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.

5 Steps on How to KISS!

Not that kiss silly! I’m talking about Keeping It Short & Simple.

We’re hell bent on complicating almost everything we do today. We are weighed down by the need to stay ahead of others. Who can blame us? Competition is cut throat, isn’t it? So we try doing everything differently, doing a lot at once, putting in too much in one thing… you know what I mean.

Let’s simplify life. Simple doesn’t mean easy. But simple is elegant and successful today. Be it the iPhone (simple functions), Gucci (simple designer wear), the art of Zen (simple concepts) or Metallica (simple heavy/thrash metal music).

 

KISS - Keep It Short & Simple

So how do we make things simple, you ask? Well, here are 5 tips to get you started:

• Don’t imitate someone: Companies today try to copy what worked with competition. Likewise, we individuals keep trying to go one–up on peers. Comparing with others impacts how we look at what we have. We end up trying harder; wanting more – more money, more recognition, more assets, more gadgets, more happiness outside… I had talked about howit hurts us and how to get rid of it. The best (and only) yardstick for comparison is YOU! You owe nothing to no one and no one owes anything to you. So measure your success on the basis of your past. Expect rewards depending upon the effort you have put in. Imitation and comparison hurt no one but us.

• Don’t do it all at once: Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Companies try to incorporate everything they can think of in a new product simply because they can. Musicians try too many things in one song thinking it will become interesting. People work out extra hard in the 1^st month to lose weight expecting miraculous results. Writers try to cram too many points into one sentence/paragraph. You know what happens. Products flop, maintaining them becomes tedious; music doesn’t hit it with the audience; people lose steam instead of weight; the reader loses interest… All this happens just because we try to do it all at once. I know you have plenty of ideas; so many that your head must be buzzing. But try them gradually. Have patience, stay persistent and you’ll taste success. Plus you’ll have a lot more to keep yourself interested.

• Aim to Simplify: Keep asking yourself one question “How can I make this simpler?” It’s a myth that simple is no longer awesome. In fact, simple today is preferred over complex. The simpler you make something, the better it becomes. And believe that you can make it simpler. This applies to music, work, food recipes and even your daily chores.

• Have faith: Everything you want to accomplish takes time. Everything good takes time to evolve. Even those who got successful overnight have been working painstakingly at it for years. If success was easy, everyone would achieve it. Don’t give up because it isn’t working out now. Chota Bheem director Rajiv Chilaka took 7 years to taste success. Jubilant Foodworks streamlined their business for 15 years before they listed on the stock exchange. So many people don’t know how close they were to their goals when they gave up. So have faith; stick it out.

• Know that you’ll be alone: A vast majority of those around you can’t comprehend this. They won’t listen to you. They want to complicate, which is the status quo today. They won’t appreciate you challenging it. They won’t appreciate you trying to change things, even if it’s for their betterment. The longer you hold on, the more likely to succeed. As Gandhi said “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win.”

Simple today is the need of the hour. Try incorporating it in everything in your life. Simplify your diet, your lifestyle & your thinking and watch your life improve. Simplify your behaviour, your attitude and see your relationships improve. Go on, try it. And thank me in the comments section.