See if you can feel the seduction of your language as it washes over you. Does it have the power to transform readers or does it fall short? Being able to affect readers profoundly will make your writing more meaningful and keep readers coming back for more.

The Quiet Within

It is often said that good writing comes from a writer's pain and anger, and often it does. But I would submit that good writing comes mostly from a quiet place within where the fury has stopped. Yes, we need passion and raw emotion to write well, and that passion and emotion come from our own experiences. But if we write while we're still angry or still obsessed with whatever harmed us, we're not yet thinking clearly enough about it to have a sound perspective, and so our writing suffers. Readers know the difference between a rant and a resolve. They can sense if we're level-headed and reasonable or still caught up in the storm of our emotions. They know if we've reached any peace or wisdom about an issue; and they need us to be in that place because they look to us for the answers. Readers aren't so much interested in how angry or indignant we are as they are interested in how enlightened we have become, how we've grown from the experience. It's in reaching this quiet place of acceptance within that we are able to offer the most to our readers. So it's important that we don't write too soon about something we haven't yet fully processed, because it will show in our writing and it will frustrate our readers. Tempering passion and emotion with careful understanding will make us better people and better writers.

Feeling and Thinking

Writing requires two levels of engagement - feeling and thinking. Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, your subject matter is something that needs to be relevant to you, that resonates with you on a deeper level. That means you need to get in touch with how you feel about it before you begin writing. You have to delve into your own emotional soup and sort it out before you can make any sense of it in your story or essay. After you have a handle on how you feel about your subject, you can begin to explore what you think about it, what your intellectual take on it is. This progression of feeling to thinking is important in order to write something that is meaningful for readers. If you haven't connected emotionally with your subject, readers will be able to sense that because your writing will come across as shallow and a bit sterile. Your intellectual treatment of the subject won't matter to readers if that's all you offer them. However, if you offer both intellect and emotion, readers will relate to your writing in a meaningful way because your writing will have depth and warmth. There will be layers to your story or essay that touch readers profoundly and speak to the complexities of your subject matter. Without that layering, your writing will fall flat. To write effectively about any subject, feel first and then think. Your readers will be glad you did.

Beneath Writing's Surface

So often we think of writing only in terms of its surface meaning, its subject and theme and plot. But there is another layer to writing that really needs our awareness and deserves our attention. That is the underlying or implicit meaning of a work of literature. It's the message of the work, not its more obvious subject and theme. What is the writer saying beneath the words that readers need to pay attention to? As children, we were often asked what the moral of a story was, and we answered with simplicistic ditties such as: "The moral of the story is that goodness overcomes evil," or some such cliche. Even as children, as lovers of storytelling, we instinctively knew the difference between theme (the main idea or subject matter of a story) and moral (the lesson to be learned from the story). But as adult readers and writers, we seem to have forgotten, and we focus heavily on the surface characteristics of writing rather than the deeper instrinsic meaning of it. But it's this deeper layer where writing affects us the most. We may not always be able to articulate the deeper meaning of a work, but we can always sense it. We feel writing viscerally because it is able to connect with us on this level. Whether reading or writing, we should strive to be cognizant of the richness beneath the surface of what we read and write. It will make us more appreciative readers and certainly better writers. Because, as the old adage says, it's not what we say (on the surface) but how we say it (implicitly) that makes all the difference.

Writing About Literature

Writers are sometimes asked to review a work of literature, either a classic or a newly published work. There are many ways to go about this type of review, but a process that makes the most sense is the macro-micro approach. This approach suggests that you take care of understanding the larger issues first before launching into analyzing the specifics of any work. For example, knowing what type of work it is (fiction vs. nonfiction, story vs. essay, etc.), what genre it belongs to (fantasy, romance, memoir, sci-fi, etc.), and what viewpoint it is written from (first person story, third person academic essay, etc.). Making sure you have a good handle on what type of writing you're reviewing is crucial to writing a coherent and meaningful review of it. This is especially true given, for example, the current blurring of lines between fiction and nonfiction and the creation of a new type of writing called "creative nonfiction." The distinctions between types of writing are not as clearly defined as they used to be. So it is only after having a good grasp of these larger issues that it makes sense to tackle the more specific intricacies such as plot, theme, structure, etc. Hand in hand with this approach is making sure that you fundamentally understand the work, that it makes sense to you and resonates with you. If it doesn't, your review of it will likely be confusing and ineffective. Remember that your goal in any review is to make the work clearer and more meaningful to readers, not less so. By using a systematic approach to writing a thoughtful review, progressing from macro-analysis to micro-analysis, you will create a deeper experience for readers as well as add your unique perspective to the overall view of the work.

Painting With Words

A student recently asked me if she could use a diagram to illustrate her essay and refer to it in her discussion. I told her I wanted her to paint pictures with words instead of using visual illustrations. Decidedly frustrated, she set about her task of creating images using only words as tools; and as a result of this challenge, her essay was much stronger. How do writers paint with words? They use the same technique as photographers use in framing a photograph within the lens of their cameras. They notice the details that others often overlook. Where the average person might see a tree, the writer sees the shadows it casts on the ground, the way it seems to reach skyward, the tangle of its branches, and the way its leaves catch the sunlight. And then the writer describes the tree using these details so that readers see what she sees - not just a tree, but a collection of sensory details that together create a tree. There is a world of difference between telling readers that a tree is beautiful and showing readers that the tree shimmers the golden light of sunrise through its emerald leaves. Readers will remember this picture. They will see that tree in their mind's eye and it will stay with them. Paying attention to details and painting what you see with words will keep your writing vibrant and relevant, and for readers - unforgettable.

Embracing Structure

While discussing MLA and APA format guidelines with students recently, a student asked: Why do all these format rules even matter? She was obviously feeling frustrated and overwhelmed with the number of writing formats she's faced with in college writing. Why does format matter? Even the simplest of writing tasks follows some kind of format. For example, a recipe has a set format. When writing recipes, you list the ingredients before you give the cooking directions. Why is this format required? Because it makes sense to do it that way. We would quickly abandon a recipe that began with cooking directions before we even knew what ingredients we would need. The same is true for any writing. There is a sensible way to go about writing tasks in order to achieve maximum effectiveness. Whether you're writing a college essay or a poem, certain standards are expected of you. These standards, or formats, give structure to the writing so that readers recognize it, understand it, and respond to it. Without these standards, writing would be chaotic, confusing and ineffective. This applies even to creative writing. Out of the swirling soup of a writer's thoughts must come order that takes shape on the written page, and it is out of that order that the true magic of writing is born - the ability to move and change readers in unexpected ways. It is by embracing structure, format and standards that writers find the freedom to create their own voice, message and style, much as the skeleton provides the framework for the heart. Structure doesn't limit writers - it supports them.

Writing With Purpose

Everything you write has a purpose and it's your challenge to tailor your writing to that purpose. Sometimes writers choose to ignore purpose and do so at their own peril. They throw words at the page hoping that something will stick and pass as good enough. They write haphazardly, not really clear about what they're writing and why. This results in writing that is muddled, confusing, and ineffective. Purpose should be the driver that gives your writing momentum and structure. Being clear on your purpose helps you stay on track with content, tone and slant. It helps you achieve your writing goals concisely and effectively. If your purpose is to convince readers of a certain point of view, for instance, then that dictates everything that goes into that particular piece, from word choice to rhythm to syntax. Without being clear about your purpose, you're writing blindfolded. Editors, publishers, and readers are keenly tuned into what is expected from a piece of writing. And to the extent that you can deliver what is expected, you will be able to achieve amazing results. Before you begin any work, first be crystal clear about your purpose. Then write. The rest will take care of itself.

The Art of Writing

Shouldn't your writing reflect the hard work you put into it? Shouldn't readers know how you struggled and fought and scrapped to make your writing the best you could make it? Actually, it should be just the opposite. If readers can see that you've struggled, then your writing is not as polished as it should be. If they can see the cracks and chips, then you've not yet done enough to hone your writing. You want your finished work to be so good that readers don't notice the writing itself. That's right. You don't want readers to notice your writing. If they do, there's something amiss. Instead, you want them to be so absorbed, so transported by your words that they're not even aware of the vehicle that is moving them. You want the mechanics of how you move them to be invisible. Readers should be aware of the impact of your writing, not the structure of it. You want your writing to be so seamless that it looks to readers as if it was very easy for you to write, that it took no time at all, that the words just flowed from your mind to paper. And when you get that kind of feedback, you just smile, because that means you've done your job. You've created your work without revealing your tools, and that's what makes you an artist.

