Re-Introducing Your Skills

The best writers never stop learning to write. And the best writers are not above taking in a new "Introduction to Composition" or Writing 101. There is always something to learn.

Across disciplines, some think that once they have taken an introductory course, or once they have "learned the ropes," the rest is specialization. While it is true that specialization is an important next step, it is never a waste of time to re-introduce your skills. From picking up an old grammar book, to a critical reading of the latest and greatest style guide, writers have to work to stay on top of their games.

This exercise takes a certain amount of modesty, and if you are unwilling to try it, you might wonder why. Are you really that good that you have nothing left to learn? Do you know everything in an introductory composition text book? Could you rewrite an introductory composition book? If you can't --- and few people can --- then there's nothing to be lost from giving it a go again.

Whenever we read anything, we change; good writing changes the reader. Doubtless you have changed a lot since your first composition class, and as a consequence, you will draw different lessons from taking it all in again.

Additionally, introductory courses have their own voice, and it is always a useful exercise to study voices. Perhaps after all these years, you find that an introductory text fails in certain ways --- ways that you would not have been able to identify in the past. It is valuable to be able to express this; it improves your understanding of your own skills. Or, it could be that as a less experienced writer, you were unable to grasp the important lessons of a text, and now you can. Then, obviously, you will be learning new techniques, styles, expressions, and so forth. Another valuable lesson.

You never know as much as you think. The world is ever-changing, and so is our concept of "knowing." "Knowing" is a moving target, since the world changes with us. Having a close look at where you have been clarifies your view of where you can go.

5 Ways to Unblock Writer's Block

If you are having a hard time brainstorming topics, or getting started on a topic you've been given, you might be suffering from writer's block. Here are a few things you can do to shake yourself loose.

• Move around. Are you sitting at a desk in the same environment all the time when you try to write? It might be that you simply need to write somewhere else. Changing your location will get you out of your comfort zone, and though it might seem counter-intuitive, that's probably what you need. When I have trouble getting words out, I'll shift to a new place. I might take a notebook with me to a café, or head to the local library. Sometimes being around other people is the inspiration I need; sometimes being around books gets me fired up to write. Of course, this will differ from person to person, so you'll probably need to experiment. Find a few things that work and use them to your advantage.

• Write by hand. If you're like most people, you write into a computer. This is to say that you type words into a blank screen, backspace, delete, edit as you go. Trust me on this: to write into a computer is a high-level skill, and if you're not a regular, daily writer, you will see better results when you write by hand. The reason is simple. Writing by hand forces you to think and compose before you physically write words. When you write directly into a computer, the natural tendency is to type whatever comes to mind, usually in an effort to fill up the frighteningly blank screen in front of you. Get back to basics and you'll find that the ideas you generate are stronger.

• Read. One of the best ways to inspire yourself to write is to read something you love. Get absorbed in the artform for a little while; immerse yourself in your own go-to book. For me, it's The Essays of E. B. White, when it comes to essays, Philosophical Investigations when it comes to academic philosophical work, and The Big Sleep when it comes to fiction and descriptive writing. Keep your favorites nearby when you write.  They're a great way to keep your energy levels up.

• Get physical. Stop, slow down, relax, grab a coffee or a donut, or whatever treat takes you away. When you're suffering writer's block, it's because you're in the wrong place mentally. Get yourself to a different place with a physical activity. When I was working most intensely at the end of my degree, I went for long bicycle rides when I got stuck in the writing process. By the time I got off the bike, I was itching to get back to the books and ideas came fast and furious.

• Give up. Don't give up for good. But don't beat yourself up if you can't get an idea out. If you've tried your regular run of block-shaking exercises and nothing has worked, come back to the project later. Much like the "get physical" point above, it's about relaxing. Writer's block is a huge source of frustration, and that frustration will feed itself if you let it. Stepping back is sometimes the best way to break the cycle.

Do you have tips for breaking through Writer's Block? Share in the comments.

Five Tips For Improving Readability

Style guides from Strunk and White's Elements of Style to the snarkily updated Spunk & Bite impress readers with their own hard-fought insights into improving one's writing. Most of the tips and tricks that I have developed over the years can be compressed into one statement:

Write like you have something to say, not like you have something to prove.

