The 45 Writing Tricks
What is the writing process? Certainly not fun! But these 45 tricks, which have helped thousands, make it far easier. Bookmark 'em before they're gone.
1) Have a trusted editor. Sensitive, yet unyielding with your prose.
2) Use the active voice.
3) Know grammar - that way, you'll know exactly what rule you're breaking.
4) Always think twice when you use a big word.
5) Know your audience. Coal miners are very different from astrophysicists .
6) Keep paragraphs short and to the point.
7) Don't use colloquialisms needlessly. Writing isn't speech.
8) Edit. Always edit.
9) Focus on writing. Turn off the cellphone - no multitasking.
10) Adverbs are OK, but like fatty food, cut back on them.
11) Use imagery and central metaphors to build emotional impact.
12) Break up long sentences with short ones. And vice versa.
13) Write in a natural tone. Nothing stilted that would make your friends give you a questioning look.
14) Join a writing group. Group pressure means results.
15) Hold yourself accountable. Make goals and meet them.
16) Know when you're done.
17) The vast majority of writing doesn't use swearwords.
18) Cut out any unnecessary words from your writing.
19) Feel free to disregard your first draft. It's just paper or kilobytes.
20) Using "I" is OK if done correctly.
21) The more you write, the better you become.
22) Read great literature.
23) Give yourself a writing space.
24) The best way to succeed is the Butt in Chair method. You sit, you work. No questions.
25) Realize that a critic may be wrong.
26) Have a consistent writing schedule.
27) Favor the most concise style, but you don't have to be Hemmingway.
28) Don't betray the readers trust with something absurd.
29) In writing, you first create a world - then have to follow its rules. If every writer followed this plot advice, finding good books would be a lot easier.
30) Have a writing ritual. Myself, I always have a cup of tea first.
31) Avoid cliches like the plague.
32) Avoid witty, self-serving in-jokes.
33) When being creative, suspend your inner critic.
34) Make sure to listen to your inner critic after being creative.
35) Know the difference between British and American style.
36) Whatever you write about, do your research first. Know everything.
37) Show don't tell for the most part.
38) Tell, don't show, when doing otherwise would be boring or plain stupid.
39) Make your writing have an exciting, forward pace.
40) Don't overuse ellipses or dashes.
41) You start writing to please yourself, but succeed by pleasing others.
42) Don't be afraid to describe something that has to be described.
43) Fancy fonts, underlining and bolding work - in business writing. Not fiction.
44) Always prefer the word "said." Grunting, snorting and chortling gets old fast.
45) Believe in yourself.
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