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On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction?
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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.
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!
I follow the style put forth in "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser. He writes in the breezy style that he preaches. Breezy is the style that most people use for blogging. https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/ Great book.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Well written and structured. Good for journalism as it talks about writing for different topics and how the style can change.
Goes through basics, voice, grammar, word choice, etc. also emphasizes concise and precise language.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/ref=nodl_
On Writing Well isn't about public speaking, but I always recommend it to people like you, who are fine on delivery but struggling with content and organization.
I write professionally, and review it regularly when I feel like I'm not hitting the quality I want.
I actually liked your writing style. Clear and very readable. It didn't get in the way of the ideas at all, and didn't draw attention to itself, which is what good prose should do, I think. Try with some more agents before you decide to overhaul the book. In the meantime, you may want to read "Writing Well", which is a great guide to writing effective and entertaining non-fiction. You might pick up some useful tips from there.
Lots of great books here. I think the one addition I'd like to throw in there is On Writing Well. This book probably the only book that had a large (and equal) impact on both my business and life.
I don't think you're stupid. You're young and excited. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to be a writer, I suggest not only writing a ton of stuff, but reading a ton. Start here: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060891548
I'd like to recommend this to the author.
These are good questions to ask. I'm not sure you're really in the right sub for it--r/writing or r/write might be a better place--but I'll give an answer a shot anyway.
What you are struggling with is common for writers that are trying to take their craft more seriously. Part of what's happening is that you are becoming aware that there is a craft, and that it is harder to practice than it looks. So in once sense, you do need to simply keep writing and to practice finishing. That's no small task and it's a good sign that you're taking it seriously.
Second, you're correct to worry about structure. Structuring an essay, particularly if it's an open essay, is one of the hardest aspects of writing. "What should you say and in what order." It seems likely that you are spending a lot of time trying to get the words down right before you have written the major ideas down. If you struggling for a few hours to write a single paragraph, you're taking too much time. This is knocking yourself out of "flow" and wasting your energy. Better to write your first draft really quickly, treating it more like an outline, drawing a circle in the sand to give yourself some limits about what you're going to write about. Outlining, using a mind map, and free-writing might help you with this. Ann Lamont says writers need to give themselves permission "to write shitty first drafts."
Once you have a quickly written first draft down, it's time to worry about structure. There are structural differences in an academic paper compared to open essays, and even differences in expectations in an academic paper from undergraduate in the early years to later in your education. It's probably helpful to look at a classical structure of an essay, called the 6 part oration. It may also be worth your time to learn about the Toulmin and Rogerian model for argumentative writing.
It is possible that you are struggling with writing simply at the paragraph level, in which case you could familiarize yourself with the Schaeffer Model paragraph. That may help limit your paragraphs from going into too many unrelated details. Within the paragraph, to make certain your writing is cohesive, you can rewrite your first draft in the "known new contract" method.. The more you revise your work looking for these two structures, the more you will incorporate them into your first draft unconsciously--though a strong writer knows that clarity always come from rewriting.
It also looks, just from the example of your question, that you are afraid to cut out the clutter of your writing. This is either because you don't recognize it as such yet, or you recognize it and you don't know what to do about it. William Zinnser's "On Writing Well" is one of the best places to learn about how to deal with this problem, though there are many sources out there than can help you. If nothing else, look for the first 3 or 4 chapters of his book to read about simplicity and clutter.
I would also suggest that you brush up on your mechanics in general. How can you use the active voice? What kinds of concrete nouns can shorten and clarify your writing? If you'd like to learn about these, I suggest Sin and Syntax by Constance Gardner.
Other resources that you may find helpful:
*Writing the natural way About poetry, but some really good tools for developing the mind map
*Taylor Mali's poem, "As Far as Words Go, or, How to Revise Your Paper" Best line is "tell me much more/about much less."
*They Say, I Say A short little book that helps you frame your paragraphs in the context of academic discussion. Heavy on sentences starters that may feel wooden at first but will help you internalize a coherent sentence structure. The book is worth having but you can find a simple list of the sentence starters.
*If you are really getting into it, you may like Everything's an Argument which dives into the nitty gritty of rhetoric.
Now, with all that said, I haven't gone back over this for a second draft writing (or 3rd or 4th) because I'm not that concerned about clutter on a reddit post. You should treat your paper's for school better than I am here.
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.
Reading a lot is essential (don't skip this step) but you have to practice writing daily too. It'll take time.
My advice is to study the material you want to emulate. If the goal is to write with clarity, check out this book: On Writing Well. This is the often recommended book when I was in school.
