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TEN TOP TIPS TO IMPROVE OUR WRITING

1. Apply seat of pants to chair, and write. Most of us spend a disproprotionate amount of time thinking about writing, learning about writing, discussing our writing, and fantasizing about the great stuff we are going to write. Dreaming, visualizing, networking, and planning are all important, but they don't do us much good unless we are applying our vision and insights to a concrete project.

2. Rely on both inspiration and perspiration. It's best to plunge ahead when we're inspired and just let the words flow, instead of stopping to check grammar and spelling, struggling to make our work fit some pre-conceived plan, or tinkering with individual sentences. Some of our best stuff will erupt spontaneously. After the creative frenzy has cooled down, it's time for objective evaluation and editing. If we want our talent to shine, we have to take time to polish each phrase, sentence and paragraph into a fine communications tool, and fit the components together into a logical, coherent, readable whole.

3. Strive for excellence without demanding perfection. Many projects don't get finished because we get obsessed with getting things just right. There is a time to say, "I've done all I can with this for now", let it go, and move on to something else. Writers learn on the job continuously.

4. Try new things. Play, experiment, have fun. If we are stretching our limits, our writing may be less polished than the comfortably tried-and-true, but it will have vitality. New approaches may not provide good results at first, but they may bear good fruit in the long run. If something isn't working for you after a reasonable time, try another approach.

5. Listen to your peers and editors, but don't be controlled by them. A second pair of eyes is a valuable resource. Respect the experience and expertise of people who have struggled, learned their craft, and succeeded. Take every comment and suggestion under advisement, think about it, and apply it if it feels right. When dealing with unwanted suggestions from an editor who is signing your pay cheque, balance your desire for the sale against your creative autonomy. If you are very attached to something, it may be better to hold your ground. On the other hand, it is necessary to recognize that everything we write is not deathless literature, and changes may actually improve our work, even if we are not able to recognize that right away.

6. Where possible, allow yourself some time before editing. That will make it easier to look at the work objectively, as if someone else had written it.

7. Write what you know. If you don't know, do as much research as you have time for. Errors can float around and embarrass us for a very long time.

8. Write what you are passionate about. Passion is often difficult to discipline, but it infuses our work with life.

9. Develop your own unique voice. The vibrancy of the writer's personality can make even a fact-laden technical piece readable. If people can recognize your work before they read the byline, your voice is strong and definite.

10. Cut, cut, cut. This is the hardest work of all. We get attached to our work, and feel as if we are killing our children. It may be a good idea to keep a copy of the original version, just in case we have second thoughts.

Learn more about this author, Christine G..
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