Paragraph Parts

In prose writing, a good paragraph is like a good story. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. Just throwing a few related sentences together does not a paragraph make. There must be structure to it, a framework that holds the content. The beginning of a paragraph should lead readers in to the paragraph by providing a transition from the previous paragraph, by providing some kind of hook to snag readers' interest, and by announcing the subject of the paragraph. The meat or middle of the paragraph is the ideas, details and examples that support, explain and develop the subject of the paragraph. Everything in this section of the paragraph should relate to the subject, should flow smoothly from one sentence to the next, and should adequately support the key idea. Like a story, a paragraph should have an ending that gives it a finished feel. The ending should summarize the rest of the paragraph and leave readers with a parting thought that will create an effective transition into the next paragraph. With all parts of a paragraph working together, it will be a coherent unit of writing that contributes effectively to the overall purpose of the piece. And like a good story, it will leave readers wanting to read more.

Selecting Examples

One of the most common lead-ins in prose writing is "for example." But how much thought do you put into the examples you use? Examples illustrate and clarify your ideas. They develop and support your main points and they give concreteness to your ideas. But they need to be selected with care. There are several issues to consider. Are your examples relevant to your topic or tangential? Do they contain accurate, credible information? Are they representative of how things usually are rather than being rare or obscure examples? Secondary to this last question, are your examples within the realm of normal or general experience and do they represent a good cross-section of your subject? The examples you use can make or break your article or essay. They can either make things crystal clear for readers or they can muddy the waters. You want to think about the impact of factual examples vs. hypothetical examples. Also, the way you arrange examples is important. Should you arrange them spatially or by chronology? Should you save your best example for last in order to achieve a dramatic conclusion? Examples may seem like a small part of any writing project, but they are powerful pieces of your work that can either carry a wallop or cause your writing to fall flat. There is more to selecting examples than it may seem, but selecting them carefully and employing them artfully can help you create poignant, effective prose.

Story Pacing

Using scene and summary are bedrocks of storytelling. But the artful mixing of the two is what makes the difference between a mediocre story and a great story. Scene is where all the excitement is. It's action and dialogue and suspense. Summary is the background information that sets up scenes and fills in the gaps for readers. Good storytelling uses a combination of the two, weaving from scene to summary and back to scene again to keep readers riveted. The routine parts of a story should be shortened and summarized. Too much explaining and background detail will bore readers and detract from the storyline. These parts are necessary, but they should be kept to a minimum. The exciting parts of a story should be prolonged and dramatized with action and dialogue. However, readers need a break from the drama occasionally, and this is where summary comes in to provide relief. Readers will feel exhausted with too much non-stop action. They need pauses to absorb what they've read and gear up for what's coming. Scene and summary are the rhythms of a story, surging forward and pulling back, all the while weaving in the details that flesh out the story. The combination of both allows a writer to pace a story, build momentum, and keep readers hooked.

Less Is More

Sometimes in our zeal to be effective writers, we load up our prose with descriptive language. The idea is that if a little description is good, then a lot of description is even better. But actually the opposite is true. Writing that is glutted with adjectives and adverbs becomes busy and distracting for readers. This kind of cluttered language is challenging to read because it trips up the tongue. It becomes confusing and readers give up. Lean, clean prose with minimal descriptors is the best way to communicate. This forces you to carefully select descriptive language, using the most powerful options to get your message across. Lean description is easier for readers to read and easier for them to visualize. Providing a skeletal framework of descriptive detail gives readers the opportunity to fill in the rest for themselves. And this is what readers want. They don't want writers to describe everything for them. They want to imagine for themselves because that's what makes reading exciting. Using descriptive language sparingly brings power to your writing and creates a more meaningful experience for your readers. When you feel the urge to go all out with description, rein it in and remember: less is more.

Listening to Writing

Good writing is much like music. It flows and has rhythm and cadence. There is a musicality to the structure of its sentences. This is achieved by varying sentence length and form. Short sentences convey emphasis and urgency whereas long sentences convey a slower, more thoughtful pace. Interspersing the two creates a rhythm to writing. Varying sentence form also contributes to the rhythmic quality of writing. The tongue and ear should flow over words as easily as water over river rocks. This can be achieved by varying sentence arrangement, beginning some sentences with nouns and others with adverbs and phrases. It can be achieved by reversing the normal pattern of subject/verb and placing the verb before the subject. It can be achieved by varying the combination of independent and dependent clauses in a sentence. But mostly it can be achieved by listening. There is an aural quality to language that is as clear and rousing as any concerto. Listening closely to the way words are put together, the way ideas are strung along the clothesline of human thought, the way the sounds of words reverberate in the heart will teach us everything we need to know about the power of language and the passion it burns in readers. Listen to your writing. It has something to say.

Revising From the Outside In

Revision is hard for writers to do. It involves tearing into their work and undoing something they've spent considerable time and energy creating. It may be why many writers procrastinate or avoid revision altogether. There are ways to make this sometimes painful process easier. One of the biggest mistakes writers make when revising is to focus on the minutae before taking care of the larger structural issues. For example, they may be absorbed in getting the punctuation right when their plot is wandering all over the place. It's important to take care of the big things first. If there are larger issues in the framework that are problematic such as confusing content, poor organization or inconsistent point of view, for instance, it doesn't matter if the punctuation is correct because the whole piece is flailing. It would be like focusing on fixing a nail hole in the wall when the roof is caving in and the walls are crumbling. So revision becomes a matter of recognizing priorities and acknowledging when a work is in trouble and why it is in trouble. The revision process becomes so much easier when the general is attended to before the specific. In fact, attending to the general issues that need fixing often fixes the smaller issues as well. Revision doesn't have to be hard. It just needs to be done in a way that makes sense. Revising from the outside in is the smart way to begin.

Using Guidelines

My writing students sometimes turn in perfectly good essays, but they fail the assignment. Why? They fail because they ignored the guidelines of the assignment. They ignored the word limit, style, purpose or format guidelines or all four. Should this matter if the writing is good? Absolutely, it should matter. The world is about guidelines, especially the writing world. Try sending to an editor an article that doesn't meet the publication's guidelines. It will be soundly rejected. So will college writing assignments, job writing assignments and a myriad of other daily living writing tasks. Ignore the guidelines and you get turned down. That's the way life is. Writing is as much about following the guidelines as it is about the mechanics of writing. If you want to write mysteries, then study mysteries. Learn the guidelines of that genre and know what editors and publishers expect from mystery writers. Then follow those guidelines to a T. This may sound like the death of creativity, having to follow guidelines. And you may ask whatever happened to creative license? But what good is creativity if you can't get it published? Your challenge is to be as creative as you can within the parameters you have to work with. Maybe your wonderful 5,000 word short story is 2,000 words over the limit for a literary magazine you really want to be published in. Work on that story to make it tighter, cleaner, stronger. Make it lean and mean until it fits within the word limit. You're not limiting your creativity by doing this. You're strengthening it by plying the tools of your trade and becoming a master at revising your work. And most importantly, you're giving your work a fighting chance to be seriously considered for publication. Use guidelines to your advantage and success will follow.

Filling the Gaps

Anais Nin once wrote that "a writer's role is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." Writers hold a special place in the world. To many readers, they are the bearers of truth, enlightenment and inspiration. Readers count on writers to fill the gaps, to help them explain the unexplainable, to say the unsayable, to think the unthinkable. This is an incredible power that writers have and they need to be careful not to squander the opportunity. Look at your own writing and ask yourself if it fills any gaps for readers. Have you dared to go where others haven't? Are you tackling the tough questions life presents and are you giving readers something that completes their knowledge or experience in some meaningful way? No matter what topic you're writing about, no matter whether it's fiction, nonfiction or poetry, your mission should be to find the truth. Get to the heart of the matter, dig beneath the surface, and give readers something that can change how they experience the world. This is what Anais Nin is directing writers to do. Those of us who write carry a special burden, but when we get it right, it's a burden worth bearing because we have the privilege of impacting the world.

