Your Best Writing May Not Be What You
Think
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
One of the biggest writing problems I see among people in my
mentoring program, and others who hire me to improve their writing, is that they're afraid to write like they talk. Perhaps they fear “wordiness”, but sometimes
writing like you talk is less wordy.
For instance, they never use one-word sentences. Or fragments. Those, for sure, are not wordy!
They refuse to start sentences with words such as "and" and "but" because an elementary teacher way back when told them not to.
They try to sound important when they write. So they use long words in long sentences that make up long paragraphs.
They remove all slang from their writing so it's clean and pure. And often, boring.
Business coach Michael Angier agrees.
"Too many times, I see people who are good verbal communicators try to put
on a different air in their writing," he says. "It doesn't work. It's
much
better to be conversational."
Writing like you talk is one of thirteen tips Michael offers for writing clearly
and convincingly. It was one of the lead articles in an issue of
Joan Stewart’s free subscription newsletter, The Publicity Hound.
For instance, they never use one-word sentences. Or fragments. Those, for sure, are not wordy!
They refuse to start sentences with words such as "and" and "but" because an elementary teacher way back when told them not to.
They try to sound important when they write. So they use long words in long sentences that make up long paragraphs.
They remove all slang from their writing so it's clean and pure. And often, boring.
Business coach Michael Angier agrees.
"Too many times, I see people who are good verbal communicators try to put
on a different air in their writing," he says. "It doesn't work. It's
muchbetter to be conversational."
Writing like you talk is one of thirteen tips Michael offers for writing clearly
and convincingly. It was one of the lead articles in an issue of
Joan Stewart’s free subscription newsletter, The Publicity Hound.
Lisa Cron’s book, Wired
for Story (http://bit.ly/Wired4Story),
shows us how humans were storytellers long before they were writers and how the
processes in their lives wired us for story. Story and anecdote. It works for
articles like this. It works for novels—great novels. And you’ll see it
appearing more and more often as part of news stories. Another book I recommend
is Tom Chiarella’s Writing Dialogue (http://bit.ly/Chiarella)
published by Writer’s Digest. You may find it inexpensively on Amazon’s New and
Used feature. You'll find a longer list of books to improve your writing (and the marketing of it!) in the Appendices of all my HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers.
In the newest book in my multi award-winning
HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writing, How
to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically, I remind authors that
the best blurbs and endorsements come from people who compliment their books
and their style in off-the-cuff conversations. When asked to write a blurb or
endorsement, the same people may use language that is stiff, official—and
unconvincing. I tell them to ask their contacts (or reader) if they can use
what their reader just said to them rather than having them back up and make it
into a brittle, lifeless twig. I found a nice endorsement in my e-mail box from Libby Grandy, one of the attendees at a presentation I did at California Writers Society. I took my own advice and simply asked if I could use it.
Readers probably spent many years reading staid textbooks. They may now prefer to learn what they need quickly. When authors make their point with stories (and do it colloquially), they find their readers more easily bond to them. It’s about connection. Think loyalty.
Have you ever wondered why many are turning to the Web for
information even at the risk of fake news and unprofessional advice. They are
in a hurry. They’re after easily absorbed information (retention). You can
provide both. Sure. Watch for wordiness. But don’t skip the story your readers’
brains crave. They’ll love you for it.
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3 comments:
Carolyn, great information for writers. I always ask my clients if I can use something they emailed me as a testimonial. They usually agree - I think it relieves the pressure of them having to come up with a formal testimonial. It's a great strategy to use.
Forgot to add. And, it sounds natural - honest!
If it sounds like an essay, then it should remain an essay, not a novel. Of course, E.B. White could make an essay sing, but he's in one of my special categories of brilliant-writer-no-matter-what. Excellent post Carolyn.
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