|
|
|
|
Solving your writing problems since 1998! |
|
| |||||||||||
|
The Write Way 26 December 2003 When You Hear Hoofbeats, Think Horses, Not Zebras Greetings, I hope you enjoyed the Christmas holiday time with your family and friends. The Internet is a wonderful invention, but it does make things a tad awkward around this time of year, don't you think? Why? Because we're able to mix with people from so many different cultures who don't necessarily have the same childhood memories about December holidays ... I did, for one brief, mad moment before Christmas, contemplate trying to encompass all the beliefs and celebrations I know are held by our Merry Band. But then I decided if I tried to do that, sure as eggs, I'd miss someone and I'd hate to leave any one of you out. Then I realised that this very diversity is what makes the Internet so good. You probably enjoy hearing about different little customs we have out here in Australia (such as celebrating a traditional European Christmas complete with hot roast dinner in the middle of the day while sweltering in near century temperatures) as much as I love hearing about all your different festivals and special days. So, Christmas is over for another year, we've all lived to tell the tale and here we are - perched on the cusp of the New Year ...We've been through a lot together this past year, haven't we? And I feel we know each other well enough to ask you a personal question.
There's another way to say all this so that it's easier to remember to apply it to everyday events, and that is Keep It Simple, Stupid. The KISS principle should be applied religiously to most things in life (with the possible exception of flash dinners for special occasions). And since writing is one of those things, it, too, should be as simple as possible. After all, the whole aim of writing is to communicate, isn't it? Here's a great little tip I found (Source) about how to check if your writing follows the KISS principle. It uses what this site calls the clarity index, which is "a measure of the ease or difficulty of reading a piece of writing. The process is mechanical and objective." 1. Take a sample of the writing (not over one page) and count the number of words. 2. Count the number of sentences. 3. Divide the number of words by the number of sentences. The result will be the number of words per sentence. (words /(divided by) sentences = words per sentence) 4. Count the number of long words (three or more syllables) in the sample. 5. Divide the number of long words by the total number of words to get the percentage of long words. (long words /(divided by) total words = percent of long words) 6. Finally, add the words per sentences and the percentage of long words. The sum is the clarity index. (wps + percent of long words = clarity index) The target clarity index is 30. If your clarity index is below 25, your writing is probably choppy. If the clarity index is over 35, most people will have difficulty reading it rapidly. Since the clarity index is based on the length of words and sentences, you can raise the index number by combining sentences. By joining sentences, you will not only smooth out the choppiness but also show a better relationship between ideas. Likewise, to lower the number, use shorter, simpler words and break up long sentences. As you can tell, the process of running a clarity index is time-consuming. You won't have time to run one on every piece of your writing. But, on those occasions when a piece of writing (yours or someone else's) seems particularly hard to read, try running a clarity index. Chances are the index will be off one way or the other. T'riffic idea if you're in any doubt about your writing (and before you write to me and say my writing breaks all the rules ... I know. But this is just a bit of a chat among friends, remember?) This week's quiz: Some curly ones this week - time to give those little grey cells a work out after all those nosh-ups over Chrissie: mumpsimus, farrago, redivivus, jeremiad, delenda, aegrotat, famulus, imbroglio, miasma, Sisyphean 1. a very embarrassing misunderstanding; an intricate, confusing or disturbing situation 2. unhealthy vapors rising from the ground or other sources 3. a close attendant; private secretary 4. a medical certificate that a student is ill 5. a traditional notion that is obstinately held although it is unreasonable 6. a long and mournful complaint 7. things to be erased or blotted out 8. living again; revived; restored 9. laborious, endless and futile 10. a confused mass of objects or people; any disordered mixture And if you'd like to know more about the Occam behind this notion, read all about William Ockham here: http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/o/ockham.htm You won't have to worry about desperately trying to think of a conversation opener at your New Year's Eve party this year ... not when I give you these nifty self-referencing sentences. Hours of fun for the whole family here: This sentence has five words. This sentence contradicts itself; well, no, actually it doesn't. This sentence claims to be an Epimenides paradox, but it's lying. When you are not looking at it, this sentence is in Spanish. This sentence has nothing to say, and is saying it. This sentence is a non sequitur. This sentence is not a non sequitor. Puzzled about the Epimenides