I was recently looking through my bookmarks and stumbled upon a link for a site I hadn’t visited in quite a while. It was the personal blog of a screenwriter and movie critic that I used to enjoy quite a bit. He had been laid off from a pop culture site over two years ago, and had struck out as an independent blogger. While I did not always agree with his opinions, I did enjoy his writing.
At least, I used to enjoy it – because what I read when I clicked on that link was far from the crisp prose said writer used to deliver. Instead I started reading a ponderous blog post filled with pretention and pointless political comments.
I have no idea what happened to said writer (whose name I will not divulge, because that serves no useful purpose) but I couldn’t even finish reading it – It was close to unreadable.
This experience caused me to reflect on effective writing. Not GOOD writing, mind you. EFFECTIVE writing. In my opinion, I am sometimes a good writer, but I almost always thrive to be an effective one. Because communicating ideas is a core part of my career, I keep that skill as sharp as possible.
So I started listing off some “rules” to effective writing, inspired by the opposite example I had just read. Powered by a dram or two of Scotch, I posted these on Twitter. Here’s an expanded version of that Twitter rant:
First Rule:
If you write ANYTHING – an email, a blog post, an article – REREAD IT before you are “finished/post it/send it.” If you don’t, you are going to miss something you can make better. I have sometimes failed to heed my own advice in this area, because I am sometimes quite impatient… Even with myself. I always regret not thinking twice.
Second Rule:
Each paragraph must have a point. I read stuff on-line (such as the aforementioned blog entry) and I just see a mélange of ideas that have no structure. Decide when a paragraph ends and begins. Think about this, always.
Third Rule:
It’s NOT ABOUT YOU. Effective writing is about expressing an idea, and expressing it WELL. You can totes use first-person, if it helps you make your point. But you have to have a central thesis in the first place, a point to be made.
Fourth Rule:
Kill your darlings. If something doesn’t work, cut it out. Be brutal when it comes to self-editing. Even if you are paid by the word, don’t clog up your writing with extraneous language. Be lean and tight.
Fifth Rule:
KILL LONG PARAGRAPHS. Every time I see a wordy paragraph online or in print my eyes glaze over. Imagine if you had to speak that paragraph without taking a breath. If you couldn’t do it in real life, then SPLIT THAT CRAP UP.
Sixth Rule:
USE ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE. If you use big words that you think shows you are smart, YOU ARE NOT SMART. The writer and creator Scott Adams recently brought up a good example on a livestream. He quoted an overwritten opinion piece where the writer used the term “sui generis.” Adams had no idea what it meant, and he’s a bestselling author. I did, but that means nothing. Sui generis means “one of a kind.” Effective writers don’t use semi-obscure words. They just state “one of a kind.”
Seventh Rule:
CARE about what you are writing. If you are just to going through the motions, think a bit about what you are writing, and maybe… Don’t write it. I have several unfinished pieces, and these may never be finished. I also have written several passionate pieces because my passions were inflamed and writing was a release. Because they are very personal, they will probably never see the light of day. But I’m glad I wrote them.
Eighth Rule:
ALWAYS attribute. Never steal ideas. Use other people’s writing as inspiration, of course… But give credit where it is due. Attributing gives you credibility with the reader, and this aids in making you a more effective communicator and writer.
Ninth Rule:
“Write what you know” is BS. If you ONLY write what you know, you aren’t stretching. So, do something crazy – LEARN NEW THINGS to write about. The more you explore and identify things to learn about you become more open to new things and become a better writer by exploring unfamiliar areas and ideas.
Tenth Rule:
YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT. If all you write about is YOU, then you aren’t growing as a writer, you are just writing a public journal. Go out and find something interesting in the world, and write about that. This was a major insight gained from reading the blog post that started this whole rant. Said writer was writing about himself in a way that was more than just self-aggrandizing… It was pretentious and pompous.
There’s PLENTY of things that have happened in my life this past year, some good… Some bad. Would you find it interesting if I wrote about it? Maybe. But probably not. I’d rather write about topics much more interesting than yours truly.
So there you have it, ten rules to be a more effective writer. I hope this was a good read, which is something I always try and achieve with my work. Now go forth and write!