This book, Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, has list of techniques to improve your writing. It's great as it provides real-world examples from novels and news articles.
I highly suggest these two books. The first will help with your writing skills, as it's hard to follow the point you're trying to get across. The second will help with your communication skills and benefit you in future relationships.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/
https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Life-Changing-Relationships/dp/189200528X/
Know how to write. Strive for conciseness and clarity. "Don't write so that you can be understood, write so that you can't be misunderstood."
Curiosity. Dig deeper and look for root causes. Challenge assumptions. "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so."
Empathy.
Some books which have helped me:
On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating https://www.amazon.com/Understood-Would-Have-This-Look/dp/B06XNYPTJQ/
I was recommended the book ‘On Writing Well’ by William Zinsser, it covers all the bases and should help you immensely in general essay/report writing.
I’d further recommend that you get to grips with Word and understand how to add written formula in correctly and learn how to reference correctly, Cite This for Me is a good starting point.
Asking targeted questions on the internet will get you a lot of answers. The key is to ask well. You need to show that you have tried all avenues before asking the question. If you want to learn how to write something well(which leads to better quality questions), here is a book https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/ref=sr_1_2?crid=214N15WXGBVW3&dchild=1&keywords=on+writing+well+william+zinsser&qid=1595456276&sprefix=On+writing+%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2
Another book that might help with a framework to deal with complex ideas is this: https://www.amazon.com/Cracking-Complexity-Breakthrough-Formula-Anything-ebook/dp/B07H7GN1NZ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=complexity&qid=1595456820&sr=8-3
Again, just do the IoT. Write notes extensively. Then you clean it up and post it as a blog post(This is important). Best of luck.
Read "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser
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https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548
I'm by no means an expert, but here are some tips I've picked up over the past year or so:
Prep
- Make sure they know how long you plan to interview them for, and stick to that time limit when you do the interview.
- Know the basics of what the person does that you are interviewing. Don't waste time asking basic stuff.
- Have some questions for if the conversation goes dry or to get at specific points, but don't try to structure the whole thing. Plan to go off-track with your interview.
The Interview
- Don't be afraid to wait after your interviewee finished talking. Just a few more seconds might lead to the really interesting bits of what they are thinking about.
- Ask questions you already know the answer to. This can help with getting good quotes and can also lead to unexpected places (because you wound up not actually knowing the answer).
- Don't be afraid to write stuff down (or record if your interviewee doesn't mind). You'll never remember everything interesting that they say and you don't want to kick yourself later while writing.
- Regarding notes, make sure to look at them and summarize them shortly after the interview! They'll make more sense sooner rather than later.
Some other Resources
Longer-Term, the Turnaround is a podcast about interviewers and their techniques.
The chapter about interviews in Zinsser's On Writing Well was helpful for me. If you are pressed for time grab it at your library and just read that chapter, it's short. Amazon Link
> Get people talking. Learn to ask questions that will elicit answers about what is most interesting or vivid in their lives. Nothing so animates writing as someone telling what he thinks or what he does -- in his own words.
Zinsser, On Writing Well
Okay, so I'm not home so these are the few off the top of my head that I can remember I've read and loved.
On Writing Well - this book was used for my Script Writing class in college - I loved it, and I still have it on my bookshelf.
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy - This book by Orson Scott Card is genre themed, but I really suggest it no matter what genre you write. It's just a great source to have all around.
No Plot? No Problem - Somewhat humorous take on those of us who procrastinate and have lots of writers block.
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction - Okay, so I haven't read this yet, but it looks amazing and I might actually just pick it up myself.
Book In A Month - Okay, so this isn't really in the same category, but it's incredibly hands-on, fun book that can really, really, really help with outlining. I always suggest this book to people who participate in NaNoWriMo, because it's just super helpful.
I hope one of these can help out!
First off, you've already made a good decision. It's good you don't write like an academic, because when most writers use that term, it usually means a writerly voice that uses big fancy words in order to project intelligence and education. It's a type of writing that may hide the real person behind the words, if done badly.
Of course academics will use big fancy words, because their chosen discipline may require them to do so, but the best academic writers will still write clearly, and with clarity.
My roommate in college was a T.A. (teacher's assistant) and he'd often ask me for second opinions while grading papers. You could tell the people who were trying to sound smart, over the ones who just tried to be honest. Almost always the ones who tried to communicate well, rather than the ones who tried to sound "academic," were the students who received better grades.
