Editing and Re-writing Tips

MC 2602, Fall 2009 John Couper

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Write to Readers

It is often easier if you imagine, in vivid detail, a single individual who represents your specific audience

“Talk” to that reader, imagining a comfortable situation where that person asks you to explain the topic to them, starting with the key important issue

Go beyond the topic

The topic is only the start Find an angle or focus

Based on the significance to readers Always ask “so what?”

Find a hook or reason to give time to your ideas

Look to the side for relevant issues

Find the “Nut”

Decide your single key point Turn that into a sentence with all

the main points you want to make Then structure the article around the

flow of the sentence Make the nut clear, vivid,

expressive

Counterpoints

Writing often flows best when it poses a sequence of Questions then answers Problems then solutions Causes then effects

Choose one that fits your topic Exploring the unknown, changes,

impacts

Show, don’t tell

Don’t just talk about your topic Write with words that paint pictures in

readers’ minds Suggest connections, action and

specific qualities This will be more attention-

grabbing, more meaningful, and more memorable

Involve readers

Early in what you write, provide either Something intriguing to create interest,

or An overview to give them a mental

framework to “hang” the information on At or near the close, consider using

a “bookend” summary or image

Rules

Be ready to bend or break rules, as long as you are prepared for the consequences Good writing often breaks new

ground by thoughtfully working outside norms

Have a reason and impact when you bend rules

Who are you? Decide your type and source of

authority, then your role in the story e.g., an expert, a person who

experienced it, “God”, an explorer… Or if someone else is the authority This will help you focus on the

content (what you can show) and style (the level of formality you use)

Cut Eliminate everything you possibly can

without changing the meaning Put a page with a large-type

summary of your angle above the computer Any idea/point that doesn’t drive your

angle will drag it down Cut every unneeded adjective Combine or suggest words

E.g., verbs that suggest adjectives

Keep phrase words together

Pull together words that depend on each other e.g., clauses and subject-verb-object

sets Think of them as a team that work better

when close If anyone has to re-read a sentence,

it has probably has split phrases Unlink separate phrases

Find the rhythm

Read each sentence and try to make it “scan”, or read smoothly as poetry

Base your writing on…

Simple declarative sentences Connections (clear or implied)

between elements of the story: Facts Observations Conclusions Implications

Write a mental movie

Write a story as if you were summarizing a documentary or film

Imagine how you would set the scene, the things you would show and why

Which “scene” would lead to and make sense of the next

Fill out the story

Include information that goes beyond simple description, such as Contrasting facts, opinions or ideas Context that helps the reader Concrete examples Introductory points Comparisons

Create levels

Descriptive, “safe” writing is the easiest to do and the worst

When you write a description, imagine The big idea it represents A detail that offers a concrete, vivid

example of what you are trying to say

Find a “mentor”

Read many authors, and photocopy some pages of the ones you like best for various kinds of writing (light nonfiction, analytical nonfiction, first-person, etc.)

Before you write something similar, read and re-read it to get a feeling for the style

Listen to Yourself

When you talk to friends etc., listen to the ways you talk (sentence length, mix of ideas/examples/description etc.) We practice this constantly and get

helpful feedback from listeners Learn (and make notes) about your

“voice” to help you make decisions when writing

Understand good Writing

When you have read something that works for you, look beyond its content and closely analyze Its levels Sentence length Paragraph structure Laying out its argument Anything else that makes it work for you

Go crazy Write as extremely and wildly as you

want, just to get down your ideas Don’t worry about writing it “correctly” Then go back to give the tone you want After doing this a few times, you will be

able to do it mentally and quickly

Read the story out loud

We use one part of our brains to say something and another to read it

So say what you write, because the sounds will let you notice more and different improvements

Look for hesitations, confusion, clashing sounds, re-reading, etc.

Center your ideas

Decide on the single central point you want the piece to make, and two or three supporting points Nothing else should go into most

stories except examples and details. This will make it much faster and

easier to make editing decisions that “move the story”

Separate Creator and Editor

Start as Creator, who celebrates but never corrects or judges

Then go over your writing as ruthless Editor Tip: Turn off the monitor, or close

your eyes, so that you write without constantly “punishing” yourself

Then look back to check spelling, etc.

Keep ideas fresh

If anything important sounds like something you have written, change it.

