Hey, Kids! It’s Time for Some Writing Tips!

One of my assignments at work this month involved sifting through hundreds of writing tips from all over the the web. Obviously, the research portion piqued my interest quite heavily – aside from my coworkers (many of whom are listed in the “Friends” portion of my blogroll) and the lovely men and women at the Zeros 2 Heroes community, I sadly don’t spend as much time conferring with other professional writers as I would like. So it certainly served as an eye-opening experience for me to compare and contrast my experiences and training with theirs.

Probably unsurprisingly, I came across numerous bits of advice that seemingly contradicted one another or pushed subjective stylistic preferences as absolutes. For example, more than a few writers touted that “short, declarative sentences” makes for the best route towards penning a successful work. I actually agree with this statement…while simultaneously disagreeing. As a stylistic element, such a strategy may not necessarily gel with what the author hopes to accomplish. It’s fine to discuss it as a possibility, of course, but the problem with many of the tips and tricks I unearthed was the merging of subjective and technical without indicating the difference. Many novice writers perusing the internet for ideas on getting themselves started may not have the training or experience to separate the two.

Perhaps wrongly, perhaps not, I actually find that a bit disconcerting.

Because so many experts (understandably!) have been working in the field for so long, it probably does not cross their minds to differentiate their technical tips from the subjective. However, I think this common oversight holds the potential to homogenize the craft of writing. Not entirely, obviously. But the more stylistic tips end up lumped together with the technical, the more they will blur together in the minds of newer writers seeking a bit of a boost to their hobbies – even careers. The more entwined they become, the more likely it becomes that their works grow to echo advice more than personal preference.

All this is just my opinion, though. But I figure no harm lay in pointing out the writing tips I personally found most helpful – after all, much of the general advice floating about out there can be narrowed down even further into a few broad kernels that leave plenty of room for interpretation and experimentation. And that right there is exactly what I  want to encourage amongst emerging writers. Experimentation. Adhering too closely to what others have to say prevents boundaries from being challenged and new movements and ideas from bursting into existence.

But few will argue that the most compelling and effective experiments come straight from fully understanding the technicalities. Picasso drew and painted photorealistically prior to revolutionizing the art world with the distorted perspectives and forms (among other elements) of Cubism, after all. In order to subvert the accepted and anticipated, a writer must absolutely know their ins and outs beforehand. Because of this, I am approaching the material from the perspective of encouraging experimentation.

So if I give out advice from time to time here on Burning Leaves, understand that I am trying to do so as objectively as possible in order to accommodate personal stylistic  preferences and quirks. Take it to heart. Ignore it. Tell me I’m a horrible, ignorant woman who doesn’t know what she’s talking about and needs to keep her nose out of the writing business. But hey – maybe someone, somewhere can benefit from what I’ve dug up, so why shouldn’t I share it? I won’t pretend it’s anything new that hasn’t been said before, of course, but maybe joining in the chorus of other writers will drive home the importance.

In any case, I personally think these main 4 points of advice stand as some of the most important for new writers to keep in mind. They’ve all been said before. There’s nothing particularly exciting or insightful or unique about them. But for anyone who wants to share their voice with an audience or desires to push the boundaries of the language of their choice, these snippets of advice deserve repeating. Obviously, anyone who writes solely for their own benefit needn’t pay any attention.

1.) Learn Proper Spelling. There is definitely a time and a place for “creative spelling,” and that time comes after studying the ins and outs of the actual rules that govern the “non-creative” variety. Barring dyslexia or other learning disabilities, there really isn’t any legitimate reason why so many individuals simply can’t spell in their native tongue. I don’t mean misspelling the occasional word – nobody is infallible and mistakes will invariably and understandably be made every once in a while. I mean cascades of incomprehensible thoughts.

And that right there highlights why one needs to study proper spelling. It may be a dry subject, but of the utmost importance to writers. Though this quip can be found almost anywhere else, it warrants repeating – you may have written out the most brilliant insight into the human condition ever penned, but if readers can’t make heads or tails of the poor spelling, they’ll dismiss it entirely. Brilliant though it is, I’d have even put down A Confederacy of Dunces had the opening line read, “A grean huntting capp skweezed the topp of tha fuleshee buhlooon of a hed.”

As always, though, there are exceptions that prove the rule. Intentional misspellings oftentimes add a great deal of emotional impact to a work. Consider the phenomenal, tragic Flowers for Algernon. Or, for a far more lighthearted example, many of Dr. Suess’s poems took liberties with the English language as well. “Stars/Thars” from The Sneeches comes to mind first. Point being, if you want to use this device to achieve a desired reaction then take the time to study up on spelling rules. Study how to spell in English if you write in English. Study how to spell in Spanish if you write in Spanish. Study how to spell in Esperanto if you write in Esperanto. Etc. Otherwise, you’ll lose your audience very quickly. Don’t always rely on spell check, either – they don’t catch homophones!