So, in your case, strive for honesty and clarity. If you need to use simple words, that's not only okay, but desirable. You want to reveal yourself in your words, as so often big words or using an academic-like voice will get in the way of that.
Having said that, if you need to write as a steam of consciousness. Go for it. Stream away. Then afterward you can edit, revise and reorganize your thoughts.
Because you haven't written in so long, your writing muscle, so to speak, is dormant and weak so the number one priority is to just write. Get words on the paper. That's the only way you'll know what you want to say.
After that, polish it up. Maybe start all over, but now you know where you are going with your writing.
Here are a few books that can help give you good writing advice for nonfiction writing.
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
Writing to Learn: How to Write - and Think - Clearly About Any Subject at All by William Zinnser
This first book by William Zinnser is a classic. He has basic advice on how to improve writing skills, and provides various examples for different types of writing, like memoirs, job interviews, science and technology, etc.
The second book goes even further exploring more disciplines like mathematics, art and music, nature, technology, liberal arts, etc.
I think both would help you not just with your application essay but also with your writing while at graduate school.
Lastly, you may already have this general writing advice book:
- Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
I hope that helped. Don't be afraid to write, and good luck!
I got your piece. I'm not going to give point by point feedback because I do that for money. But I will say a few big picture things, without using the word "flow", so that's more useful to you.
First of all, this is very close to being good writing. You know how to write a sentence. But the feedback you have received is right in saying that something is not working. You said you thought your passages flowed like honey; to me, its like trying to swim through molasses.
First of all, where are your paragraphs? Without even stepping into the first sentence, it already looks like an imposing wall of text. But paragraphs are not mere ornamentation. They organise your thoughts and help guide the reader through the logic of the text. Each paragraph has its own point. The reader uses that information to facilitate their reading.
Secondly, I'm having trouble finding the overall purpose of your piece, or understanding how one sentence is supposed to lead to the next, or understanding the logic of how it all fits together. It reads like a series of facts strung together. All of them may be true, but it's hard following from one sentence to the next. Being a true fact is not enough to hold the attention of the reader. The reader has to know what you're trying to do or where you're going. Otherwise, they are constantly struggling to figure it out. (They might experience or describe this as having a bad "flow").
Some of your sentence transitions gave me a whiplash, jumping from one subject to another and having me try to figure out where you are going.
After reading your piece, it's clear to me that your main problem is not sentence level construction (although you do use quite a few passive constructions, and they average on the longer side). Your main problem is organisation and composition. What you really should be reading is On Writing Well. But basically, what you need to work on is clarifying -for yourself and for your reader- what your words are supposed to be doing at every level of organisation: what is the overall piece supposed to do? what is this section supposed to do? what is this paragraph supposed to do? what is this sentence supposed to do? The answer to each of those questions needs to be clear in your mind and manifest to the reader. If the reader ever loses track of where they are supposed to be or what they are supposed to be getting at the moment -from the piece, from the paragraph, from the sentence- it will feel like a slog.
If you really want to improve your writing, go through those books I mentioned, and see if you can incorporate a few of the key insights into your own work. You are already very close to being able to write well. There's just a little piece missing. A minor breakthrough. It could be as soon as a month, if you put the time in to improving.
<strong>@ThomasNassiff</strong>: >2016-02-19 15:50:50 UTC
>every time i read “…that the things that the…” i want to link the writer to this <em>amazon.com</em>
<strong>@ThomasNassiff</strong>: >2016-02-19 15:51:11 UTC
>next time you’re writing something, when you re-read it, ask yourself if your “that”s are necessary
<strong>@getcerebral</strong>: >2016-02-19 16:19:17 UTC
>@ThomasNassiff my college paper outlawed "that"s
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If that wasn't written by some sort of automated, Markov-chain-based program, then you need to buy this ASAP: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/
On Writing Well by William Zinsser is an excellent guide on improving your non-fiction writing.
Por esta ordem o 1984 vai-te saber a outra coisa.
If you really want to know what good writing is, read this: http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060891548
Easily my first pick would be William Zinsser's, "On Writing Well." It's geared more toward the writer looking to hone their skills, so I would recommend it more for your use than your students'.
> I think the ability to be able to make statements like this and know yourself that they are true, and to be as for real happy about it as she is- when it's such a simple thing, staying home eating soup keeping warm against bad weather, and to not mind that you'll probably get fat, and to want to be, even to use the word, sassy- is actually the most noble, down-to-earth, non-pretentious thing in life to aim for.
That's one- sentence, ladies- and gents.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548
You literally need to buy and read this book within the next 24 hours. Jesus.
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