paradox? Here's a simple version of it: "Epimenides (a Cretan) wrote, "All Cretans are liars...One of their own poets has said so." This is not a true paradox since the poet may have knowledge that at least one Cretan is, in fact, honest, and so be lying when he says that all Cretans are liars. There therefore need be no self-contradiction in what could simply be a false statement by a person who is himself a liar. "A sharper version of the paradox (which has no such loophole) is seen in the sentence, "This sentence is false." Is the sentence true? If it is, then we have to believe what it claims, so it would be false. But if it's not true, then its claim that it itself is false isn't true, so the sentence would be true. As long as we insist that all sentences are either true or false, we can get tied up in such knots." http://www.erights.org/elang/concurrency/epimenides.html And a longer discussion for those with a philosophical bent: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~sjblatt/notes/nottrue.html Last week's quiz: moratorium, coryphee, pantograph, pleonasm, exordium, bollard, zymotic, platen, arpeggio, gemma 1. the use of more words than those necessary to denote the intended sense - PLEONASM 2. thick post on a ship or wharf, used for securing ropes and hawsers; one of a series of posts preventing vehicles from entering an area - BOLLARD 3. a ballet dancer who ranks above a member of the corps de ballet and below a soloist and who performs in small ensembles - CORYPHEE 4. an infectious disease, especially one caused by a fungus; the process of infection - ZYMOTIC 5. a chord whose notes are played in rapid succession rather than simultaneously - ARPEGGIO 6. the roller on a typewriter against which the keys strike - PLATEN 7. suspension of an ongoing activity - MORATORIUM 8. the introductory section of an oration or discourse - EXORDIUM 9. mechanical device used to copy a figure or plan on a different scale - PANTOGRAPH 10. small asexual reproductive structure in liverworts and mosses that detaches from the parent and develops into a new individual - GEMMA Thank you to everyone who's made a comment on the Map of the World - it's never too late to make your mark: http://pub37.bravenet.com/guestmap/view.php?usernum=3170114826 If you received this newsletter from a friend and you'd like to have your very own copy delivered to you on Friday, just click here: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and why not spread the word? Send your friends a copy and invite them to join our merry band - we number over 8,000 now. A Little Something Extra New Year is the perfect time to launch your freelance career and Californian writer, Anne Hart, has put together an excellent book for those of you who want to get into freelance writing, but can't think of anything specific to do. Anne's book focuses on the digital media and electronic publishing industries as well as giving specific details about more than 25 different businesses for freelance writers who want to work online and at home. From writing infomercials, organising international satellite reunions to writing and scripting "Videobiographies," Anne explains how to do it. For each business, she gives tips on what the business entails, its income potential and the training, experience and equipment you'll need to set up. She tells you the best locales to operate in, what markets to target and also gives other library and Internet resources and professional associations that will help as you embark on your new career. The Freelance Writer’s E-Publishing Guidebook contains over 600 pages of detailed, incredibly helpful information for freelance writers. You can contact Anne here: newswriting@hotmail.com and get a copy of the book here: www.iuniverse.com Just enter a search for the book by title when you get to the page. Word of the week: Omphaloskepsis
(n) navel-gazing especially in the sense that the gazer spends more time
contemplating his/her navel than in getting on with life. This delightful word
comes from the Greek omphalos (navel) and skepsis (query, doubt). This week's Latin phrase comes from the lips of Mediaeval English philosopher and Franciscan monk, William of Ockham (c.1285-1347). Yes, the very same Ockham who gave us Occam's Razor! Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate. (Plurality should not be posited without necessity... or roughly translated as "Keep it simple!") [ploo-rah-LEE-tahs NOHN EST SEE-nay nay-kays-ee-TAH-tay] Regards, Jennifer P.S. Want to donate to the upkeep of this newsletter? Here's how: 1. Pay by PayPal:
2. Click here to subscribe for a full year OR 3. Use your credit card on my secure order form: http://www.write101.com/fund.htm (You can also access the PayPal subscription link from this page if the link above didn't work for you. With PayPal, you can use your credit card, PayPal account or pay online using your own cheque account.) OR 4. Send a cheque (made payable to Jennifer Stewart): http://www.write101.com/fund.htm To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: mailto:WritingTips-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to the web site, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WritingTips This menu will also let you change your subscription between digest and normal mode.
|
|
Home
| Contact
| Order
| Site
Map |Subscribe
Copyright 200 |
