{"id":4522,"date":"2019-02-28T09:28:16","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T15:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4522"},"modified":"2019-02-28T09:52:15","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T15:52:15","slug":"jump-start-better-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/jump-start-better-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Jump-Start Better Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jack Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n

All right, I admit it. My writing always starts out biblically\u2014that is, \u201cwithout form and void\u201d (Genesis 1:2).\u00a0 The difference, of course, is after six days the Lord\u2019s creation was pronounced \u201cvery good\u201d (1:31), while mine requires another revision.<\/p>\n

What a relief to get that out of the way so you can avoid my mistakes and move forward in your writing career. Want to be the editor\u2019s best friend? Try these eight writing tips to jump-start your next article.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #1: If you have nothing to say, please don\u2019t.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Say something worthwhile.This is your chance to deliver a compelling message, build a strong news item or discuss a controversial issue.\u00a0 Give it your best shot. Who wants to read fluffy drivel that sputters and goes nowhere?\u00a0On the other hand, people are eager to read articles or news items that connect with their lives. Any subject that stirs you will likely grab others also.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #2: Know your English.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Start fast and use good grammar. Write with authority.\u00a0 Use effective transition. Don\u2019t be bashful about sub-heads; they guide readers (including editors) through your article.<\/p>\n

Say it well. Research before\u00a0<\/em>you write. Don\u2019t guess about statistics; look them up. When retired Tennessean\u00a0<\/em>editor Lloyd Armour died, a colleague wrote about the feisty journalist, \u201cOne might argue with his opinions but never his facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Write with a smile. Anger colors word choice and darkens paragraph tones. Good writers never yell at, berate or ridicule others in print.\u00a0 Exclamation points?\u00a0 Hunt them down and kill them. They scream \u201camateur at work.\u201d\u00a0 The same goes for words in all caps. Make your point with strong verbs, not a blizzard of punctuation marks.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #3: Less is more.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Say it short.\u00a0Too-short articles may exist, but I haven\u2019t seen one in years. Editors live in a tidy, less-is-more word world. Writing short does not require short sentences, although that works too, but says it with fewer words. Try it.<\/p>\n

Just because you have a 1,200-word limit does not mean you must\u00a0<\/em>use all 1,200. A tightly-written 1,000-word piece will impress the editor. Readers prefer shorter articles. They turn the page rather than slog through adverb-infested paragraphs.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #4: If it\u2019s not worth your time to edit, it\u2019s not worth my time to publish.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Edit, edit, edit.\u00a0Writing is hard work, but the editing and rewriting process is party time for journalists. This is where we get a second chance to put a shine on a mediocre piece. In spite of what you may have heard, nobody gets it right the first draft. Hold your writing up to the harsh light. Turn it over, stand it on edge, shake out unnecessary words.<\/p>\n

Want a reputation as a complete writer whose manuscripts sparkle? Examine every word. Road test each for reliability. If a word hangs around taking up space and does not clarify, modify or simplify\u2014feed it to the dog.\u00a0 The professional writer weeds his own garden.\u00a0Read it aloud. The litmus test for writing is the \u201cread it aloud\u201d principle.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #5: If it sounds bad, it is.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you stumble while reading aloud, the paragraphs need to be tweaked, rearranged or deleted.\u00a0 The ear and the eye often disagree on what\u2019s good writing. When that happens, something is broken. Fix it.<\/p>\n

Weak transitions aren\u2019t the only slackers that limp off the page when read aloud. Fuzzy thinking flops belly-up on the dusty road to rejection. Clich\u00e9s and jargon whine like spoiled brats when read aloud. Don\u2019t skip this step.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #6: Readers pay the bills; be nice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Respect the reader.\u00a0The same magic that tells little kids when you don\u2019t like them plays out on the printed page.\u00a0 Readers know if you write down\u00a0<\/em>to them. They sense if you think they\u2019re too dumb to understand. And they resent it. So don\u2019t do it.\u00a0Treat them as equals.\u00a0 Write to them as friends.\u00a0 Just as high-pitched, squeaky-voiced speakers irritate us, so do writers who come across like a committee of cats sliding down a tin roof\u2014all claws and yowls.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #7: Focus, focus, focus.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Remember your purpose. Beware of mixing the message. News releases inform. Period. They do not lecture, scold or debate. They get to the point in one bounce and stick with the facts of who, what, when, where and why.<\/p>\n

Editorials, however, offer a platform for personal opinion, slashing review or outright challenge.\u00a0 Articles can be crafted to explain, exhort, indict, disclose and more.\u00a0 Decide in advance which horse you plan to ride.<\/p>\n

Henry Luce, founder of The Weekly Newsmagazine<\/em>, told a prospective reporter during a job interview, \u201cOur writers entertain, our editors inform, our researchers keep us accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Law #8: Quit. With a bang!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Stop when you finish.\u00a0<\/strong>Two elements create a good finish.\u00a0 The first is to stop when you\u2019re done.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t take all day to dismount.\u00a0 Don\u2019t talk\u00a0<\/em>about coming to a conclusion.\u00a0 Do it.\u00a0<\/em>The second is end with a bang, not a whimper.<\/p>\n

About the Writer: <\/strong>Until his death in 2016, Jack Williams was regarded as one of the premier communicators among Free Will Baptists. Jack served 30 years as editor of Contact<\/em> magazine and later as director of communications at Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jack Williams All right, I admit it. My writing always starts out biblically\u2014that is, \u201cwithout form and void\u201d (Genesis 1:2).\u00a0 The difference, of course, is after six days the Lord\u2019s creation was pronounced \u201cvery good\u201d (1:31), while mine requires another revision. What a relief to get that out of the way so you can avoid my mistakes and move forward in your writing career. Want to be the editor\u2019s best friend? Try these eight writing tips to jump-start your next article. Editor\u2019s Law #1: If you have nothing to say, please don\u2019t. Say something worthwhile.This is your chance to deliver a compelling message, build a strong news item or discuss a controversial issue.\u00a0 Give it your best shot. Who wants to read fluffy drivel that sputters and goes nowhere?\u00a0On the other hand, people are eager to read articles or news items that connect with their lives. Any subject that stirs you will likely grab others also. Editor\u2019s Law #2: Know your English. Start fast and use good grammar. Write with authority.\u00a0 Use effective transition. Don\u2019t be bashful about sub-heads; they guide readers (including editors) through your article. Say it well. Research before\u00a0you write. Don\u2019t guess about statistics; look them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4522"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4552,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4522\/revisions\/4552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}