Anyone can be a writer. We all have a different approach to how we want our writing to come off as. The bigger picture is if our readers will be able to understand it. Our job as a writer is to be able to share your knowledge with the reader and persuade them. The reader’s job is to have the ability to open up, listen, and understand what the writer is trying to say even if we don’t agree.
I found my writing to be simple and straight to the point. I’m not fond of those ridiculously complex writings where you have to go more in depth and see the real meaning behind the story. I like putting my life stories into my papers because I find it a way for the reader to connect with not just my writing but also with myself. I am very open to sharing my experiences with people and having them feel as if they are my friend.
Patricia T. O’Conner gave me some great writing tips on her essay “Saying is Believing”. She brought me into her thoughts of what a good writer is. Patricia warns “To not confuse simplicity with simplemindedness” A good writer can express a complicated idea clearly with such ease. She says that if your sentence sounds nice and is easy to understand then there’s nothing wrong with it. Patricia lays out thirteen general principles which were very useful.
The five I found helpful were:
1. Say what you have to say
Patricia advises that there is no need to prolong what we want to say. If we believe in what we write and lay it all down for the readers’ they will be able to believe it to.
2. Stop when you’ve said it
When writing I find it hard for me to figure out when I want to stop. I seem to keep going on and on with my sentences fighting the need to put a period. Patricia made a great point and said that we should have one nice inhalation and exhalation per sentence. I think this is very common with some if not most writers because we want to keep going. When its time to start another sentence, do that.
3. Don’t tie yourself in knots to avoid repeating a word
I see myself getting caught in trying to substitute certain words that I’ve been using in order to change it up. But Patricia says that it’s better to repeat a word that fits then substitute one that doesn’t.
4. Put descriptions close to what they describe
Writing itself is a battle with me but the biggest problem with writing is being descriptive. I tend to confuse myself and the readers when I describe certain things. Patricia gave great examples to show how a proper descriptive sentence should be.
5. Put the doer closer to what’s being done
Sentences can be complex and interesting as long as we know how to make it easy to follow for readers. We shouldn’t make it where they have to constantly reread the sentence to finally understand it. This is my second biggest problem because I have a hard time putting the doer closer to what’s being done.
In order to be a good writer you need to be able to express your thoughts and ideas clearly. It is difficult to achieve because to be clear in your writing you have to be clear in your thinking. Patricia opened my eyes to see that writing helps captivate readers and good writing astonishes its writer first and that’s what I want to do. The simplest writing can make such a powerful impact to a reader and it shows that bigger isn’t always better.
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