Writing Better

I enjoy writing. I believe words matter. When I’m asked how I have time to write, I sometimes snidely answer “How do you have time to watch TV?”

I’ve shared writing advice from famous authors, including the very practical from George Orwell:

If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

and the humorous recommendation from Ernest Hemingway:

Write drunk, edit sober.

Colin Nissan’s advice in The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do is as good as I’ve ever read.  Here are his 10 recommendations:

1. Write Every Day.
2. Don’t Procrastinate.
3. Fight Through Writer’s Block.
4. Learn From the Masters.
5. Find Your Muse.
6. Hone Your Craft.
7. Ask for Feedback.
8. Read, Read, Read.
9. Study the Rules, Then Break Them.
10. Keep It Together.

All solid recommendations. But Colin is a humorist who writes for The Onion so you have to go beyond the headlines and scratch a bit below the surface. Just try not to laugh when you read “Write Every Day.” Under “Read, Read, Read” he says:

“It’s  no secret that great writers are great readers, and that if you can’t  read, your writing will often suffer. Similarly, if you can read but  have to move your lips to get through the longer words, you’ll still be a  pretty bad writer. Also, if you pronounce “espresso” like “expresso.”

Luckily, even if you can’t pronounce it, you can still drink it. And a triple dose of caffeine might improve your writing.

While all ten are witty, I think I can improve on “Keep It Together.” Starting with Colin’s intro, here’s my version:

So, what do you think of my revised advice?

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This blog was originally posted on Manage By Walking Around on Aug. 7, 2013.