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.