Writing the Right Way

We are exposed to words and letters every day. Even if you never leave your home you still come in contact with some form of writing. When you take a shower, there is writing on your shampoo, body wash, conditioner, etc. If you walk into the kitchen. Oh...that's a landmine of words, sentences, phrases, and slogans! If this is a skill that we come in contact with every day (and use more now than ever with email and text messaging), why can nobody do it correctly?

Allow me to take you back in time — some of you more than others — to elementary school. This is where you were first taught to write. Nothing complicated, mind you. But it was still taught. Does this sound familiar, "I think that dogs are the greatest animal in the world!" A simple sentence you would expect to see from an elementary student. And that's fine. Or is it?

Take yourself to the next level of education, middle school. When your English teacher told you to "forget everything they taught you in elementary school!" and to only pay attention to this new information. Then, when you got to high school, they did the same thing! Every time you reached a new level of education you found yourself "throwing out" what you thought was true, only to replace it with "new" information. Then, if you went to college. Oh, boy! Then your English professors gave you the same story! So why? Why does the education system do this to students? Why not just tell them the correct way the first time? Good question. When you have the answer to that, I should like to hear it! But the other question is this, what IS the "right" way to write? That's the easy part. Well, sort of. See, writing is a subjective skill. It's a kind of art and therefore something that can be played with. If you have ever read Gertrude Stein, you know this to be true. If you have not, I urge you to read her work. She is a genius. But, one thing about her work is ... it's MAD confusing! I don't mean hard to understand or advanced. She has a creative mind that you have to understand before you can understand her work. Her work must be read ALOUD to be properly understood. She uses a play on sounds of words and meanings in context to tell stories and get points across. But it's near to impossible to understand unless you hear it. On the other hand, you get something completely different if you were to read Walt Whitman or even J.K. Rowling. As I said before, writing is an art. So, if it is in fact, an art, then how can there be a "right" or a "wrong" way of doing it? There are fundamentals that writing is based on. The same as art. A line is a line, a circle a circle, etc. The same way that complete sentences must have a subject and a verb that agree with each other.

Now, I will not bore you with a bunch of schematics and grammar. There are a few things that, in my personal opinion, everyone should know.

WORDS ARE IMPORTANT

First things first. Words and wording. When writing, every word used should be carefully chosen and therefore have a specific purpose. This is why it is IMPERATIVE for writers to go back and reread their work. However, there are words that should not be used in writing — at least not often:

Basically; Always; Never; Would've; Could've; Wanna; Could'a; Just; Constantly; Gonna; Wanna; and things of the like.

After reading some of these words you might think, "Well, that's obvious! I would never use 'would've' in place of 'would have.'" But I have seen it done before. DO NOT USE IT! In fact, using contractions in writing is a big no-no! Write out the whole word.

Allow me to break down some of the other words for you and what they tell your reader about you as a writer. The word "basically" should never be used. Not even in speech. Basically is neither a yes or a no.

"Did your sister break the vase?"

"Well, basically... "

No. She either did, or she did not. One or the other. When you use words like "basically" or "maybe" or "kinda" then you are telling the reader that you are not sure of yourself. Do not do that. You are the writer. Be confident.

Using superlatives is never a good idea. And I just did it there. Using words like, "never," and "always" are ... not a good idea. Think of this, when you say to your friend, "Oh! I love that burger place! My family and I always go there!" No, you do not "always" go there. Because there are days when you eat at home or go to another place to eat. Using superlatives makes you look like you can not think of anything better to say or that you lack a full understanding of your own words. Do not give your reader a chance to second guess you.

ME, MYSELF, AND I

Do you remember that sentence I wrote at the beginning? "I think that dogs are the best animal in the world." If you are an advanced, or even intermediate writer or reader, you know that using "I", "I believe", "I think", "I feel", or anything of the like is frowned upon. But were you ever given the real reason as to why? Did a teacher or professor give you a run down as to why seeing these word pairings makes them want to ball up your paper and throw it at your head? Allow me to enlighten you. As the reader, we know that you think or feel a certain way. How do we know? Because you are the one writing it! As a writer, I do not need to say that "I think these things are essential for writing." You already know that is how I think because you are reading this. Therefore, it is repetitive, redundant, and unnecessary to state so. Furthermore, it makes you, a writer, less credible to the reader. Stay away from "I" statements.

