Essay Writing versus Writing for People

A NY Post writer, Mr. Verilyn Klinkenborg, advised would be writers that, in contrast to school writing, where students are "asked repeatedly to write papers that are inherently insincere exercises in rearranging things they have read or have been told", to first "learn to be patient in the presence of your own thoughts".

What does that mean, coming from a proficient writer? Trust yourself. Trust yourself and your ability to understand the audience whom you are writing to.

Despite how many posts that might make an attempt at selling you another course on writing, try trusting your ability first.

Simply Write: The Art of Simple Writing

As a writer, are you aware that there are a lot of people that have trouble with reading?

In 2003, the International Adult Literacy Skills Survey indicated that millions of people have trouble reading what most "non emphatic" information is trying to convey. As writers, this is where we can help. By changing the way we write, we can help increase our audience of readers. How can we do this? By simplifying our writing.

Simplifying our writing can help make it easier for the following groups of people to understand what our message is in our writing:

• those who do not read well
• those whose first language is not English
• those who have a short attention span
• those who are impatient

Why do many writers, not include the above groups?

• they are not aware
• they do not understand how to "dummy it down" for us
• they think that they will not be respected as a good writer
• they have a need to be a pretentious know it all 

How can writers simplify their writing?

• choosing fewer words to convey your message
• avoid using jargon and acronyms that are not universal
• use an active voice; don't change verbs into nouns
• this list goes on

Hone the craft of writing

• High quality writing is about conveying a message in a way that the writer is able to easily visualize what you are saying. 
• People think with pictures, not words
• Portray your message in the least amount of words.
• this list goes on

This is just an introduction to authors on the art of being a good writer.

Can you add to this list, as a writer or reader?

The Craft of Writing

Writing, as a perceptual art, is a craft. As such, the writer creates images via language in order to
help the reader understand the meaning intended by the writer. To be a good writer, it is imperative that the writer's powers of perception are honed and at their peek.

Writing can be thought of as a process of becoming aware of surroundings. It is a process of opening the senses to different ways of grasping and understanding the world, in ways that could have previously been blocked. Since most of us are immersed in habit, we tend to take the world around us for granted.

Portraying the world that existed before the reader began reading about what the writer is capturing, and knowing that that world will continue after the reader has finished reading about what the writer is portraying, is the power of writing. Capturing a point in time and being able to describe it, is a craft in itself.

A true writer will always want to improve the craft of writing. It is not an easy craft. A true writer will always welcome criticism and feedback.