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![The Elements of Style [Illustrated]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41iY6fZT-DL._SL500_.jpg)
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It wasn't 30 days but 3 months, and when reading his book I don't recall him saying no excuses. Quote from the original article regarding his book: "King likes to write 10 pages a day. Over a three-month span, that amounts to around 180,000 words. 'The first draft of a book — even a long one — should take no more than three months, the length of a season,' he says. If you spend too long on your piece, King believes the story begins to take on an odd foreign feel."
As for myself, writing isn't my full time so 4-6 months depending on life. (edited for spelling)
Might be a bit dated now, but The Elements of Style by Strunk & White was one of the first books I read on writing.
Even if some of their examples or philosophies are dated, it's a really good foundational book. Having that base can save even the most boring or uninspired stories. Good writing can exist independently of a good idea (unfortunately).
Does "taking Yale University's second-year second-semester course" mean you are a student there? If so, you should reach out to the faculty teaching the courses since they surely have experience with students who are heritage speakers.
Consider the following book, written specifically for students like you: https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Russians-Olga-Kagan/dp/0893573019.
If you want to learn to write well in English, this book taught me more than anything else.
I'm a fan of Pat Pattison's book "Writing better lyrics". He has some nice organizational techniques for rhyme scheme and what types of words can convey better emotion/meaning. It's fairly cheap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779
Wouldn't hurt to read a few books on screenwriting to get the lay of the land. https://www.amazon.com/Screenplay-Foundations-Screenwriting-Syd-Field/dp/0385339038
Decide if you want write features or television pilots.
Learn the structure of a screenplay (which is different for a feature and a television pilot)
Read scripts that are similar to what you want to write about. (i.e same genre) or any script that's highly recommended.
Some people start with a character and build a story, some people start with a story and add characters. Find what works best for you.
Dialogue will come with practice. It's going to be on the nose and full of exposition right off the bat. But it gets better as you write more. And no one every really masters it. I compare aired versions of shows to written screenplays and at least 10% of the dialogue overall is always cut.
Know what you're talking about. Want to write about cop? Read how a police organization works and how investigations work. Want to write about doctors? Know the medical terms and procedures you will be exploring. This also goes for areas of expertise such as science. For example, I am sure Vince Gilligan did some research into chemistry before writing Breaking Bad.
Check this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779
Also, start doing some listening / watching / reading on the concept of Story - what makes one, what is one.
Here's a good start
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060391685/
Yeah, no, that's why I was wondering if you mean first editon or if he was looking for any edition. Because you can get a regular edition for less than $10.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816
It's really hard to write lyrics without a musical context - even if you try to follow (or not follow) a certain structure, until you've given those lyrics a melody (or some other musical context, like chords or a riff or a beat), they aren't lyrics, they're poetry. Even if you go into writing thinking "okay, these are gonna be lyrics this time", without some kind of musical idea to support it and mold it, it's still just poetry. Some people do have luck starting songs by writing lyrics first, and then trying to write a melody that fits them, but personally I've had much better luck starting with musical ideas (a melody, a riff, a chord progression), and a really broad topic for a song (like "this song's gonna be about heartache" or something), and then writing lyrics that fit the rhythmic stresses and topic. Even if you do successfully write a song starting with lyrics, you'll often find yourself tweaking them anyway to fit the music you end up writing (and if you don't, there's a solid chance of your lyrics turning out awkward and forced).
I highly recommend checking out Pat Pattinson's Writing Better Lyrics from your local library / buying a copy if you can - I can't overstate how much it's helped me get into lyric writing in a more intentional way.
I thoroughly implore everyone to read <em>The Elements of Style</em> by Strunk and White. When writing, it's your best friend. If it were up to me it'd be handed out to every single NCO during BLC.
Here is an excerpt on the word irregardless:
>Irregardless. Should be regardless. The error results from failure to see the negative in -less and from a desire to get it in as a prefix, suggested by such words as irregular, irresponsible, and, perhaps especially, irrespective.
I do somewhat agree with you to a point. Understand that being able to write is a necessary skill for communication though. While commenting on someone's grammar in this setting is rather pointless as most people can figure it out, if you or someone you know has issues with writing there is a great book for it and it's only $5 from amazon. Probably less at your used book store.
I would recommend Strunk and White's The Elements of Style.
It's pretty much the definitive work on writing clearly and precisely.
I could do a lot of research for you and put it here, but I think it would be more beneficial for you to read a book called The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. It's considered a great, if not the best, writing book out there, focusing a lot on style. I found a condensed version of the book as a PDF online for you. You can print it out and mark it up, or you can go online and buy the book there for a more comprehensive version. I'll put the link to the PDF and the Amazon purchase link for the 4th Edition if you want to do that too.
After you read that, don't stick to just that--you can branch out to other books. I haven't read much of Bird by Bird or Stephen King's On Writing, but I know there's some value in those books, or as I've heard from other writers. I've got other recommendations too if you'd like them.
Anyway, here's those links for you. Hopefully, I've been helpful.
There's three things I can recommend to help you improve your writing:
1) Get yourself a copy of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. It's old, it's boring, but it's also been the gold standard of writing aids for decades, and for good reason. It's also like five bucks, so why not?
2) Read things. If you can, read worthwhile things. Get yourself a subscription to The Wall Street Journal or something. They offer student deals in a lot of places, and their articles are normally pretty top tier. But honestly even if you can't grind through that (I couldn't at 16) just read good writing. Fiction, nonfiction, who cares? If you read enough good writing, you'll start to pick up some of the strategies good writers use by pure osmosis.