To get new ideas, imagine and write down the opposite of what you mean

This can loosen up your imagination and help you say something more interesting

Imagine first

Use your imagination– close your eyes and try to picture what you write. If you cannot get a mental picture, find

more vivid words/phrases Only write when you know what you

want to say This will become faster and more natural

Count syllables

Question any words of more than three syllables. Look for simpler, more direct or specific way to say it

If that is a problem, go back to decide exactly what you mean

Go through the story several times

Review it one time for the sequence of ideas and transitions between them once for spelling and grammar (ignoring the

content), once to gauge the structure of paragraphs,

once to check facts, once for parallel construction, once to get

rid of most passive constructions, once to correct frequent bad habits, and so

on.

Tip 1

Usually, a paragraph only has a single idea, and the first and last sentence of the “graph” is strongest (these are the sentences that most readers recall).

Tip 2

Keep a notebook and write your observations of any writing you read—good or bad. This might be unusual sentence construction or use of adjectives

Tip 3

In general, verbs are strongest, adjectives are the weakest words, and nouns in the middle. A very common mistake among beginning writers is to use adjectives to suggest verbs, but do the opposite; use strong verbs that suggest a noun or verb.

Tip 4 The three main steps or aspects of

communication are * attention, * acceptance, and * recall.

Go through your idea or story and ask “What gets their attention? What gets their acceptance? What will make sure they remember it?” If any of these are not clear, decide how to

achieve these goals.

Repeat carefully

Consider saying your main point in various ways at various points “tell ’em what you’re gonna say, say it,

then tell ’em what you said.” People rarely recall more than one or

two points or facts; clever repetition makes your point more memorable

Never repeat word-for-word

Read holistically

Words do not have isolated meaning, but work (or fail) together We read in chunks: write that way Try using unusual combinations and

avoiding standard phrases Ask yourself the main point

Ask a friend to read a draft and say what it meant to them

Balance known and new

People want a balance of the familiar and the novel We use the known to explore the new

The more you want to stimulate readers, the more you should do the unexpected E.g., unusual links or conclusions

Be specific

Whenever possible, use specific nouns instead of categories, such as “Dodge” instead of “pickup” Your readers will be able to imagine

the situation, and themselves in it Try to sprinkle concrete nouns

throughout the story

Work from the hook

Decide the hook (the exciting idea near the beginning that entices readers to start and finish the article) see how the lead sets it up, and how

the close relates to it This must be new and fresh

i.e., “take the reader somewhere new”

Find a story’s pivot

Decide and place the “pivot” or central point, usually somewhere around the middle Work back to the open to make sure it

leads to the pivot Work forward to the close to explain,

explore, and elaborate the pivot

Simplify, simplify

Go through once to make a) words shorter and b) sentences shorter. For more analytical or technical articles,

longer words and sentences are fine as long as you don’t make it harder to read. If in doubt, simplify.

If you wrote many clauses, the sentences are probably too complicated

Find physical focus

Make sure you are in a quiet, non-distracting writing environment Although it feels more effective to play

music while you write or edit/rewrite, many studies have shown that people don’t work as well when surrounded by music or other activities

Take a break every 45 minutes or so

Let it cool

Write early enough to allow yourself to put the story aside for a day or more When you re-read it with “fresh”

eyes, you will notice more problems and more interesting solutions

Work back from effect Start by deciding how you want the

story to make readers feel and/or think When you want more impact and comfort in

readers, use anglo-saxon words like “step” when you want to sound more erudite and

precise, use latin words like “proceed” Use a-s as your default writing style

Find your voice Good writing has a “voice”

i.e., perspective and similarity to speaking

Notice sentences or paragraphs that sound like you, and do what you want. Avoid contractions and colloquialisms

unless the writing is very conversational

Be there

When you write about an experience or activity, imagine being there Actions, feelings, etc.

That will help readers “get” the writing

Even act it out physically Take notes with extreme detail

Change up sentences

Mix sentence lengths It is hard and boring to read writing whose

sentences are all the same length The main exception is extremely

experiential and “direct” writing, like Hemingway’s

The more central your point, the shorter and more direct the sentence should be

Choose carefully

Writing is constant decision-making When you aren’t sure which way to go,

imagine yourself as your example reader and decide which option they would choose

Become aware of how you make decisions, and find which ways help you most

Teach yourself to write “Tricks” of writing well:

Reading: carefully, widely and often Noticing: observe what is (and isn’t) there Thinking: look for meanings, always and

anywhere Caring: find things you care about

Also important: Good general knowledge Writing slightly beyond your level and

as accurately as possible