Step Your Writing

Writers sometimes stumble because they try to run before they can walk. In other words, they seek success immediately without having to put in the hard work to get there. Often, this focusing on the end product first instead of the process leads to abject failure. No other craft allows perfection without practice. Neither does writing. To become a good writer, you have to start with the basics. Be good at grammar. Be good at sentence construction. Know how to write a tightly woven, unified paragraph. Learn to write in the active voice. Shine at word selection. Do all these basic things well and then move on to the next step of composing that essay or story or novel. But don't graduate yourself into the next level when you haven't mastered the previous one. It's just counterintuitive to do so and you're only setting yourself up for failure and frustration. No one wants to read a writer who hasn't first mastered the language. You may tell a compelling story, but if it's full of grammatical errors and poor construction, readers won't care about your story. They'll only see the mistakes. Poor writing signals poor habits - inattention to detail, laziness in learning the fundamentals, rushing for the praise not yet earned. And readers will remember bad writing just as clearly as they remember good writing. To keep them coming back, do your apprenticeship before you seek to publish. Take your writing in steps and you will step into a successful career.

Tone Your Writing

The old adage that it's not what you say but how you say it that matters is especially true for writers. Tone is everything because that's what readers listen to and that's what they'll remember. So if your purpose is to influence readers, your tone must be persuasive. If it's merely informative, you've not achieved the tone necessary to prompt readers to think or act in a certain way. You achieve a persuasive tone by careful selection of words that carry an emotional impact, that are heavily laden with meaning and symbolism, and that are a part of the collective consciousness. If your purpose is to deal with a difficult situation delicately, your tone must be diplomatic. You achieve a diplomatic tone by careful selection of words that are emotionally neutral. Just the opposite of persuasion, diplomacy strives to dial down the emotional reaction in readers, not rev it up. Being clear about the tone you want to convey means being clear about your purpose. The two go hand in hand, and by being clearly focused on both, you can achieve your writing goals more effectively. Content is certainly important, but content is conveyed through tone and your careful attention to tone will have a lasting impact on readers.

Clear Writing

Clear writing requires clear vision. You have to know what your message is before you start writing. And you have to know your purpose in giving that message. Without that essential knowledge, your writing will be confusing. This is because muddy thinking leads to muddy writing. To be absolutely clear with readers, you must be absolutely clear with yourself. Every piece of writing has a motive behind it - to instruct, to enlighten, to shock, to entertain. Only by being clear on your motive can you produce writing that stays on message. Writers who are not clear about motive and message will frustrate readers and turn them off. Their writing will likely be convoluted, tangential, and contradictory. Their writing may not be clear, but it will be painfully clear to readers that they don't have their writing act together. It helps to write out your message before you ever begin a writing project. Be as succinct as you can. If you can't write your message in a single sentence, you're likely not as focused as you need to be. Secondly, write a purpose statement that spells out your motive for wanting to bring your message to readers. Again, if you can't write your purpose statement in a single sentence, you've got some work to do to further develop and hone your idea. Once you are clear about your message and motive, they will serve as a blueprint for the rest of your writing. If you stay true to them, they will guide you throughout the writing process and keep you on track to produce clear, effective writing that is both meaningful and memorable for readers.

Unity in Writing

I often talk to my beginning writing students about achieving unity and coherence in their writing. While these concepts are easily definable, their essence isn't. In other words, it's easier said than done. Unity means that all the sentences in your article or essay or story clearly relate to the controlling idea of the piece. Everything has a reason for being there, which is to build on and embellish the controlling idea. Coherence means that all ideas progress smoothly and logically throughout the work. This involves having seamless transitions from one segment of your essay or story to the next and having a sequence of ideas or events that logically follow one another. This all sounds very mechanical and routine, but pulling it off is not as easy as it seems. When you read something that is excellently written, you are often not aware of the techniques the writer has used. They are seamlessly sewn into the fabric of the work. You just know that you've read something that is very smooth and eloquent, but you may not be able to say why it is so. This is the essence of unity and coherence. It's the behind-the-scenes work of the writer that pulls a piece together and makes it appear, on its surface, to be effortless writing. To achieve this with your own writing, you have to work it over and over until it sounds right to you, never giving up until you hit that sweet spot when you know you finally have it right. It often involves tedious and time-consuming editing and rewriting, working with your writing until it's as perfect as you can make it. And finally, when your essay or article or story "hangs" together from beginning to end and reads like a harmonious whole, you know you have achieved that elusive quality of unity.

The Rhythm of Writing

Rhythm is usually discussed in connection with music, but rhythm is also an important part of writing. How you pace your writing affects how readers respond to it. Long, drawn out passages can relax readers, giving them a break from the pressure of more intense passages. Short, abrupt passages can create the action and tension needed to keep your writing moving and readers' interest piqued. Language can resemble music with its cadences, tones and rhythms. Tuning into these qualities of language requires a careful selection of words and sentence patterns that create an aural impression on readers. Readers not only have to visualize what you're writing about, they have to "hear" it in their minds. They have to hear the emotions of your words. Rhythmic writing takes readers for a ride, gearing them up with excitement and expectation, calming them with soothing language, or informing them with words that convey conviction and clarity - all through the "sounds" of words. Ellen Goodman, in her moving essay "Becoming Desensitized to Hate Words," illustrates a masterful use of rhythm. Throughout this short but powerful essay, she builds her argument against the language of hate by giving readers one compelling example after another. Her sentences are often short, to the point, convincing - conveying an authoritative tone. But at the end, she really brings her message home with five abrupt, poignant sentences: "This was Nazism. This was the Gestapo. This was the Holocaust. This was Hitler. If you please, save the real words for the real thing." Pow! She hits readers between the eyes with her message and she hammers it home with a staccato rhythm of successive short sentences. Each sentence drives her message deeper into readers' consciousness until she nails us with her final thought. Using the rhythm of language to help you convey your message is a powerful, effective tool that will keep readers riveted and responding the way you want them to respond. Your writing will literally be music to readers' ears.

The Art of Writing

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." This famous quote by Pablo Picasso explains why writers write, painters paint and musicians make music. For those of us who write, it is the art of writing that keeps us hooked. Sure, we care about the mechanics and structure of writing, the mundane details that make the difference between mediocre writing and excellent writing. And we truly love language in all its intricacies. But it's not the fundamentals of writing that keep us coming back for more. It's the art of writing, that particular essence of the writing process that helps us transcend the pains and struggles of life. It's that otherworldly feeling that comes when a piece seems to write itself or when words touch us in places there were previously no words for or when we experience the deep sense of accomplishment in seeing our words in print, knowing our voice has joined the larger voice of humanity. These are the moments that collectively create the artistic element of writing. In between these moments are often long periods of tedium and frustration, but it's those special moments of euphoria that we live for, however brief and far between, because they are our antidote to what's wrong with the world. They make the difference between a life lived in despair and a life lived in dreams. Whether we write or paint or dance, there is one thing we know for certain: where there is art, there is always hope.

Building Paragraphs

Paragraphs are the building blocks of nonfiction writing, yet many writers have forgotten or perhaps never learned the ingredients of a well-written paragraph. Whether you are writing an article, essay, correspondence or report, you want each of your paragraphs to contribute in a meaningful way to your overall piece. They should be building blocks, not fluffy filler, and should progress logically from one to another. So how do you build a good paragraph? First, you need an opener that announces both the purpose and content of the paragraph. This first sentence should be a hook that draws readers in and a preview that lets them know what will unfold in the rest of the paragraph. This first sentence should also follow logically from the preceding paragraph so there is continuity in the presentation of your ideas. Next, you need several sentences (lengths of paragraphs will vary based on the type of piece you're writing) that present the body or meat of the paragraph. These sentences will contain facts, examples and other data that are necessary to develop the main idea of the paragraph. The body sentences of a paragraph should not stray from the topic and purpose of the paragraph. They should flow in a logical progression from idea to idea. The last but very important part of a paragraph is the closing sentence. This sentence puts a cap on the paragraph, providing a finish that either summarizes the paragraph content or emphasizes the main idea of the paragraph, preferably in a memorable or provocative way. It should be a nice wrap-up that gives the paragraph a finished feel and lets readers know that you've finished with that topic and are moving on to another. Each paragraph is a miniature of the piece as a whole. It has an introduction, a body and a conclusion, just as your article, essay or report does. Building solid, well-constructed paragraphs containing these key elements will help you produce nonfiction that informs, entertains or even enlightens your readers with effective, seamless writing.