3) This one is very important. WRITE things. Then edit them. Then edit them again. Annnnd another time for good measure. Then have someone you trust (maybe your English teacher?) edit them. Writing is like any other skill. The more you do it, the better you get.
And yeah, feel free to PM me if you have more questions, but honestly the best advice I can give you besides what I already wrote in the first post is: enjoy your life. Planning for the future is great and you definitely should think about it, but don't forget to stop and have fun sometimes. School (including undergrad) is honestly half about academics and half about learning how to interact with people. Later on they'll call that networking.
Get a few friends together and start filming short films, just have fun with it. They don’t have to be super serious or submitted to festivals just something to get a feel for editing, writing, planning, and camera angles/movements. This can help you find your style and get you comfortable with the elements of filmmaking. One thing I found super beneficial to my storytelling was reading a lot of fiction, and short stories. Along with fiction I recommend reading a book on screenwriting, my favorite one is: Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting This book offers tons of resources with the three act structure. But honestly right now my best advice is do it and just have fun. Some of my favorite films were in my backyard with my iPod touch and editing on iMovie. Hope this helps, Good luck!
There were girls that wrote like this back in HS and I always found it so obnoxious.
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Everyone that want's to get into clear and concise writing should give this book a perusal.
Strunk & White. Very short, very clear, the only grammar/composition book you'll ever need. Can't recommend it enough.
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X
Chicago Manual of Style or Strunk & White, please
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X
I’m new to writing, so I purchased On Writing Well by William Zinsser. It’s very insightful for my writing itself, and the advice translates well to blogging.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548
On Writing Well by William Zissner is easy to follow, informative, and succinct, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
You're a heritage speaker, and there are resources just for people like you! One of the most highly regarded books for heritage speakers of Russian is Olga Kagan's Russian for Russians / Русский для русских: https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Russians-Olga-Kagan/dp/0893573019 While the book is used in classes for heritage speakers, many people studying on their own have found it helpful, too.
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White is often recommended as the de facto grammar book, but I've never read it (though I think I own a copy somewhere) so I don't know how good those recommendations are.
I would recommend the Associated Press Stylebook as, in my experience, that seems to be the most commonly required knowledge clients expect you to know. There are often free guides available on college and university websites and elsewhere, though I'm not sure if those are published with permission or infringing any copyrights.
Other than that, I think the best resources to learn how to write well are really dependent on how you learn.
I personally excel at learning via immersion, so reading a lot and practicing writing usually has the most significant impact on the quality of my writing. (There's a marked difference in how well I write when I'm reading a lot vs. how well I write when I haven't read much in awhile.)
I think that writers who are unfamiliar with English conventions or who didn't grow up with English as their primary language could do well from immersing themselves in the type of writing they hope to emulate, i.e. if you're writing for American consumers, read the same type of content they'd be reading to try and discern what's common among each piece you read, how to craft contextual and relevant analogies and metaphors, how to alternate cadence, when proper grammar conventions are necessary and when you can get away with breaking those rules, etc.
I also think that this might be one of the rare occasions where it's worth looking into a course or tutoring to bring you more up to speed with the knowledge you lack. Maybe getting your hands on some middle or high school English textbooks could be beneficial too, especially since most online content aims to be written at a 7th-9th-grade level.
Read On Writing. It's my favorite King book, by far. He talks about his addiction, kicking it, then getting hit by the drunk driver and how scared he was to even take pain meds.
And Tabitha there by his side the whole time.
How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them—A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide
Fun and educational at the same time!
Learn proper punctuation. You use way too many commas, and that makes your sentences sound scattered all over the place. It's hard to read when there are five pauses in every sentence.
Cut down almost all the unnecessary metaphors. They're nice when they're used sparingly and in a clever way.
Use shorter paragraphs. Every instance of dialogue must have its own paragraph or it's really hard to read.
Lastly, embrace brevity. Keep it short. Get to the point. Don't draw out how long it takes to get up, for example. We get it. We all wake up every day. The entire post could easily be cut down to a single easy-to-read page.
There is potential here, so keep at it! I strongly recommend reading <u>On Writing Well</u> by William Zinsser. While it is predominantly for writing nonfiction, I find it's an excellent resource for all writers. You can easily obtain a pirated ebook copy on LibGen. Good luck!
For example, Syd Field is still under copyright and for sale on Amazon. I'm not familiar with all of the others, but if they're for sale new on Amazon (and other sites) it's very likely they're under copyright.
Your take is almost perfect! One small change: "This is a sentence (with some more stuff), and it ends right here (with more punctuation)." Periods and commas go outside of the parentheses for phrases, but the 'terminal punctuation mark' (i.e., final punctuation mark in a sentence) is used within parentheses for complete sentences. Example: "This is a sentence. (There's some more stuff, too.)"
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If you haven't yet, I highly recommend checking out Strunk & White's writer's guide on English grammar and usage. It's one of the most well-known writing guides in the language and has been a huge help to me throughout my academic and professional careers: https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-Fourth-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X
Also, props to making it as a content writer in a non-native language. That's very impressive.
You’re a heritage speaker! There are resources for people just like you, such as Russian for Russians. As it happens, I got to study under Olga Kagan, one of the book’s authors. She taught at UCLA from 1981 until leukemia took her life in 2018, and she also coauthored a series of textbooks in English for learners of Russian as a foreign language.
I assumed it is a cat.
No need for "that" as it serves no purpose.
There is a handy little genius of a book called Elements of Style by Strunk and White. 99 cents on Kindle.
Keep it simple. Less is more. Think of your reader. Your writing should be a transparent window through which your reader sees your content. Wordiness fogs up that window.
Maybe have a read of this!