1. Write modestly. Even if you are an expert in your field, you are not the only expert, and there will be others who disagree with you and will be better than you at expressing their disagreement. Approaching your own writing as if it's not going to be the end-all be-all word on the topic in hand will affect your tone positively. "Modesty" is a matter of tone. If you write like you have something to prove, you will sound under-confident --- as if a proof-toned style is an attempt to obscure a deficiency in substance. When you are trying to communicate a point of great substance, do so clearly, efficiently, and without frills.

2. Frills don't fool readers. To write cleverly is to write clearly about clever ideas, not to dress up a pedestrian point with spunky and bitey frills. Readers see the dressing up for what it is; write as if your readers want to read substantial ideas and you will attract those readers. Write like you have something to say.

3. Pacing. Vary your sentence structures. If every sentence has the same basic construction, your writing becomes difficult to read. The same goes for paragraphs. If you construct every paragraph to have a topic sentence, three items of support, and a concluding sentence, you will lose your readers' interests quickly. Imagine if someone talked to you in either of these ways. The conversation would be unbearable. Imagine that you are in a one-sided conversation with your reader; keep your interlocutor engaged.

4. Structure, structure, structure. It takes a very skilled writer to simply type into a blank screen. Are you that skilled of a writer? (If you answer yes, refer to point 1 above.) You need to have an overall plan for the piece, as well as a plan for each paragraph and transition, as well as a plan for each sentence. And you need to consider how each paragraph contributes to the whole piece, and how each sentence contributes to the paragraph as well as the piece, and so on. This is related to pacing: keep the story and the characters developing or you will lose your readers' attention. (This applies as much to a business memo as it does to a mystery novel.)

5. Hooks. Personal feelings make poor hooks. A paragraph that starts with a personal feeling is often an unplanned paragraph, and good readers feel the unplanned-ness of this kind of writing. Paragraphs that feel like they're taking shape as they proceed were not written with a shape in mind. Give your reader a reason to read this paragraph. Give it a good hook. Frame an image that will play out over the course of the paragraph or the piece. Are you assigning a feeling to your reader, or are you getting your reader to feel with you? Do the latter.

These are basic style points that I think about when constructing essays, articles, blog posts, or what-have-you. (Lists are less structured, which is probably why they have become so popular in a fast-paced Internet writing market. But there is still structure, pacing, and reader interest to consider.) At any time, any of these tips should be abandoned if they appear to jeopardize your work. Tips are not laws. Take them as such.

Five Tips To Improve Your Business Writing

In a fast-paced world of smart phones, tablets, and e-readers, communicating to customers and stakeholders is both more complex and more challenging than ever. With a higher quantity of words exchanged from day to day, the quality of those words is more and more important to employees and owners. Here are five tips for improving the effectiveness of your business communications.

1. Keep it simple. It's an age-old rule that cuts across many industries, but it applies to writing as much as anything else. Sometimes we are tempted to express how much we know by using big words and complicated sentences. But your customer is interested in what you offer as a business owner or manager, not who you are as a big word user. Give them what they want. Keep it simple.
2. Keep it relevant. When you write for a customer, you need to strike a balance between too much and too little information. If you offer too little, you risk confusing your reader, or letting your reader read unintended content into your message. If you offer too much, you risk losing your reader's interest. You're selling your content to your customers; keep them wanting more while giving them what they need.
3. Think about it. Often, we “write” by typing a final copy. Write out your purpose first, and have a structure in mind before you start. You might even sketch a structure that will guide your sentences or paragraphs. Remember that the crystal clarity of the thoughts in your head  does not always transfer so easily to others'. If you think through what you want to say, step by step, what you write will be clearer, and your audience will appreciate its clarity.
4. Proofread. If you rely only on spellcheck, there's a good chance that you'll still have errors in your writing. It's best to read your whole document carefully before you send it out, and better yet, read it out loud if you have time. Doing so gives you a better sense of how it will sound to your reader, and often reveals surprisingly simple errors.
5. Get a second opinion. Especially if you're writing something like a press-release, or an email to a large group of customers, have at least one colleague read it and comment on it first. Better still, give that colleague your outline or preliminary thoughts (as mentioned in point 3 above) and make sure that all of your points come across clearly.

Like any skill, writing improves with practice. The tips above are meant to be guides for that practice, but like any guide, it is incomplete. Really good writers tune their ears to cadence, grammar, sentence structures, pacing, and so forth. With enough practice, and attentive reading, you'll be able to do the same. For me, one rule trumps all others: write like you have something to say, not like you have something to prove. Your customers will know the difference, and if you're not telling them like it is, they won't buy it.