Rules of Writing:

As it is understood by a practicing amateur.  

 

Here is a list of writing tips and strategies that I have gathered throughout my life and have developed during English 483. These "rules" are intended as suggestions and aim to encompass the wide variety of experiences that pertain to any writer.  

 

1. Show, not tell.

I did not make up this rule but it is one that I is crucial to the survival of any writer, genre and style. The goal is to write in a way that makes the reader go, “Ah!” or maybe nod their head with the words. They should feel a heart pang or a brain surge that pushes their understanding of your words to a level that is almost visual. They can see what you are writing.

 

2. Be direct.

Be clear with your ideas. Pick out the main takeaways of your idea and plan how you are going to present those takeways. After you have written a section, make sure you can find those takeaways. Dancing and hopping around an idea may be fun in your head, but there are going to be other readers besides yourself. You want them to follow your thought, especially the important ones.

 

3. Have a plan.

Writing in a stream-of-consciousness can be rewarding at times but writing that starts with a plan has the potential to be more organized, contain better rhetoric and have a purpose. A plan can be as simple as a one-word topic. Making a plan, however, will provide you with insight and will prepare you to see many sides of your topic.

 

4. Talk about your writing.

Many people like to keep their writing a secret, either with themselves or with one person, usually a professor. Taking the time to talk about your ideas or to share your writing with other people allows more ideas to be involved and ultimately improves your writing. Pick people that are supportive of you writing, at first, so that you can talk about writing with someone who cares. Also, picking a supportive person will ensure positive feedback or really nice criticism. But after you have dipped your toes in the water of other peoples’ opinions…

 

5. Accept criticism.

Everyone has a different way they think writing should be done. And that’s okay! Listening to other people’s ideas about your writing does not require that you completely change your voice, style, topic or opinion. However, it does not hurt to see where you may be able to improve. Or they may be full of it. But you at least gave their opinion a chance that allows you an improved understanding of the world and the way people think about it.

 

6. Be a copy-cat

Emulating another author’s style or voice can be very helpful in finding your own. In so doing, you can discover your own twist to a style or voice by navigating words that you haven’t used, writing in phrase structures you never thought to, or exploring genres that may be better suited to your purpose.

 

7. Take your time.

Writing does not have to be done quickly to be done well. Being quick does not mean you are writing well. Think about what you want to convey, or show, and write, rewrite, read and reread until you feel it’s right. There is no time limit to a good piece and allowing yourself breaks and revisits will strengthen the thoughts you have started. Although a lot of writing has to be done for a due date, there is usually ample time provided so that you can space out your writing. Take advantage of this time or create your own time.

 

8. Don't be afriad of deadlines

Although writers should take time to produce a work, I think that it is important to not at deadlines as a restrictive element to writing. After a deadline, take time to go back and revisit the work. The deadline was more for someone else, not for you. A work is never fully complete and revisiting a work allows you to gain a new perspective that can be applied to the piece. This new perspective can come from comments on the piece when it is returned or it can come from the time you have allowed your brain to deviate from the work. In that time, you can revisit the work with a different set of eyes.

 

9. Read. A lot.

There is so much writing available to any reader and taking advantage of the work other people have done will allow you to become more knowledgeable of the craft. Read what other people have written about writing, about editing, planning, sharing written works. No matter what stage you are at with a piece, other people’s work can guide you with how to maneuver every step.

 

10. Like your writing.

Most people are the own worst critic. Although is good to be able to critique your own work, make sure you are also complimenting your own work. You are probably doing great things and you should acknowledge that you are. When you are able to appreciate your work, you will be able to find things to repeat in other works. Also, it is important to stay encouraged. Complimenting your own writing can keep that encouragement intact when you are writing a challenging piece or if you are finding yourself stuck.

 

11. Share your work.

Submitting you work to journals or posting your work to a personal blog allows your work to be a part of the public sphere. I mentioned above that other writers’ work can be used to help you improve but that work would not have that ability unless people were allowed to read it. Give the gift of example and let your work run wild in the minds of other readers and writers. The digital age is an amazing opportunity to share and be involved in the writing community.

 

12. Practice.

Speaking of the digital age, many new genres are surfacing in the writing community. Blogs, captions, posts are all new ways of writing that we are exposed to daily. Practice writing in these new genres or others that may cause you trouble. Being exposed to different conventions of writing will expand your ability to connect to more audiences and practicing one genre may help you with another.

 

13. Take pride in your work.

Don’t (always) be lazy. Find a purpose and follow that purpose because writing has the power to make a difference in your life as well as other peoples’ lives. Use writing as a tool to learn, to speak, to connect and to grow. You will benefit from the process as well as the outcome but you need to do it knowing why you are doing it or allow yourself reflection afterward because maybe you found that purpose along the way.