Originality in Writing

Writers often struggle in coming up with new ideas and they set their sights on finding ideas that no one else has ever thought of before. But the chances of that happening are highly unlikely and that mindset can be both limiting and overwhelming. True originality is not so much a new idea as it is presenting an old idea in a new way. Creativity takes the known, the mundane, and makes it interesting, even fascinating. This is a writer's gift and it's why readers love to read. So instead of pressuring yourself to come up with completely original ideas, instead try re-thinking existing ideas and asking yourself what new slant you can contribute to those ideas. For instance, can you come at the idea in reverse, mixing up the order of how people usually think about it, in order to gain a new perspective on it? Can you play devil's advocate with the idea and promote an idea most people readily reject to get readers to think about it in a different way? Some ideas just need your unique spin on them by inviting readers to view them through the lens with which you view the world. Ask yourself what your unique worldview is and try to understand how it is special. Originality comes from turning ideas upside down and looking at them from different angles. An old idea made new is just as original as a new idea. The world is rife with ideas for you to harvest. With careful attention and playful thinking, you can bring originality to your writing and keep the ideas flowing!

Developing Writing Ideas

Beginning writers often struggle with developing ideas for writing projects, but even experienced writers can occasionally face this dilemma. Ideas can be challenging to come up with, but it may be easier to do so if you remember that ideas are born in everyday moments of inspiration. They can come from dreams or conversations or visual images or just our thoughts. If we look for them, everyday life is full of ideas to write about. You just have to adjust your antenna to tune into them. Instead of thoughtlessly plodding through your day, as many of us do, try looking at your world through a different lens each day. Maybe one day you notice everything you encounter that's shaped like a triangle. You may find the world is full of triangles, and in them, you may find an idea to write about. For example, an old cowboy's triangular face is the same shape as his horse's face. What does that say about the symbiotic relationship between the two of them? Maybe another day you notice everything you encounter that's yellow. Look for relationships among things that are yellow and see if there are ideas there to write about. Does yellow remind you of a particular season or time of day? Does it conjure up a certain mood? Let your mind free associate about the color yellow and write down the ideas you come up with. Look at nature, watch people, and be a keen observer of your world. We often think we can only be inspired by great and unusual things; but there is abundant inspiration available for our writing in everyday life, and if we learn to tap into it, we will develop a constant flow of ideas that will keep our writing lives fresh and full.

Theme Vs. Message

I encourage my writing students to look beyond the theme of what they read, dig deeper, and discover the message. Theme is the surface of writing; it's the subject matter. But there is another layer that I want my students to get to in both their reading and their writing. I want them to get to the heart of it and search out what they are really trying to say and what other writers are saying. It's important to good writing to think not only about subject matter, but also to consider why you want to write about a particular subject. What is it you feel the need to say about the subject? What message would you like readers to take away from what you write? For instance, you may write an essay or story about death. That is your subject matter. But it's much more than that because you have something you want to say about death. Maybe it has touched you personally and you've lost someone very close to you. You have feelings and wisdom from this experience that you'd like to share with others. Maybe what you want most to say is that we must live in a way that prepares us to die. That, then, is your message, and your job as a writer is to find the best way to convey that message to readers in your essay or story. You need to think about whether an overt presentation of your message is the most effective technique to use or maybe a more covert presentation in which readers have to dig for your message would be better. Either way, you want to make sure that your readers come away with the message you intend. Subject matter is important to any writing endeavor, but it's your message that will leave your readers with something to remember.

Planning Your Writing

While there is much to be said about writing spontaneously using stream-of-consciousness thinking, it may be helpful to you to plan out your writing instead. Not everything can or should be written off the cuff. Most types of writing, to be effective, need at least some preliminary planning. It's tempting to just jump in and start writing when an idea strikes, but try holding back on that impulse and engage in some pre-writing activities. Depending on what you're writing, it may be advantageous to know your whole story or article or essay before you start writing. That means figuring out what you will say from beginning to end and in what order. This kind of planning can help you be more organized and thorough, assuring that you don't leave out important parts of your story or essay. You can use outlines or story boards or visual drawings. The way you plan isn't as important as the fact that you plan. Planning also helps you guide readers through your writing in a logical way that makes sense to them. Some writers feel that planning or pre-writing kills creativity, but used in the right way to formulate the skeleton of your writing project, it can actually enhance your creativity. Forming the outer structure of your writing project first allows you to fill in the delicious details carefully and skillfully because you already know where you're going. You can apply all your focus on getting there in the most effective way because you're not distracted with both structure and detail at the same time. Other skilled craftspersons don't dive into their craft without any thinking or planning. Why should writers?

Defining Yourself

Exploring many genres and styles will allow you to broaden your skills as a writer. And while this diversity of approach may be good for stirring the creative juices, at some point you will have to define yourself as a writer. You will need to find your particular niche in the broader literary world. The purpose of defining yourself is not to lock you into a place from which you can never deviate, thus curtailing any future exploration. Rather, the purpose is to allow you to develop your own style and voice. By finding your niche, you can deepen your thinking and focus as a writer and bring a unique message to readers. This intense concentration in a specific area allows you to become a "literary" expert who can enrich readers' understanding and experience, and by so doing, stand out from the crowd. How do you find your niche? Sift through your writing experiences and look for an area where you feel your writing shines, your interest is most intense, and your impact on readers is most significant. This area is your niche. If you excel in nature writing, for example,then that is what you should focus on, becoming enveloped in that area of writing until you become a master at depicting aspects of nature and changing your readers' experiences with nature. This skill will define you as a writer and allow you to achieve excellence. That doesn't mean you can't focus on other areas later, but it is of utmost importance that you first master one area and gain a reputation with that before you tackle another area. There is plenty of time to diversify. Look to your strengths and let them help you discover the best kind of writer you can be right now.

Nourishing Your Writing

During this growing season, there are some parallels between gardening and writing that have occurred to me. Just as I have to nourish my garden regularly with water and fertilizer, so do I have to nourish my writing with regular practice and attention. A well-tended garden gives back produce and beauty. A well-tended writing practice gives back recognition and inspiration. I have to work at my garden for it to flourish and this sometimes means making some difficult cuts. Not every bud will transform into a bloom or fruit and not every plant will survive. But in order for the garden to survive as a whole, I have to be willing to prune regularly and let go of the stems and leaves and shoots that don't appear to be thriving. It's the careful pruning that ensures my garden will not only thrive, but burst with growth. Likewise, not all of my writing will thrive either and I have to be willing to let go of ideas that don't work, projects that don't seem to be growing in a productive way, and work that may not be the quality I want it to be. It's difficult to cut or toss writing that I've put a lot of effort into, but if I want my writing to flourish as a whole, I have to be willing to cull the bad writing so that the good writing can come through. In the end, my garden thanks me for the careful attention and pruning and pays me back with a beautiful display and harvest to enjoy. My writing practice will pay me back too and, if I tend it well, will reward me with the satisfaction of publishing success.

The Emotional Impact of Language

Writers have a powerful tool at their disposal - language. To use this tool effectively, we need to understand the emotional impact words have on readers. It doesn't matter what type of writing we do, our primary objective always has to be to connect with readers. This means being aware of the emotional charge certain words carry and selecting those words carefully to evoke the desired reaction in readers. Too often, writers convey their messages in neutral language that informs but does not move readers. Their writing may be technically perfect, but it fails to inspire. Being aware of the connotation of words, not just their denotation, is critical in composing prose or poetry that will change the way readers feel and think. And after all, that's why we write - to have this kind of profound impact on readers. There are certain words in every culture that are heavily laden with meaning and symbolism. Readers will have a strong, visceral reaction to them and these are the kinds of words we can use to get our message across more powerfully. Think about how readers will feel - not just think - but feel after reading your words and ask yourself if your words are creating the kind of response you want. Being sensitive to the nuances in language will not only make you a better listener, but a better writer as well, because you are tuning in to the emotional frequency of human nature. And writers with their hands on the pulse of humanity have the power to change the world.

