The Worst Kept Secrets about the Art of Writing

I love typing! I just do! The sound of keys being pressed and letters appearing as if by magic on the screen have a soothing effect. Suddenly everything seems okay. The mind is cleared of all clutter and the focus shifts to speed and accuracy.

A couple of typing tools are installed on my computer – Typing Master and Typing Test. They’re useful in improving accuracy and speed. While my accuracy hovers consistently around the 97% mark, my speed has shot up from 35 words per minute (wpm) to 71. This means I can type more than 1 word per second! Isn’t that awesome?

I love writing even more. Scribbling ideas on a notepad, striking out the irrelevant ones, making a final work out of everything compiled; it makes me feel like an artist. If only it wasn’t for the moral guilt of wasting paper.

Writing is one of the most gratifying feelings (I can already see writers nodding fervently) in the world. You create a piece of art and, if you love it, post it online for people to see. Then seeing the number of hits on your website increasing, readers commenting on your post and sharing it, satiate you. The ability to make readers consider your point of view, to make them ponder, get inspired or take action; they make you feel like a demigod! And if you’ve published a book, you’ve gone that 1 step further than most. The sheer sight of your book on stands in bookstores must be an unmatched feeling, probably only eclipsed by seeing someone buy it.

There are 3 secrets to writing well:

1.      Clarity of thought

2.      Lots of reading

3.      The ability to evoke an emotional response.

Clarity of thought comes by constant pondering and keeping an open mind. Reading broadens your perspective and allows you to achieve point number 1. The ability to evoke emotion comes with passion; a genuine liking for readers and wanting them to know something very important.

I lag way behind in each of these aspects. The strife to improve at them will never end. And it shouldn’t! Because the day you’re through with this struggle, you’re through. And the day you’re through writing, you have given up on your voice, on everything you stand for; you will have given up on life itself.

This is my attempt at musing. I had nothing better to do. This post is a result of 20 minutes of time and effort. What are your thoughts, dear reader, about writers and writing? Would love to hear from you in the comments section.

Your sincere wannabe writer,

Vishal

5 Tips For Becoming A Better Writer...

For those who know me well, I read a lot. Ramya developed the habit in me, I think. Be it The Harvard Business Review magazine, mainstream or unconventional insights, books of aspiring authors or established ones, or simple blog posts... I read everything.

One thing evident, though, about us amateur bloggers and authors is our quality of writing. Our language leaves a lot wanting. There is a glaring valley (the Grand Canyon in fact) between us and established writers. 

As usual, I've been reading about it and pondering. Here are 5 tips I've come up with to improve our writing skills:

1. Number of words: Keep your sentences below 12 words. When possible, make them really short. Research shows that a reader pays 100% attention to a sentence which comprises of 10 words. Thereafter, the reader’s attention span drops 10% per word. So if your sentence has 18 words, you've already lost your reader long back. Also avoid writing two or more sentences meaning the same thing. I remember reading a short story which went like ‘I was apoplectic. I was annoyed. I was hopping mad. My anger knew no bounds.’ OK, we get it. You were angry. But you don’t need to write 4 sentences to state the same thing, do you?
2. Active Voice: Write in active voice. We Indians especially have the habit of adding the gerund (‘ing’) to our verbs. Constructing (see, I just did it) a sentence in active voice takes care of that concern. Also, it shortens your sentence. Writing in active voice significantly reduces the size of your post, allowing you to pack more content.
   
3. Reduce adverbs: As far as possible, get rid of adverbs like ‘a little’, ‘very’ and the likes. There is no person who is ‘a little’ sad – he’s sad. No person is very humble – are you indicating that he’s more humble than a humble person by using the term ‘very’? Brian Clark (of Copyblogger) goes to the extent of asking us to replace each adverb with damn. If you can skip using damn before the verb or noun, then you can make do without the words it replaces. There is no difference in a person being polite and very polite. If he’s very polite, you can probably use ‘submissive’.
4. Simple language: Using the word ‘coquette’ when you mean flirt or ‘agnostic’ in place of cynic will make few readers revere you. Most won’t enjoy opening a dictionary along with your post/book. Simple words which people can understand are easily accepted. Remember, a person thinks in images and pictures; not words. When she reads, you want her to create the image in her mind which you have sketched. And that can be done by using simple, yet effective words. Also, refrain from ambiguous sentences. Make sure your matter tells the reader exactly what you want to say.
5. Grammar is King: No! Not content, grammar is king. Grammar comes first, then content. Nothing turns readers off more than poor grammar. Not knowing the difference between ‘its’ and ‘it’s’, ‘there’ or ‘their’ or missing out on pronouns like ‘a, the, an’ really puts readers off. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer/blogger, make sure your grammar rules are in place. This point doesn't need elaboration, does it?

Thus, you have 5 tips for writing better. What about you? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.