WORDS…

 

“Words: They are more than tools used in the transfer of simple information from mind to mind…. I was attempting to use them as paint, spreading them on a canvas rather than paper. I wanted to write to the body and to the senses as well as the mind.  Did I? It’s a tricky goal, and perhaps I shouldn’t admit to having aimed so high. The admission can make failure more obvious.”

~N.D. Wilson, Preface to Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl:
Wide Eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World

May we all dare to aim high as we use the amazing gift of words entrusted in our hands …

 

A Question for You:  How high do you aim when you are using words to transmit the message you want to communicate to your reader?  How much do you wrestle with words to make the message as powerful and effective as it can possibly be?

Related Posts:

1. Energize Your Writing with Dynamic Verbs

2. Tip #5: Revision Strategy – Cut Adverbial Fat

3. Figures of Speech: Handle with Care

Figures of Speech: Handle with Care

I had to break away from reading an article a colleague wants me to edit to share this piece of timeless writing advice on the use of figures of speech:

“The simile is a common device and useful one, but similes coming in rapid fire, one right on top of another, are more distracting than illuminating. Readers need time to catch their breath: they can’t be expected to compare everything with something else, and not relief in sight.

When you use a metaphor, do not mix it up. That is, don’t start by calling something a swordfish and end by calling it an hourglass.”

Some of you may recall that these words of writing wisdom come from The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.  In my opinion, every writer should own a copy, have it always handy, and review it often.  I have one at work, one at home, and the illustrated edition on order — it’s a gem full of writing-nutritious eye candy!

Mmm… I’ll have to think of a better metaphor.

Do you have some examples of good — and not so good — uses of figures of speech to share?

Creative Marketing Ideas for Writers

In “Golden Rule Marketing for Writers,” Emily Akin reminded us that aspiring authors should learn to love marketing and spend as much as 80% of their time marketing their writing.  Still, some writers chew on this idea with apprehension, hoping they will be the exception. I think the problem is that we tend to approach marketing with the wrong perspective.

I recently ran across Meeting Needs, a blog post by Sarah Bolme, Director of Christian Small Publishers Association. She challenges Christian writers to see marketing differently. She says this:  ”Promoting a book is like being a missionary. Missionaries don’t sit at home and wait for people who need Jesus to come to them. They go “into all the world” and seek the lost.”  What a great perspective!

If you are beginning to feel differently about marketing, then you are ready for some new ideas to reach your readers. Here are five links to articles from creative writers and marketers that can get your creative juices flowing:

1. 1. Book Launch Party on Facebook
   2. Guest Blogging
   3. Virtual Author Touring
   4. Twitter Book Marketing
   5. Publishing and Marketing with Scribd.com

Question: How about you?  Do you have some creative marketing ideas that help you reach your readers?  Share them with us.

Tip #5: Revision Strategy – Cut Adverbial Fat

Today’s tip will help you become a better revisionist and editor of your own writing.  Our focus is on cutting “adverbial fat.” Think about it.  Do these adverbs improve the reader’s view into your subject?  Decidedly, definitely, distinctly, absolutely, certainly, positively…  The answer is NO.

What is an adverb? Adverbs add meaning to verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.  But if you choose precise language to say what you mean, adverbs clutter and weaken your prose. Read more

Writing for an Audience

This article is the first installment on a series of tips I will offer to help you understand how to write for an audience.  My goal is to provide bite-sized pieces you can ponder and begin to put into practice right away.

It may seem self-evident, but writing for an audience requires that we, writers, understand the readers that will potentially read our words. Magazine editors, for instance, have a precise knowledge of the publication’s reading demographic — they expect freelance writers to study the publication, understand its style – and their target audience. 

Let’s say, for example, you want to write for Christianity Today.  Do you know who reads it? Would you guess that the majority of its readership is made of married men in their mid-50s?  MomSense, on the other hand, caters to mothers of preschoolers (infants through kindergarten).   Of course, there are publications that reach a wider demographic.  Take Reader’s Digest, for example.  It aims to provoke, educate, and entertain readers from all walks of life through articles and features illustrating contemporary American life. Still, Reader’s Digest editors understand that they cater to readers who prefer excerpted features over the meatier versions published in, say, Time Magazine.  

“The child as reader is neither to be patronized nor idolized: we talk to him as man to man.”  ~ C.S. Lewis  

Learning to write for a target audience is a skill every aspiring writer needs to learn sooner than later.  Here are three skills you can begin to develop whether you are writing for a national magazine, an organization’s newsletter, or a blog:   Read more

Tip #3: C.S. Lewis on Using the Right Word

“In writing, don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is ‘terrible,’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. Read more

Energize Your Writing with Dynamic Verbs

Here’s a revising strategy to help your writing stand out:  get rid of unnecessary “be” verbs swarming around your writing.  Overusing the verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, been, being) will suck the life right out of your prose. 

“Be” verbs indicate state of being.  Boring! 

Why not replace them with vibrant verbs that breathe life into your writing – writing others want to read. 

Here’s the challenge: go through your writing and circle all the “be” forms and see if you can inject action instead by replacing many of them with dynamic and descriptive verbs.  You will improve your writing immediately. 

Below is a verb makeover I performed on a student’s writing sample after she said, “I tried and just couldn’t find other verbs that would fit.”  Here’s a tip: in the process of finding better verbs, you will be forced to write better sentences.  Revision is more than removing dead wood and inserting pretty foliage in its place. Read more