Writing With Passion

I always encourage my students to write what they are passionate about. Within the framework of their writing assignments, which are only external structures that give them general parameters, I want them to choose topics that excite them. They will write better papers if they are excited about their subject matter and they will write even better papers if they are passionate about their subject matter. This is because their natural writing abilities come through better when they aren't also challenged with a topic they find boring. When writing in an inspired frame of mind, ideas flows more easily, style comes more naturally, and the writing sounds spontaneous rather than forced. The quality of the writing increases and so does reader response. I maintain that a truly inspired piece of writing can make any subject fascinating. It's not the subject matter of what we read that snags our attention as much as the style of what we read. With passionate writing, we can be lured into all kinds of nooks and crannies that we would not otherwise have ventured into. I have read inspired student essays on subjects I know nothing about and come away with a genuine interest in a subject I had previously never given a thought to. As readers, it's the experience we're after. We want to be excited by what we read, and if you can give that to readers, your writing will have a lasting effect.

Titling Your Work

It's easy to think of titles as peripheral to your work, as something to tack on after the piece is written. But actually, titles are central to your work. They may be the last, but are certainly not the least piece of your writing. Titles can do several things. They can help announce your topic, provide a hook to draw readers in, and present the work's central message or theme. Titles should be utilized to do any or all of these things and should be carefully chosen. A weak or inappropriate title can make the difference between the failure or success of your work. It may mean the difference between someone choosing to read your work or not. That's how powerful titles are. Whether you are writing a book, a short story, an essay or a poem, your title should be something that encapsulates your work in the best way possible and draws an arrow straight to the heart of your message. The title doesn't have to be immediately understood by readers, but by the time they've finished reading your work, the title should make perfect sense to them. It should be an "aha" moment for readers, pulling everything together for them and providing an extra shot of insight. You put a lot of work into your writing. Don't let a weak title diminish all your effort. Instead, let your title be the finishing touch that brings your work full circle into a powerful, cohesive literary package.

Reaching Out

Writing is a very solitary activity and one of the challenges writers face is working in isolation. It can be very difficult to stay motivated when you work alone and it's also very easy to become discouraged when working by yourself. These are the times when you can help yourself overcome this challenge by involving yourself with the writing community. There are many ways to do this. You can communicate with other writers online or by attending writing events or joining a writing group. You can engage in one-on-one conversations with other writers you know. You can work with writing mentors and teachers. Whatever way you choose, the goal is to shake yourself loose from the discouragement solitary work can bring and allow yourself an opportunity to vent, share and recharge your batteries with others who face the same challenges. Taking this time away from the writing process can make you much more motivated and productive when you do return to writing. It will also make you less vulnerable to becoming stymied by your disappointments and frustrations. By building a network of comrade writers, you can turn a solitary writing life into a vibrant and supportive community that keeps you pumped up and ready to work. Reach out and find the support you need!

Taking Time

Why is it that when you've finished a writing project, given it all you have, and made it the best you can make it, a teacher, editor or writing group can tear it apart and find all kinds of fault? Shouldn't your effort yield more favorable responses and why does your writing look so good to you when it doesn't to others? These are perplexing questions for all writers. It's disheartening to put so much effort into our creations only to have them criticized by others. But there is a reason why this happens and happens so frequently. When you're writing something, you get engrossed in it to the point that you're focusing on the minutest of details as you work to pull your ideas together into a coherent flow. This is a good thing because it means you're minding the details and being thorough in your approach to writing. But it also means that you may be so lost in the small things that you're no longer able to see the larger picture. In other words, while the intricacies of your work may be solid, there may be larger structural issues that you're blind to but that are obvious to others. For example, your descriptive details in a story may be exemplary, but your plot may wander from the story line. The reason you can't see this is because you're too close to the story, too involved in it, to be able to step back and look at it with objective distance. This is a common problem for writers and one that can be overcome by allowing yourself some time away from a work before finalizing it. Taking time off between the rough drafts and the final draft you submit for grading or publication and allowing yourself to look at it with fresh eyes and a more detached review can go a long way toward giving you the objectivity you need to effectively polish your own work.

Writing With Purpose

I advise my beginning writing students that, above all else, they must have a clear understanding of their purpose in completing a writing assignment (beyond the obvious purpose of completing a paper that's been assigned to them). I ask them to examine their deeper purpose. Writing has to be more than conveying ideas with words. In order for your writing to resonate with readers, there has to be a message. And the clearer you are about your message, the more effective your writing will be. For instance, are you writing an essay to inform readers about the death penalty or are you writing to argue against it? Knowing your purpose can help you select the language you need to communicate your message. If you're writing to argue, for example, you know you need to select language that is persuasive, hand-picking words that are heavily laden with meaning that evoke a strong, visceral response from readers. If you just write in a general informative style, your writing will lack that argumentative edge needed to get your message (your argument) across. So, look beyond your topic and information and zero in on your specific goal. Ask yourself how you want readers to feel or react after reading your piece and then make every word count toward achieving that purpose.

Intrinsic Rewards of Writing

Much is said about dedication to writing and the need to succeed. Writers are buried in advice to write daily, push past rejection, keep a writing project in the hopper at all times, and strive toward ever higher goals of publishing. But little is said about the enjoyment of writing. Instead, writers are encouraged to approach writing like a business and discipline themselves accordingly. So much emphasis is placed on the end results of publication and monetary reward that very little time is spent exploring the experience of writing, the process and the joy that provide writing's intrinsic rewards. This seems counterintuitive when recognizing that creativity comes from a deep inner well that does not need outside validation. The act of doing the thing you love is validation and reward enough. It is because you love it so much that you can't imagine a life not doing it. You do it because you want to with every fiber of your being, not because you feel you have to for someone else. I think much of the extrinsic rewards of writing such as publication and monetary gain would be much more readily accessible for writers if they paid more attention to the intrinsic rewards and the pure joy of the act of writing. Getting in touch with why they write and celebrating that will both improve their writing and their experience in producing it. That seems like a win-win situation to me.

Breaking Writing Down

My beginning writing students often get overwhelmed at the prospect of having to write an essay. They don't even know where to begin and feel intimidated by the writing process. If you break writing down into its component parts, however, it's not so intimidating. This technique can be useful for writers of all skill levels. First, you start with an idea, a core concept around which you will build your piece. Every sentence you write should promote that core concept or advance your thinking about it in some way. You need to introduce that core idea in your first sentence. Choose a word that best represents that concept and write it down. Then choose words that will give that idea legs and help it progress into complete thoughts. Build sentences and paragraphs around those thoughts. Next, develop helper ideas that will flesh out the main idea more completely, giving it more depth and clarity. Then build sentences and paragraphs around those secondary or supporting ideas. When you first write, don't worry about having the order of your thoughts perfectly organized. The idea is to just get your ideas formed and get them down in writing. Once you've explored and expressed all your thoughts about your core idea, then begin editing what you've written. You want your writing to unfold logically, like a story, with one thought building on the next one. Number your ideas in progressive sequence and arrange your paragraphs accordingly. You now have a completed first draft that you can revise and hone into a polished piece. By breaking writing down into parts and putting those parts together like a puzzle, you can take the intimidation out of the writing process and enjoy the results of well-organized, refined work.