2.) Learn Proper Grammar. It’s pretty much the same song and dance as why you need to learn proper spelling. Obviously, improper or meandering grammar has its place. It can be used to establish a scene where a character begins breaking down. Or to create more naturally flowing dialogue. Or to paint a surrealist portrait using words. Or for the sake of humor. But, you kind, of sort of need to be careful, about, when and where and how you use, poor grammer, or else the same sort of, disconnect with, a audience, as with poor, spelling occurs and then you just come off, as a hack or unknowledgable and you kind of lose, you’re audience!.

See what I mean?

Obviously, you don’t have to go digging through the depths of the illustrious Grammar Girl and follow the most obscure regulations you can find. Just learn the basics and look up anything you find confusing that pops up along the way. You’re not always going to hit 100% of the rules 100% of the time, just like spelling. Don’t beat yourself up over it when any crop up. But if you ever hope to subvert these regulations, it pays to know exactly what you’re working with.

3.) Just Be You. At first, newer writers are going to emulate their favorite authors and thinkers. It’s perfectly natural! When I go back and read anything I wrote as a senior in high school, for example, it’s fairly obvious how much Chuck Palahniuk I ingested at the time. But continuing to write helps your work evolve into something more personable! Strive for authenticity and, if you’re writing for an audience, at least some degree of clarity. Allow yourself to grow and change and experiment and be influenced and – in time – influence others. Even with a writing assignment in front of you, it’s still possible to add personal flourishes. Obviously, if you’re being graded on a paper then you need to stick with your instructor’s directions. Don’t take liberties with facts for nonfiction pieces, for example. That’s kind of a different case, and I don’t want parents popping in on here telling me that their kid followed my advice and scored a failing grade. But for something more personable, creative – just stick with the tired old adage of being yourself. It’s a cliché for a reason.

And besides, honesty always ends up much easier in the end. Both in life and in writing.

4.) READ. Whenever possible, gobble down as many books that you deem interesting. Even if you don’t channel your inner Harold Bloom and contentiously dissect what makes a work of literature effective or ineffective, you’re still definitely learning something! Your subconscious will process quite a bit along the way – hence why you’ll come to start mirroring some of the techniques used by your favorite writers. Strong reading skills and strong writing skills work in tandem, though. So be sure to take in as much reading as you can if you hope to improve upon your writing.

Hope these help, and I would encourage anyone to leave comments and let me know if they found these helpful or entirely a waste of time. If I feel like writing out more tips in the future, I would like to tailor them to be as thorough and valuable as possible. I also invite other writers to chime in as well!

~Riot

Is This Thing On?

As much as I probably should apologize for my absence, I actually have a legitimate reason for not blogging the past month. My full-time writing contract eventually became a full-time career job, and as such I went from working at home to working in an office. Said office was actually a 45-minute bus ride from where I was living, so I have sunk quite a bit of time trying to find a place much closer to work. Fortunately, I did! It’s a great place, and right in the middle of downtown Houston, too! So the whole act of picking out an apartment that suited my needs, moving my possessions, and now having to furnish it has been exhausting my body and my schedule alike. Everything should be complete – or at least mostly complete – by the end of the month, hopefully.

There’s still a number of drafts sitting on my little WordPress dashboard right now. With as exhausted as I’ve been, I just didn’t feel right cranking them out when I wasn’t able to give them as much concentration as they deserve. I’ve done the tired reviews before and have always ended up disappointed with the results. By this point, I feel it’s better to leave gaps between good critiques instead of firing off a quick succession while running practically on empty. Maybe your opinion differs on the matter, though. Heh. My apologies, of course, but moving is a relatively major hiccup in one’s life.

I have gotten a little bit of writing done, though, and blips that require less in-depth analysis than literary criticism. Being that I am now surrounded on all sides by a number of fascinating, influential skyscrapers, I launched an ongoing project to discuss my thoughts regarding Houston’s architecture over at Yelp. It’s a slow-going process, as you can probably imagine, and so far I’ve only written about two buildings. There are at least 3 more queued up, however, so be sure to check back for any updates! I love this city quite a bit and want to promote the frequently overlooked architectural elements the only way I know how. Hopefully those of you who don’t live here will learn something about Houston and, well, maybe those of you who do might as well.

-Riot