My path to becoming a better writer

Reading this article by Duncan Riach entitled How to Become World-Class at Anything made me think about my journey to becoming a paid, professional writer.

My path to writing for a living took twists and turns. In the article he talks about regular practice without focusing on the result (in my case I don't focus on the result until it's time to share the work with my clients).

Years of this type of practice freed me up to write better.

I've been writing professionally for 5 years. At the beginning, I was a solid writer who could do research, assimilate ideas and construct sentences without errors. I created coherent articles. Yay for me!

Yet if I compare my writing from 5 years ago to my writing now, there's a significant difference. I've refined my process, found a style and discovered a voice all while improving my mechanics.

One of the best resources, which I've featured here a few times, is Elements if Style. The book contains immensely helpful advice like Omit Unneccesary Words and Focus on the Unit.

More than any advice, method or how-to, my improvement as a writer largely came the old-fashioned way - through practice, repetition and hard work. I've spent many many hours stringing together words. I've spent many more hours reading books with a critical eye towards things like sentence structure, phrasing, word choice, punctuation and many more things.

I love writing, but love isn't enough. Like any relationship, I want my partner, in this case my writing, to be as great as it can possibly be. That's why I continue to practice and consider my writing skills a work in progress.

Stay Active! (echewing the passive voice)

We’ve previously looked at advice from William Strunk Jr.’s Elements of Style. In this post, we review Section 10 in which he advises writers to Use the active voice.

More Direct, More Vigorous
Strunk’s first reason to write actively is that, “The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive.” Compare the following:

    I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.

   My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.

The first sentence is much better and more direct while the second which is less direct, less bold, and less concise. Removing "by me" makes the second sentence more concise -

    My first visit to Boston will always be remembered,

- but the action is less defined. Is the writer, some person undisclosed or the world remembering this visit? It isn’t clear.

Lively and Emphatic Writing
According to Strunk, “The habitual use of the active voice makes for forcible writing. This is true not only in narrative principally concerned with action, but in writing of any kind. Many a tame sentence of description or exposition can be made lively and emphatic by substituting a verb in the active voice for some such perfunctory expression as ‘there is’, or ‘could be heard’.”

    There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground.

    Dead leaves covered the ground.

    The sound of a guitar somewhere in the house could be heard.

    Somewhere in the house a guitar hummed sleepily.

Taking Away a Verb’s Function
In the following examples, the noun expresses the entire action. The verb then has no other job except to complete the sentence.

    A survey of this region was made in 1900.

    This region was surveyed in 1900.

A Passive Dependent on Another Passive
Strunk warns against making one passive verb dependent on another passive verb:

    Gold was not allowed to be exported.

    It was forbidden to export gold (The export of gold was prohibited).
 
Before the correction, the word that is related to the second passive verb is the subject of the first.

Don’t Abandon it Completely
However, Strunk does not advise writers to eliminate the passive voice completely. Using it is convenient and sometimes necessary, as these examples show:

    The dramatists of the Restoration are little esteemed to-day.

    Modern readers have little esteem for the dramatists of the Restoration.

The first sentence focuses on the dramatists of the Restoration while the second focuses on the tastes of modern readers. In these examples the subject of the sentence determines which voice is used.

Keep it Active
Taking Strunk’s advice, we should always try to use the active voice over the passive voice whenever possible.

Be Specific (Concrete, definite language)

Last month, we looked at Section 13 of William Strunk Jr.’s Elements of Style, where he outlines the benefits of omitting words to make writing more concise. This month we look at Section 12 of Elements, in which Strunk advises writers to Use definite, specific, concrete language.

To quote Strunk, writers should prefer, “the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract.” To illustrate his point, he gives the following sample phrases then his suggested changes. Notice how using more specific language also simplifies each sentence:

A period of unfavorable weather set in. → It rained every day for a week.

He showed satisfaction as he took possession of his well-earned reward. → He grinned as he pocketed the coin.

There is a general agreement among those who have enjoyed the experience that surf-riding is productive of great exhilaration. → All who have tried surf-riding agree that it is most exhilarating.