Inspired Writing

As a practicing writer, you want to resonate deeply with your readers. You want to inspire them. But writing prose that inspires is one of the hardest challenges writers face. To inspire, writing has to do more than inform readers. It even has to do more than entertain them. Inspiration is influencing or moving readers in a significant way. This means readers change in some tangible way as a result of what they've read. They could change the way they see themselves, see others, experience the world. Whatever it is, they experience self-transformation is some measureable way. This is an awesome challenge for a writer to aspire to, to move readers in profound ways. How can you possibly do this? The best way to achieve inspirational writing is to be inspired yourself. You have to love writing and let the words move you as much as you desire to move readers. It's important to get in touch with why you began writing in the first place. What attracted you to writing? What did it do for you? Did it comfort you during tough times, bring you joy during good times, help you understand and express yourself, help you understand the world better? Being aware of how writing affects you can help you affect others with your writing. Experiencing writing with the same emotions that brought you to it in the first place can bring a special quality to your writing that you may have lost. Take some time to inventory your relationship to writing, be inspired again, and inspire your readers in the process.

A Divided Brain

Writing is a creative activity and is right-brained. But it's also an editing activity and is left-brained. Writing requires use of both sides of the brain, but how do you utilize two opposing forces effectively? The right brain is the one that likes to play with words and ideas and free associate. It's a stream of consciousness type of thinking. This is the part of your brain that should have free rein to create your first drafts. You can engage this part of your brain through a number of techniques such as brainstorming, clustering, freewriting, etc. When writing your first drafts, you should keep your left brain at bay. Engaging this part of your brain in the drafting process runs the risk of never finishing your first draft. That's because the left brain is the critical part of your brain. It's the editor, the taskmaster, and it can stop creativity dead in its tracks. Only after you've completed your first draft should you get the left brain involved. After your right brain has depleted itself and spent its fancies, you can put your left brain to work to clean up the mess. This is the time to do all of the hard work of editing and rewriting and it is fully left brain work. Once the editor part of your brain has done its work, you can re-engage your right brain for some more creative rewriting. Again, at this point, you must turn your left brain off and let your creative juices flow. Alternating the two halves of your brain in this way can lead to better productivity and better results. Your brain may be divided, but the two halves can work together to make your writing whole.

Planning Your Writing

Just as you would not build a house without a plan to follow, you should have a plan for your writing projects. Having a solid plan in place before you begin to write will enhance your success. Planning gives you a clear goal and specific steps to reach that goal. Following the plan keeps your writing on target and well-constructed, just like a solid, well-built house. The first thing you should consider is what your task is. What are you trying to accomplish with this story or article or book? What is expected of you by teachers, editors and publishers who will review your writing? Once you are clear on what your goal is, construct a plan on how to get there. It can be in the form of an outline, a storyboard or a narrative discussion. However you do it, you should be spelling out the steps and the sequence required to get you to your goal. It doesn't have to be detailed to begin with. It just needs to be complete, from beginning to end. Then you need to write following your plan. If you deviate from it, have a good reason for doing so. Otherwise, stick with it. Write the piece from beginning to end before you begin the editing process. It's important to get the first draft completed. Then review your goal and your plan and revise your work accordingly. Every place you've strayed from your message, edit until you're back on track. Re-work your writing until it's as good as it can get. Then review your plan again. Have you met your goal? Have you met the expectations placed on you? Then and only then are you ready to submit your work for review. Develop a plan for all your writing. Stick with it and enjoy the results.

Writing With Drama

Drama isn't only for fiction. Using dramatic techniques to enliven your writing will help whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction. What makes writing interesting to read is the use of techniques that engage and hook readers. These dramatic techniques can range from vignettes or anecdotes to descriptive passages to plays on words. The point of using them is to create conflict or suspense that keeps readers reading and wanting more. Just reciting facts to readers or telling a story is not enough to keep their interest. They must feel that there is something beneath the surface, something to be explored or solved, something that makes them think or see things in new ways. This feeling makes reading an active rather than a passive pursuit and it makes readers focus on your story or message and pay close attention. If you feel your prose is dragging, try one of the many dramatic techniques available to writers. It may be something as simple as constructing a metaphor or something as elaborate as a detailed flashback. Whatever it is, its purpose is to ratchet up the tension and get readers to take notice. You want readers to be excited about your writing, so get dramatic and watch your readers' excitement grow!

Exploring Ideas

My beginning writing students often express difficulty in coming up with ideas to write about. I encourage them to plumb many sources for possible ideas. One of the deepest wells to dip into for ideas is the daily news. So many things are happening in our world on a daily basis that there are endless ideas and issues to write about. There are political issues, cultural trends, life and health issues, economic issues, etc. Just a tidbit from one of these news items can be the source of a topic to write about. A tidbit combined with some targeted research can be an essay or an article or even a short story. Beyond that, there are other less conventional sources to consider for writing ideas. Use your own imagination to come up with topics that interest you. What is your pet peeve, your greatest inspiration, your greatest worry or fear? What makes you happy, sad or angry? What holds the most fascination for you? All of these are plausible sources for ideas to write about. Think of other sources such as conversations you have had with friends and family. What topics come up for discussion? Can any of these be a possible writing topic? The world is rife with ideas. You can find them on billboards, in song lyrics, in graffiti and artwork. The challenge is to keep your eyes wide open and look for ideas in everything you encounter. It won't be long before you have a long and interesting list of things to write about. The challenge will be narrowing it down to just one topic to concentrate on for a particular project. But at least you won't be lacking ideas!

Writing by Hand

I ask my beginning writing students to do a lot of in-class writing. There are a number of reasons for this, but none as important as encouraging them to maintain that creative connection between mind, hand and paper. It is vastly different than the connection between mind, hand and keyboard that they're so used to. Our minds process information in different ways when we write the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper. Different neural pathways are utilized with tactile writing and the result is more creative, more unique writing than the writing that appears on a computer screen at the tapping of keys. When you write with pencil and paper, you feel what you're writing. You connect with it more and it's more meaningful to you. You also see it with clearer eyes and can spot the flaws in your writing much easier than you can on a computer screen that makes even bad writing look good. It's not a bad idea to write all your first drafts by hand and then do the tedious editing and polishing work on a computer. You may find that your writing is richer, more nuanced, more on target than writing that is originally produced with the sterility of a computer screen. At the very least, it's good to occasionally write by hand just to maintain the ability to do so. We are rapidly becoming a society in which handwriting is a lost art. And when we reach that point, our writing skills, our communications styles and our creative neurons will be changed forever. Can we afford to lose this vital connection for the sake of convenience?

Stretching Your Writing

Writers sometimes have to step outside of their comfort zones in order to grow. Creativity is like a muscle. It must be stretched in order to strengthen. This means you play to its weak side. You help it grow by asking it to do unusual movements. The same principle is true with writing. If you only attend to your strengths, you achieve minimal growth. It's when you stretch yourself to try things you're not comfortable with that you begin to see your skills broaden and strengthen. That doesn't mean that you abandon your strengths and focus on things you're not particularly good at. It does mean being willing to try something different to see if you can enhance the strengths you already have. For instance, are you a nonfiction writer? How about trying to write some poetry? You may think that sounds absurd, especially if you have no particular skill or experience with poetry. But if you give it a try, you may find talent you didn't know you had. At the very least, you may find something in poetry that will enhance your nonfiction writing - for instance, using poetic techniques of rhythm and meter to make your prose more fluid and interesting. Trying other things will build, not diminish, your talent. But first you must give yourself permission to try something new and perhaps to fail miserably at it. It's the exploration process that's important, not the result. Stretch your creative muscles whenever possible and watch your writing skills improve in unusual and surprising ways.

Writing Goals

Setting writing goals is important to writers. It keeps us on track with our writing careers and helps us stay productive. However, goals may need to be adjusted, especially if they're not working. Writing goals can come in many forms - from writing daily to writing a certain word count daily or weekly to completing a project one at a time from beginning to end. Whatever the goals are, they have to work for you. For example, suppose you set a goal of writing every day, without fail, for a year. At the end of that year, however, you find that while you engaged in writing activities every day, they were more quantitative than qualitative. In other words, they helped you achieve your goal of writing every day but didn't do much to help you complete writing projects. What happened is the goal took precedence over the writing and quality writing time (completing a project) became secondary to quantity writing time (writing something every day). If this goal hasn't worked for you, it's time to adjust it. Maybe daily writing isn't an appropriate goal for you. Maybe weekly goals will work better. Maybe setting periods of time aside for writing every few weeks or so is what will work best for you. Only you can make that decision. The writing gurus can't make it for you. Setting goals is a bold step. Equally bold is having the courage to change goals once they're set without labeling it as a failure. Changing goals is an adjustment for the better and it shows you're being realistic rather than just blindly following a pre-determined path. Let your goals work for you instead of you working for them and you'll be a happier and more productive writer.

