5 tricks for wicked good writing
Last spring, I took a writing workshop led by Constance Hale, who is well known in literary circles as an extraordinary teacher. The workshop was based on her book, Sin and Syntax, and in about an hour, Hale transformed the way I think about writing sentences and spinning out paragraphs. At Hale's feet, we students were like children learning language for the first time, as we played games like the one in which we competed to replace the verb walk with the most sizzling synonyms (like gambol, shamble, lumber, lurch, sway, swagger, and sashay).
Hale specializes in helping professional writers to write better, cleaner prose. But she's also worked with lawyers, CEOs, P.R. and marketing types, and others who write as part of their jobs. Her philosophy was informed by years as an editor at Wired magazine, where she says the magazine's staff was consumed with presenting technological concepts in a way that was lively, fresh and human.
I asked Hale for some every day tips that will transform writing from lackluster to vivid -- whether it's in an email, a cover letter, a pitch for new business, or even a status update on Facebook. Here's what she recommends:
Trick #1: Write in English, not Jargon. We have a wonderfully rich language. Use it! Whether you are writing for colleagues or for strangers, search for the best, the most beautiful words, not just the hackneyed phrases that come out automatically. Use "my concern," not "the above-referenced matter"; say "a person at a computer," not "the end user." Go ahead and spin a metaphor, but make sure it's original: "The sky darkened and dumped all its cares," not "it's raining cats and dogs."
Trick #2: Use specific, concrete nouns.
Nouns are cornerstones of writing-they give us characters, images, and themes. Search for the most evocative and exact. Why choose "house" when the options include cottage, shack, duplex, dacha, bungalow, and bachelor's pad? (Stay away from abstractions like abode, dwelling, domicile, or residence.) Beware clusters of abstract nouns. When a principal wrote to parents urging a "communication facilitation skills development intervention," he should have asked them "to help kids write better."
Trick #3: Pick action-packed verbs.
All verbs are either static (to be, to seem, to become) or dynamic (to whistle, to waffle, to wonder). Static verbs pour out naturally when we write-"is" clutters most first drafts. But dynamic verbs give writing action, power, drama. Do a verb brush-up on every draft, tossing out static verbs and perking up your prose.
Trick #4: Avoid fluff.
Use good nouns, and you will wean yourself of adjectives. Use good verbs, and you'll find you can forgo adverbs. Notice where foggy prepositional phrases can be replaced ("in the eye of my mind" v. "in my imagination"). Reduce redundancy: replace multiple fluff words with a single crunchy one.
Trick #5: Find the right pitch.
Every piece of writing is a conversation. Figure out your audience, and how you want to relate. Do you want to come off as an authority, a hipster, or a wise friend? Use the imperative voice if you want to sound like an expert: Write in commands and you will convey confidence. Use the informal second person if you want to sound chummy: So you want to sidle up to your reader... Use "we" to suggest that you, too, are going through what your readers are: We all struggle with every sentence we write. Once you settle on a point of view, don't wobble away from it.
