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| Down the Rabbit Whole: Why Writing Matters Posted: 23 Apr 2011 01:25 AM PDT Back It Up, Alice
Spellcheck is…Not enough. Not even close to enough. In fact, don’t even bother. It doesn’t catch the important mistakes from a PR perspective. It only catches the errors that people will easily forgive because they understand it’s a simple typo…it happens to the best of us. What spellcheck doesn’t catch are the there/their/they’re and your/you’re distinctions. Or if you happen to be under the mistaken impression that a moot point is a ‘mute’ point. And that’s where you really lose me, and others like me. We start to question how qualified you are to have an opinion on the matter under discussion. Don’t give anyone that opportunity. The More You Read……the better you will write. Read anything that’s been vetted, as it were. Don’t spend your time reading blog posts or newspaper articles hoping to gain from them in this sense. The people writing these are just like you…in need of help. Go back to literature for this one. Novels, poetry, plays, biographies: whatever you’re interested enough in to stick with it. My highest recommendation is Shakespeare. He will teach you everything if you know how to listen. Set aside enough time to read 5 pages a day. Yeah, that’s it. 5 pages. If you do this every day, and pay attention to the words you are reading, you will rapidly become a better writer. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus nearby and use them. At first, you’ll use them a lot, and it will be more time-consuming, but you will eventually find it rare that you need to turn to these precious resources. Should you have the inclination to become a better writer on your own, here are some necessaries: The Elements of Style, Roget’s, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Made-Up WordsI highly encourage this, if you know what you’re doing. I made up a word today…paradigmatic. Don’t be afraid to use language for it’s real purpose: to communicate. There’s a thing called a morpheme: the smallest meaningful unit of language, and some of them are highly productive, which means that they can be used with lots of different root words to produce a word that has a more specialized meaning. E.g. paradigm→paradigmatic. Use them, but use them wisely. A Final NoteIf you have zero time or inclination to do this, then hire someone else to do it. You’ll both be happier. |
| The Writer’s Declaration of Independence Posted: 04 Jul 2011 07:10 AM PDT
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, but not all can write. The course of recent technological events has made the separation of those who can write from their contracts, exploitations, and fears — which keep them from independence and prosperity — complete. We have been endowed with absolute possibility, and the tools to pursue it. If any individual or organization becomes an enemy of this possibility, we can … leave. We will lay a foundation of study, research, and practice, so that nothing can lock our destiny away from us. If our pursuit ends in failure, we can begin again. Organizing our powers through dedication and sweat, we are now marked only by courage, workmanship, and character. For we need never return to the abuses, ignorance, and shallow suggestions of those who — knowing nothing of its power — belittle the craft. It is our collective duty in this age to throw off such idiocy, and work honorably toward our intent. We have been patient through centuries of derision and misuse. We are now declared free from the tyranny of The Gatekeeper. We are free to engage the marketplace directly, and to live or die by our best ideas, and honest efforts. Will you join us? About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s resident raconteur and copywriter. Tweet |
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