Keeping Description Lean

Descriptors are words that help writers convey mental images to readers. When used effectively, they can greatly enchance your writing. They can help you paint word pictures for your readers that will make readers feel as if they are actually experiencing what you are describing. If they're overused, however, they will quickly overwhelm and confuse readers and will ultimately weaken your writing. Keeping descriptors to a minimum will keep your prose leaner and more powerful. A little description goes a long way. Instead of flooding your prose with descriptors, strive to keep descriptive language to no more than 25% of your overall writing. Search for those words that pack the most punch and use one or two stronger descriptive words instead of eight or ten weaker ones to convey the same word picture. You're looking for quality, not quantity, in your descriptive passages. Allow readers to form the majority of word pictures on their own. Give them just enough teasers to prompt them to finish the picture in their mind's eye. When describing, stay with a single theme (such as nature) instead of multiple themes which will confuse readers. Make sure the descriptors make sense and convey exactly the image you want to convey. Use descriptors only when not using them would leave your writing vague and ineffective. Even though it seems counterintuitive, keeping your descriptive language lean and precise will actually make your writing more vivid, not less so.

Detach to Connect

Often with my student writers I find an unhealthy attachment to their writing. They become so attached to what they've written that they're unwilling to change it, even when they receive overwhelming feedback to do so. Several factors drive this tendency. Resistance to change can come from fear of failing. Novice writers may want to hang on to what they've written because they fear the void they'll face if they hit the delete button. "At least," they reason, "I have something down on paper. I think I'll just hang on to it." Resistance to changing or editing writing can also come from becoming too fond of certain expressions or turns of phrase to the point that writers don't want to let go of them even though it's clear they detract from rather than enhance the writing. And sometimes resistance can just come from a false sense of already possessing skills they don't possess, thinking they are better writers than they actually are. Whatever the cause, becoming too attached to your writing can be dangerous. It's ironic that, in order to write well, you must develop a healthy detachment from your writing. It's okay to be fond of your writing, but not to the point of dismissing feedback that will help you make your writing better . Detaching from your writing to the point that you can be open not only to feedback from others but also to your own internal editor that tells you something isn't working well is critical to honing your skills as a writer. What you strive for is to connect deeply with readers. Detaching from your writing will help you make that valuable connection.

When Simple Is Better

There are some instances when writers must use technical jargon, but for most writing that we do, a simple vocabulary is best. We don't want to write above readers' heads. This is not to say that we should regard readers as not very intelligent. But if our goal as writers is to facilitate clear communication, it's our job to write text that readers can digest with ease and clarity. They shouldn't have to interrupt their reading multiple times to look up our fancy words in a dictionary, especially when a simpler, more common word will express the thought just as well. When thinking about slogans or quotes that have come to carry great meaning in our culture, very few if any contain unusual, uncommon words. Rather, they contain, unusual, uncommon thoughts - phrasing common ideas in uncommon ways that resonate deeply with people. That's the real job we have as writers - communicating lasting impressions that help readers understand themselves or the world a little bit better. We can't do that with vocabulary displays and intellect showdowns. The only thing we should be displaying is our facility with clear, meaningful writing. The intellect part will take care of itself. Keeping it simple really is keeping it better.

Surprise Your Readers

One of the most important tools writers can use is the element of surprise. This is most often seen in fiction, however it can be just as effective in nonfiction. Surprising readers doesn't mean making them guess what you're writing about or making them guess what genre they're reading. These things should be clear and up front. What you want to surprise readers with are the details and outcomes. Provide readers with clues that make them have to search for information. Hint at things without coming right out and saying them. Lead readers down a path that seems reasonable to the point where they get comfortable with where they think things are going, and then take a sudden turn in a totally different direction. In fiction, this could be a plot turn. In nonfiction, this could be an angle change. The point is to have readers thinking one way and then hitting them with something that forces them to think an entirely different way. The impact of your surprise can be heightened by leading readers strongly in a different, but equally plausible direction. Readers will follow the clues you drop for them and can be led astray with effective, suspenseful writing. Your job as a writer is to lead them skillfully and slyly through a maze of scenes and ideas woven together with a unifying message. In the end, you will reward them with an enlightening surprise that will have made the journey worth the guesswork.

Writing to Audience

Writers are often told "write to your audience." But what if you don't know who your audience is yet? What if you're just writing something that you plan to send out into the wide open world hoping that someone will find it and deem it publishable? Even if you don't have a specific market target for your writing, you can still develop a specific audience. You don't have to know which agent, publisher or editor you're going to submit to in order to write well. But you do have to know who you're writing for to write effectively. Your audience is who you're writing for. The best way to develop your sense of audience is to envision who you think will relate to what you're writing. It doesn't have to be a multitude of people. It could be just a single person. It could be someone very much like you or someone very different. It could be a real person or an imaginary person. The key is to identify the type of person with whom your particular style of writing will resonate. Once you've identified that "type," then write to that person. Focus on communicating specifically to that person, giving that person everything you think he/she expects when reading your writing - from message to voice to structure. Write as if that person is the only person in the universe that matters. Writing in this way will insure that you are writing to your audience, connecting in a meaningful way with the recipient of your message. Communication, after all, is the real reason writing exists.

Internal Writing Control

There is a term borrowed from the field of psychology that applies well to writers. It's the concept of "internal locus of control." What this means is that those who have a solid sense of who they are and who do not depend on the opinions of others for their sense of self-esteem have an internal locus of control. Their personality, image and standing in the world come from their own internal understanding of who they are. They remain unbuffeted by the winds of popularity and unpopularity. Writers desperately need this internal locus of control. It is too easy to be tossed about by what others think, what we think they think, and what we think is expected of us. If we blow with every wind that comes our way, we lose our way, and our writing suffers as a result. It is when we stand firm, against all criticism and odds, and write what we know we were meant to write in the way that we feel we should write it that we have a chance of achieving excellence. No true artist ever achieved brilliance by doing what he thought others wanted him to do. Writers must have a strong connection to their inner voice and that voice must be their anchor that grounds them in the chaotic and confusing world of publishing. We must believe in our message, understand our purpose as writers, and never compromise our style to the whims of the marketplace. Art can't be compromised. It can only be expressed. We need to focus on that expression and set our sights on the artistic control from within instead of the critical forces from without.

Failing to Succeed

One of the great ironies of writing is that you must be willing to risk failing in order to succeed. If you have the mindset that you don't want to write anything at all if you can't write it perfectly, then you likely will not write at all. The goal of perfection is too daunting and will stop most of us dead in our tracks. However, if you're willing to just jump in and write without concern for how it will turn out, having as your primary goal getting the writing done, then you have a good shot at succeeding. There is plenty of time to tear your work apart and take out the bad writing. The first priority is just to get the writing completed. You have to be willing to write badly in order to write well. Set as your goal keeping approximately one third of what you write, knowing that the majority of it will need to be tossed. But there is also a distinct possibility that the third you keep will be really fine writing. You can't get to the fine writing, though, without first plowing through the bad writing. Much chaff must be produced before the kernel of wheat comes to the surface. It's the law of physics at work with writing as much as it is with wheat farming. To the extent that you can accept this ratio of good to bad writing as just part of the process, you can cull from your efforts the very best of what you have to offer as a writer. Don't be afraid to fail. It may be your quickest route to success.

Patience With Writing

Patience is one of the most important skills a writer can cultivate. Sometimes writers can be in a hurry, wanting their writing projects to wrap up quickly. But good writing takes time to develop. It's a process that unfolds a little at a time. To write effectively, you need to give it that time. If something isn't working out immediately, resist the urge to force it. Instead, try hanging back and seeing if it will work itself out. Sometimes this means just taking a break from it and coming back to it with fresh eyes. Sometimes it means trying a different angle. But instead of rushing your writing to the finish line, no matter the quality, it's important to let your ideas marinate and give your talent a chance to come through. It is better to write one thing brilliantly than to write many things badly. Once your writing goes out into the world, you can't take it back, so it's important that it be your best effort. And that takes time. You need time to hone your writing so that it's a finely polished piece of work. It might take multiple revisions or even starting over to reach that point, but it's well worth the effort. Remember that writing is a process, and by being patient with that process, you will develop your skills into an art that readers will treasure.

