How to Make Your Writing Sing Session 1 by Saxon Henry

How to Make Your Writing Sing

Session OneRead, Write, Edit, Repeat

design-bloggers-conference.com 1

READ

• Read exemplary writing: it is gourmet nourishment for your vocabulary, and over time your writing will become richer

by osmosis.• Learn to be a great researcher if you are not; the skill will

help you think outside the box.• Don’t limit reading to design writing and shelter pubs; consume narrative non-fiction, fiction, poetry (if you enjoy

it) and literary journalism. • I’ll read an example from Edith Wharton’s novel “The

Custom of the Country” that is rich in design detail.


What Dictates my Reading Choices?

My Authentic Point of View: Literary Design + Literary TravelA few examples of how they’ve gelled in recent posts:

LITERARY DESIGN• Currey & Company Arts Awards and Leo Tolstoy’s “What Is Art?”

• Bernardaud porcelain and “Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette”• Thomas Wyatt, Hampton Court Palace, “Graven with Diamonds” and

Lorfords Antiques

LITERARY TRAVEL• The Glazebrook House Hotel and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

• The Peacock Room, James Whistler and “American Salons”


Currey & Co Arts Award + Tolstoy

“Art should make it so that the feelings of brotherhood and love of one’s neighbor, now accessible only to the best people of society, become habitual feelings, an instinct for everyone. The purpose of art in our time consists in transferring from the realm of reason to the realm of feeling the truth that people’s well-being lies in being united among themselves.”


Bernardaud Porcelain + Marie Antoinette

“The King sits beside me in bed, and once he is propped up and comfortably rests his back into the plump pillows, I hand him his cup, a beautiful green one of Sèvres porcelain decorated with a wide golden rim and lozenge portraits of deep pink roses. Then I reach for my own cup, as deep and satisfying a green as the forest itself.” –Sena Jeter Naslund in Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette


Glazebrook House Hotel + Adventures In

Wonderland“‘What is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?’” “What is the use of a hotel,” thought Timothy Oulton, “without whimsy and curiosities?” With Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as his inspiration, the designer set out to transform the interiors of the Glazebrook House Hotel into a sophisticated backdrop with hints of surrealism tucked into its warren of rooms.


The Bonus of Intermingling Passions like Design and

Literature? The combination gives me “permission” to read things I love, like historical nonfiction, fiction, poetry and literary journalism, as part of my “job.” And constantly reading in each of these genres makes me a stronger writer because I’m consuming quality.


Write. Every. Day.

• Find your most productive time of day and protect it for writing—everyday. This will keep your writing muscle strong

for times when you are stressed and/or running behind.• Keep a writer’s notebook to jot down ideas.

• Learn to look at your own writing objectively and bust yourself on areas you could improve.


Edit and Repeat (Again and Again)

• Each post I write goes through at least two dozen edits before I publish them, the honing necessary to the craft.• Use good resources, such as The AP Stylebook or The

Chicago Manual of Style and check them often.• Use a thesaurus for variety and don’t repeat words too

often, especially when they are closely placed.


Depth + Identity = Confidence

• Look to history for heroes and heroines to emulate; this will bring depth and

interest to your writing, and help you express your very

essence as you hone a niche.• Find an authentic identity in

your writing and your voice will build confidence, which

will show in your writing in a positive way.


Bring an Unholy Passion to the Page

If you don’t love to write, you may be challenged in your desire to gain traction as a blogger. In the next session, I’ll share some tips as to why writing long is

better for your platform.


TIPS AND TO-DOsA Few Things You Can Do When You’re Back at Work

• Put together your new book list of narrative non-fiction, fiction, poetry and literary journalism, and commit to reading at least four pages per day or more if possible.

• Make a list of other passions you could intermingle with your design writing. Love food? Figure out how to focus your design writing on tabletop and kitchen products; begin to tweak your platform in the direction of your passion.

• Identify the time of day you will make the commitment to write and begin immediately.

• Buy a writer’s notebook if you don’t have one and keep it with you.• Purchase an AP Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style and have a

digital version of a Thesaurus on your computer to use.


How to Make Your Writing Sing Session 1 by Saxon Henry

Design

Transcript of How to Make Your Writing Sing Session 1 by Saxon Henry