Having enjoyed reading your
biographical, They
can't take that away from me... I
would love to post your article (for my) course for
seniors entitled Autobiography and Journaling ... and
let them read your article as a good example of what
I call the reader's writer, clearly expressed and easy
to read. (Howell)
The French language has
always appealed to me ... so I enjoyed Lavinia's
experiences en
France! (Di Sullivan, Perth, Australia)
I am an American and an
expat here since 1990. I have been a subscriber to Writing
Tip for a few years now and look forward to the Friday
editions. I archive by creating topics of the tips
relevant to me and often refer. (Mary, Lagos, Nigeria)
WRITERS!
Write
Your Own Best Seller!
This
year, don't just read a best-seller ... Write
your own using the software program that works
in the same way J K Rowling writes her Harry
Potter novels!
Who said Aussies would
bet on two flies crawling up a wall? Now I know
better! (Bill Denham, Chicago, USA)
I enjoy reading your page
every week, Jennifer, it's never boring and there's always
something to bring a smile to my face! (Kenny Dima,
Tenerife, Spain)
Great newsletter -
originally found this site after searching for
clarification on a contentious
point amongst work colleagues. Just had to look at old
issues and now look forward to Fridays (Juliet Wallace,
Manchester, ENGLAND)
You know
exactly what you want to say, but somewhere, on the
journey from the brain to the paper, the message gets
lost.
You may be trying to
write your opening page for your website - you know how
important it is to make a good first impression, but no
matter how long you sit and look at your screen, you
can't get past, "Welcome to my site."
The
tricks of the trade
There are simple tricks
that professional writers use, to help them overcome
writers' block, and once you've tried them a couple of
times, you'll find that it's easy to get started.
But even after you've
filled the page with words, you know, as soon as you
read it, that it doesn't really express what you want it
to express. It lacks "something" - you're not
sure what that "something" is, but you know
it's not there!
The
function of language
In order to give your
writing that edge it needs, you must understand how it
functions - this means that writing is just like every
other human activity - its success depends on all its
individual components working together.
It's like making a motor
car - you can't just get four tyres, a steering wheel, a
handful of nuts and bolts, a couple of pistons, a
carburettor etc, toss them all into a barrel, give them
a bit of a mix, tip them out on the garage floor and
expect to see a Porsche smiling back at you ... it's not
going to happen!
Likewise, you can't just
scratch a few words onto a page, and expect anyone else
to know exactly what you meant. All words have a special
function to perform in a sentence and you misuse them at
your peril.
Consider this sentence:
The police are
searching for a man driving a cream car with red
hair.
Or this:
Duty nurses will be
found pinned to the office notice board.
The person who wrote
these sentences knew what he / she meant, but the rest
of us are likely to become confused, because of a simple
fault in grammar.
"Yes", I hear
you say, "they're pretty obvious mistakes, but Iwould never make a mistake like that."
Hmm. Have a quick look at
these sentences:
My happiest moment was
when my uncle gave me a horse.
We managed to buy the
two last seats for the concert.
Now the rain has
stopped, we can leave.
The reason she was
late was because the car broke down.
Today is as hot, if
not hotter than yesterday.
What do you think? Do
they all look to be correct?
