I’m a Writer.

No, seriously. I am officially a “writer.” One of my long-time dreams has finally come true!

I was recently promoted at work and my new title is Associate Writer/Editorial Services. I can now tell people on the street, “I’m a writer” and not look like a crazed coffee-house addict.

Though I’m very experienced in working with publications, I still have a lot to learn. For a long time I was in a dead-end job and I thought that I’d never be able to have a career as a writer or editor, so I stopped writing. I haven’t really written for a long time. (As seen by my steady drop-off of blog posts.)

But that has all changed because I’m now a writer!

I have many goals for this new position. As a “writer,” I’m going to write them down here:

• Get a firm grasp of AMA (American Medical Association) style. I work at a medical advertising agency and while I’m familiar with Chicago Style, I will need to become bedfellows with the AMA Manual of Style.
• Take courses and become involved in membership organizations to improve my writing and understanding. A colleague recently forwarded a set of classes and conferences that all appear to be very helpful.
• Become intimately involved in the accounts I work with so that I will be seen as a resource for that product or marketing goal.
• Most importantly, write! It’s incredibly nerve-wracking to put my work out there, waiting for it to be criticized. But that’s the only way to learn, right? Right.

Signing off from my throne (before the reality of hard work sets in),
Claire

How to Write Good

Emily's father sent along this note---and it's perfect.

HOW TO WRITE GOOD

By Frank L. Visco

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
12. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
14. Profanity sucks.
15. Understatement is always best.
16. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
19. The passive voice is to be avoided.
20. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
21. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
22. Who needs theoretical questions?

Organize Your Writing

From LegalGeekery

I recently edited a friend’s law school admission essay. He would like to pursue business law and wrote a great story about how his current job and experience in growing a fledging business has led him to this field.

Except, when he got to his final paragraph—the most important part of the whole essay!—he lost focus. He wants to be a lawyer so badly and for so many reasons that he tried to spew it out all at once. His confusion was there on paper for us all to see. There were disagreements between subjects and objects; there were run-on sentences; and I think he talked about a blooming flower once or twice.

This is a mistake a lot of writers make. We want something so much that it’s incredibly hard to articulate. “I just want it, okay?”

So, these are the suggestions that I offered to him and, therefore, are offering to you in your own writing projects:

Please delete the flowery writing. There’s a time and a place for this and a law school application is not it. Additionally, flowery statements signal to me that the person is hiding behind metaphors rather than choosing the right word—a sign of a poor writer. If you don’t believe me (or if you want to learn more), check out On Writing Well.

You need to break down the various reasons as to why you want to be a lawyer/doctor/writer/whatever. For example, my friend wants to help people, resolve disputes, develop his business acumen, become a good lawyer, get international experience, and… and… and.... Whew! In one sentence, this is overwhelming. If each point is instead broken down, it appears both possible and admirable. Provide examples and then provide more examples. (Examples and quotes are what got me through my English degree. Worked for my History degree as well. Who'd have thunk it?)

Don’t lose your personal voice. My friend was very good at telling his story, but in the conclusion he switched gears and wrote what he thinks he should say. Yes, he wants to become a lawyer, but the law school committee already knows about lawyers; what they do, what they’re like. They’re more interested in your personal contribution!

I have yet to see my friend’s second draft, but I hope (as all editors do) that he’ll take my comments and at least consider them as an option. Many times, just thinking about a certain sentence can lead to a whole new direction that’s even better than the one I proposed.

I hope this is helpful! And keep writing, y'all—practice makes perfect.