Observe Well to Write Well

So much of what writers create is based on their observations of the natural world. What does a tree look like when thrashing in the wind? How do people turn up their noses when encountering something unpleasant? Does a dog smile when he's happy? Does the rain have a musical rhythm? These are the kinds of details that will enrich your writing and make it sing on the page. To write well, you must be an observer of your world. Details should matter to you and nothing should be too insignificant to warrant your attention because these minutiae may someday be the exact bits of information you need to make your story or essay or poem click. Be a glutton with details. Write them in a notebook if it helps, but always be on the lookout for interesting observations and collect them for future use. This kind of information is what writers bring to readers to help them see their common world in uncommon ways. Unusual and colorful details are what your readers will remember long after they've read your work. Observe first and write later is good advice for writers. Observe always is the best advice. Hone your observation skills and watch your writing grow!

Creating Suspense

The best way to keep your writing alive and fresh and keep readers riveted is to create suspense. This is a well-known technique in fiction, but it can apply to nonfiction as well. No matter what you are writing, you can create suspense by presenting contradictions. Events or facts that seem to be at odds with each other make readers want to keep reading. You can also create suspense by surprising readers. This could involve presenting some unexpected information or creating an irony that surprises readers with a new insight. Suspense is something that builds and you can effectively build suspense by foreshadowing the high points with teasers - tidbits of information that bait readers to begin wondering and keep reading. You can use pacing to create suspense by writing shorter, choppier sentences when you want to speed things up and longer sentences when you want to slow things down. Keeping readers on a roller coaster ride of fast action and reflective pauses will keep them hooked into finding out what you're going to say next. The idea is to keep writers stimulated and interested in your writing. By using some of these techniques you can make your writing full of tension and suspense and keep your readers wanting more.

Writing Theme

In fiction, there is a huge difference between storyline and theme. The storyline is the plot. The theme is the moral of the story. Writers often agonize over storyline to the detriment of theme. The particulars of the story you write are not as important as the theme of your story. There are many types of fiction - horror, romance, science fiction, mystery, literary, etc. - and each type has a very different make-up of characterization, setting and plot. But what they all have in common is they present universal themes that transcend genre and style. These are the themes that encapsulate the human experience: male vs. female, weakness vs. strength, evil vs. good, myth vs. reality, insider vs. outsider, etc. The details of plot, setting, dialogue and characterization are not what make a story resonate with readers. It's the universal human struggles and truths represented by theme that grab readers, pull them in, and keep them riveted for the long haul. Certainly the structural details of your story are important, but never sacrifice the heart of your story to its structure. Write with the moral of your story as your compass and the other details will take care of themselves. To the extent you can capture theme, you can capture your readership with memorable, compelling fiction.

Writing With Rules

English and literature can seem to be nothing but rules. Can't we just enjoy reading and writing without all the rules and analyzing? Yes and no. The "yes" answer is because you should never let rules and structure and format destroy your natural love for the written word. If you lose that, you've lost everything. Always read and write because you love to do it, not because you're expected to or you're being pressured to. You have ultimate control over how you experience these activities. Make sure it is always accomplished with joy. The "no" answer is because without the framework of rules and structure and format, your writing would be shapeless and ill-defined, a kind of literary glop that neither moves you nor moves readers. The rules are the internship you serve in writing before you progress into creativity. You must first be bound to the rules of writing before you can successfully break free from them. So learn to embrace the rules of writing. Become proficient at them until they are second nature to you. They will serve you well when you begin to fly solo into your own style. The rules you have taken the time to master will give lift to your natural literary talents and allow you to soar to new creative heights. You can "rule" your writing if you first learn the rules!

Writing With Edge

Writers of argument style prose are advised to create "argumentative edge" in their writing. This means using selective language that evokes an emotional response in readers, thus enabling argument writers to have persuasive powers over their readers. This idea of "edge" can apply to any type of writing, whether fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Having an edge in your writing means you have developed a style that hooks readers in and gives you power to influence them. Edgy writing takes risks. It combines incongruent concepts (an evil character who also has a soft spot in his heart), unlikely combinations (an elderly woman who develops a meaningful relationship with a young hood), and startling imagery (a jet black crow in a pure white snowdrift). Edgy writing puts readers on alert that something important is being expressed and it makes readers want to pay attention. It makes readers think in ways they haven't considered before and it always evokes a strong emotional response. Edgy writing separates itself from the mass of mediocre writing by taking readers to a different plane, offering them an unusual experience, and leaving them more enriched as a result. Look for ways to put that kind of edge in your writing, push yourself to your outer extremes, and watch your writing grow exponentially.

What a Writer Is

We writers get a lot of commentary and advice on what a writer is or should be. Some say a writer is someone who has been published. Others say a writer is someone who has works in progress - in other words, specific projects in the hopper that are targeted toward some publishing target. Others would say a writer is one who has a platform, an Internet and social media presence and following. Still others would say a writer is someone who produces work in a certain genre or who fills a specific, defined niche in the literary world. And there are always those who declare that only those who make their living at writing can dare call themselves writers. The truth is, a writer is all and none of that. Emily Dickinson wrote in obscurity her whole life, unpublished, unrecognized, completely unknown to the outside world; yet, who today would say she was not a writer? Certainly all of the entities of publication, platform, genre and income are important to a writer's success, but none of them make someone a writer. Simply put, a writer is someone whose primary personal expression is through the medium of writing. That's it. An unpublished writer is no less a writer than a published one. The two just have different ways of accomplishing their expression. The unpublished writer may write solely for the personal satisfaction of it and the published writer may write primarily for the connection with readers. Each is equally valid and valuable. Don't let someone tell you how and what you should do to be a writer. Write from your own perspective for your own reasons. If your writing gets shared with the larger world, great. If it just enriches your own inner life, that's great too. The important thing is that you're doing something you love to do because it moves you to do it, and there is no better way to spend your precious time and energy on this earth.

Seeking Perfection

Too many writers give up too quickly because they seek perfection. If they can't write perfectly, they don't want to write at all, so they give up. Writing is like any other craft. It involves practice and developing skills one step at a time. It doesn't involve achieving perfection. Setting perfection as your goal will only lead you to disappointment and failure. Perfection isn't what writing is all about. Connection is. That basic human need to connect with our feelings, our dreams, our fears, our disappointments, our discoveries, is what drives artists of every stripe to do what they do. Writers choose to connect with words. They aren't perfect words. They're words that resonate with others because they come from honesty. You don't have to express yourself perfectly to connect with readers. But you do have to express yourself honestly and with conviction. This is what readers will ask for and want from you. So don't give up too soon on your creative drive because you are afraid you can't be perfect. The world doesn't need you to be perfect. The world needs you to be you! Stay with your writing through all the stumbling and setbacks, keep working, keep growing, and know that each misstep only brings you closer to your ultimate goal - being a writer who matters.

Scene and Summary

Scene and summary are two basic tools in a writer's kit. They're the equivalent of showing and telling. The challenge for writers is understanding how to use the two effectively. Writing that is all scene and showing is exhausting for readers. There are times that a writer needs to pull back from the intensity of drama and action and do a little synopsis of events. Writing that is all summary and telling is boring for readers. They need to have some dramatic action to hold their interest. There are times that a writer needs to ramp up the tension with some drama and let readers figure things out for themselves. The best writing combines the two and interweaves scene and summary (or showing and telling) into the narrative. The key is knowing what material is best left to summary and what material needs to be dramatized. Anything that is critical to the movement of the story - important events, turning points, etc. - should be written in scene. Information that is less critical to the story's movement and functions as explanation or background rather than action should be written in summary. These principles apply to nonfiction as well as fiction. In nonfiction writing, expound on the important information and summarize the routine information. This will give readers the information they need and still keep them interested. The effective use of scene and summary, or showing and telling, will keep your prose moving and keep your readers riveted to your writing.