How to Improve Writing How To Books in 5 Easy Steps #4

Breaking the rules to improve your writing

After all the mistunks I made last article, I’m almost afraid to continue this series. But a promise is a promise. (Thank you Jim (axonaxis3) ).

So far I’ve given you a whole bunch of ideas or maybe rules on how to make your writing better. How to make it easier to read and harder hitting. How to be clearer and make your writing easier to understand.

Now I’m going to tell you to forget it!

Okay, I’m exaggerating. But like any rules, there are times you want to obey them and times you need to ignore them.

The key to writing well is to know when to obey and when to not obey. As a former girlfriend once commented about my writing “Now, that we are no longer in school, we are ALLOWED to break the rules.”

By the way, how many of you noticed how many errors I made last article. Lots more than you think! (I gotsta get me some sleep! Either that or an editor with a masochistic streak!  ).

Write Like You Speak.

Okay … so where to start with this one. Your speaking voice is a part of you. It’s a combination of your personality, your history and your culture. Trust it. Listen to it. Write with it.

You don’t always have to be correct. After all, when we speak we are seldom correct in our speech. When we are perfectly correct, people tend to think we’re putting on airs. The same is true with writing.  If we always write absolutely correctly then our own personality won’t come through. That’s great if you’re a technical writer. Not so great for a business or other type of writer where personality is part of what you’re selling.  (Please like me. Pretty Please …).

On the other hand … if we write exactly like we um, you know, sortta speak sometimes. Well, you know, I don’t like to brag but it can end up in a bunch of, mmm,  four letter words. If you know what I mean.

In other words … if we write exactly like we speak, our readers will start throwing things at us. Like a speaker, a writer needs to learn to eliminate the time wasters (umms, ahhs, etc) and the unlinked ideas. Sentence fragments are okay once in a while but not all the time (unlike speech). On the other hand, run-on sentences are also okay – once in a long while – but only very infrequently. Generally speaking, swearing is only acceptable within conversation (too many people are offended by its random use).

Use Shorter Paragraphs

Although not in the calculation, just as sentence length affects reading level so does paragraph length. Generally, the more sentences in a paragraph, the more difficult it is to read.

However, remember the intro, body, closing structure. Like the overall structure, a good paragraph should have an introductory sentence, a body and a closing sentence.

Should not must!

Use your paragraphs to help the reading. Short paragraphs read quickly. Especially when they flow into the next.

Keep long paragraphs for school. (And technical and academic writing).

Mix it up

One of the downsides of all this easy reading is that everything is short and quick. That’s why it’s easy to read.

Unfortunately, that’s also why it is exhausting!

After all, you wouldn’t run a marathon all out at sprinter’s speed, now would you? No, of course not. By the time you finish, you would be exhausted. The same is true for your writing and the poor reader. You need to pace their efforts. Give them a break where the sentences go on just a little longer.

Give them paragraphs where they can take a breath and not have to rush. Inevitably, these paragraphs will have a higher grade average since the number of words per sentence has increased. But by balancing the long and the short, by altering how you speak you can slow the reader down and give them a break without affecting the readability negatively. At least not too negatively.

In addition, one length is boring and insulting. Remember your “See Dick run” days? Now we laugh at it. There are two further problems with short sentences beyond the exhaustion aspect.

The first is the same sentence length time after time is boring.

The second is that if we write at too low a level – unless the content is REALLY, REALLY good – we tend to insult the writer. Generally, try to keep the writing around the grade 5-6 range. Below 3 begins to be insulting. Above 6 requires effort on the part of the reader to follow the thoughts of the writer. Try to match the grade level to the time availability of the audience (the busier, the lower the grade).

So I hope you have enjoyed the series. Let me know. This series was suggested by one of our students. If there is something you would like me to expound on please feel free to suggest away.

Learn and Earn

Glen Ford