Keeping the Reader's Attention
According to Strunk, the best way of getting and keeping a reader’s attention is by being specific, and definite. He states that a good writer applies concrete language to transport the reader into the story. Strunk gives the example of Robert Carlyle, author of The French Revolution: A History.

“...if in reading Carlyle we have almost the sense of being physically present at the taking of the Bastille, it is because of the definiteness of the details and the concreteness of the terms used. It is not that every detail is given; that would be impossible, as well as to no purpose; but that all the significant details are given, and not vaguely, but with such definiteness that the reader, in imagination, can project himself into the scene.”

Translating Ideas into Images
Herbert Spencer, a Victorian era English philosopher, social theorist was also a strong supporter of concrete language and simplified writing. He argued in his work The Philosophy of Style that a writer should make meanings as easily accessible for the most efficient communication. Strunk quotes Spencer in The Elements of Style as he speaks about words and their relationship to mental images:

"This superiority of specific expressions is clearly due to the effort required to translate words into thoughts. As we do not think in generals, but in particulars--as whenever any class of things is referred to, we represent it to ourselves by calling to mind individual members of it, it follows that when an abstract word is used, the hearer or reader has to choose, from his stock of images, one or more by which he may figure to himself the genus mentioned. In doing this, some delay must arise, some force be expended; and if by employing a specific term an appropriate image can be at once suggested, an economy is achieved, and a more vivid impression produced."

Spencer illustrates how specific expression helps readers choose images with these two sentences, the first more general and the second more specific:

In proportion as the manners, customs, and amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous, the regulations of their penal code will be severe.

In proportion as men delight in battles, bullfights, and combats of gladiators, will they punish by hanging, burning, and the rack.

Taking the Experts' Advice
The next time you sit down to write, take Strunk and Spencer’s advice and choose:

• Specific over general
• Definite over vague
• Concrete over abstract

Then read what you’ve written and see how it sounds. Happy writing!

BONUS: For another good resource, check out this paper from San Jose State University on Concrete Language for even more info and examples.

Make Every Word Count (omit needless words)

Used for almost a century, William Strunk, Jr.’s The Elements of Style has helped many writers to hone their craft. Over the next few months, I’ll be featuring sections from the book. Today, we look at Section 13: Omit needless words.

In this section, Strunk says, “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that he make every word tell.” 

Common Phrases

Strunk offers suggestions for omitting words in common phrases. A phrase is followed by it's concise replacement:

 the question as to whether → whether (the question whether)

 there is no doubt but that → no doubt (doubtless)

 he is a man who → he

 in a hasty manner → hastily

 this is a subject which → this subject

 His story is a strange one. → His story is strange.

He suggests that, “the expression the fact that should be revised out of every sentence in which it occurs,” and gives examples:

 owing to the fact that → since (because)

 in spite of the fact that → though (although)

 call your attention to the fact that → remind you (notify you)

 I was unaware of the fact that → I was unaware that (did not know)

  the fact that I had arrived → my arrival

Strunk also suggests that stock phrases like Who is and which was, “are often superfluous.”

 His brother, who is a member of the same firm  →  His brother, a member of the same firm

 Trafalgar, which was Nelson's last battle  →  Trafalgar, Nelson's last battle 

Single Ideas 

Regarding a passage or paragraph, Strunk says, “A common violation of conciseness is the presentation of a single complex idea, step by step, in a series of sentences or independent clauses which might to advantage be combined into one.” The example below shows how half the words can communicate the same idea without losing meaning: 

Macbeth was very ambitious. This led him to wish to become king of Scotland. The witches told him that this wish of his would come true. The king of Scotland at this time was Duncan. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murdered Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan as king. (51 words.) 

Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth achieved his ambition and realized the prediction of the witches by murdering Duncan and becoming king of Scotland in his place. (26 words.) 

Fewer Words = Better Writing 

According to Strunk, omitting words makes your writing tighter, more concise and easier to read. Try omitting words and making every word count. To help you identify fillers and ‘crutches', these sites offer lists of omittable words:

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10_words_to_cut_from_your_writing_15389.aspx

http://dianaurban.com/words-you-should-cut-from-your-writing-immediately

http://thewritepractice.com/better-writer-now/

https://smartblogger.com/weak-writing/

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/five-words-you-can-cut/