CONCLUSION AND BODY PARAGRAPHS

Remember in middle and high school how teachers told you to write an essay? An introduction to your thesis statement, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Correct? Let us start with the introduction paragraph.

When you're writing an introduction to any piece of writing, you don't say, "This is what we are going to talk about in this paper..." That's boring. Don't TELL me what I am going to read. SHOW me. Paint me a picture. Give me, the reader, something to think about, to ponder on in your intro as I read. For example, if I were to write a persuasive essay about how dogs are better than cats, I might start off like this:

"Have you ever been sitting quietly petting a cat? Maybe you are on the couch reading a book or watching a movie. You stroke the cat's soft fur as it purrs under your touch and all is right with the world. Until, out of nowhere, with no warning at all, the cat snaps! It wrenches it's body around and attacks your arm, scratching and biting for whatever reason it sees fit! This is not a reaction you will find in a dog...."

Do you see? I did not tell you that I thought dogs were better than cats, or that it was my personal opinion. I painted you a picture with words that gave you a feeling of dislike — as temporary as it might be — to cats and with my last sentence a liking towards dogs. This is something that takes practice but can be done. I have found in many students that one of the best ways to think up a true thesis statement or an introductory paragraph is to have a conversation about it. This is mostly because when in conversation with another, the listener will ask clarifying questions. This will force the reader to have answers and therefore make their argument as narrow and specific as possible.

Let's move onto the body paragraphs. The main thing I have to say about body paragraphs is this: Do, Not, Count, Them. What do I mean by that? At the beginning of each paragraph do not start with, "First of all" leading to "second of all" to finish with "thirdly" or even "Finally." To do this is to assume that the reader does not know how to count and to lead the reader to think that you could not come up with anything more original than elementary counting. There are hundreds of ways to lead to new topics without being obvious. Use internet resources and make yourself interesting and credible.

Finally — ha, see what I did there? — your conclusion. In elementary and middle school, you are taught to use the phrase, "In conclusion" when ending your piece of writing. I will say this nicely ... NO NO NOOOO NOOOOOO NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! This is the same concept as counting the paragraphs. Do not assume that your reader does not know where they are in your piece of writing. They can see how much is left on the page. When you open your writing piece you don't say "To introduce." So why would you do that at the end? There are better ways to conclude a piece of writing. Find them. Also for your conclusion, do not feel obligated to make it as long as a body paragraph. The reader only needs a short wrap up of what they have already read. Think of a gift being wrapped. If you picked red and white striped paper, you would not pick a red and white striped bow to go with it, would you? I surely hope not! Then the bow would blend in with the rest of the package instead of complementing it. Your conclusion is that bow. Simple, non-imposing, and holding it together nicely.

YO YO YO, WHAT'S HAPPIN'IN?

Bro, don't write the way you speak. Mm-kay? It sounds dumb. I have heard it said that because a person can speak well that they can, therefore, write well. No. This is not so. For the sheer fact that you do not write the same way you speak! When you speak, there is no punctuation. No commas. No periods. Correct grammar is not always necessary or even accepted. But when writing, everything must be in order. As I have said earlier, every word must have a purpose, meaning, and directive. When you speak, that is not normally the case. People talk, talk, talk. Sit in a public place and listen to people talk. As you are listening, write down what they say as they say it. Don't worry about punctuation or anything like that. Just write. After about three minutes of listening, read what you wrote. You can put in punctuation where it is needed and you may be compelled to fix it as you go. But that's the point. People do not speak the way they write. That is why one of the best ways to check your writing is to read it aloud. If you aren't sure where a period should go in an obvious run-on sentence, read it aloud. You will soon find where you should take a breath.

Writing can be so many things! A way of escape in a journal writing or art in a fantasy novel. But no matter what way you decide to use it, make it credible and make it your very best.