The 3 Secrets to Becoming a Fantastic Writer
November 14, 2007 by Deb
Filed under Writing Tips
I found this on YouTube a little while back and wanted to show it to you here. I’m not sure I agree with this all, though it is good advice. Except the part where he and she are verbs. Check your English manual again, dude.
Sigh. Decent tips, I guess, but the tipster needs an editor, stat.
Wait, why am I criticizing a YouTube video? That’s like revising IM talk!
Yeah, tip 2 doesn’t really ring my bell. Using lots of adverbage and flowery language to inflate writing tends to make me think amateur and not fantastic.
Then again, I’m a stickler for simplicity.
Weird. On Tip #1 and #2, I actually thought the simpler sentence was better. And where did “slowly” come from in final Tip?
I usually like to fool around when I write (unless the assignment calls strictly for dull sentences). A good friend of mine once accused me of “skipping along the yellow brick road to my conclusions” (she read one of my philosophy papers critiquing one of Descartes’s Meditations), which is probably my favorite comment of all time. Nonetheless, there is a difference between fooling around and, well, fooling around.
My #1 piece of advice for people (particularly students) is: stop trying to use big, fancy words. We can see right through you. We know when you pulled up Dictionary.com to search in the thesaurus.
Here’s a solid rule: Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
A little hypocritical, perhaps, but sound advice.
Saad -I do think brevity is key. If you can get the job done with fewer words, by all means. I’m not a fan of long, meandering sentences that take the scenic route when getting to the point. (Though I’ve been known to digress from time to time.)
I don’t agree with tip number two. I think transition words like clearly are overused.
-Melissa Donovan
Writing for Writers
I agree with Melissa. Most of my writing is in magazines and newpapers, where space is at a premium. Even when doing PR, I avoid transitional words unless absolutely necessary, because they waste my time and that of the reader.
Yet there are some times when they do aid in content flow.
Thanks for watching How to Write for Dummies. Every example in that video had grammatical mistakes, stylistic errors, or both.
Then Joe, and all, your mission – should you choose to accept it – is to find all the errors and discuss. One of the reasons I put it up here was because I thought you guys would have a field day with all the transitional words and other items.
Hmmmm… I think I’ve seen the work of some “writers” who have taken this video to heart.
Did anyone catch the grammatical error with the second example sentence on tip 2?
“Clearly, I like cats, however I also like dogs.”
I think it should be:
“Clearly, I like cats. However, I also like dogs.”
Either way, though, it reads like a grade school kid wrote it.
Random thoughts: If I wrote it with my left hand, it would look like a grade school kid wrote it, too…
I disagree with tips 2 and 3. All they add is airy padding.
LOL, I enjoyed reading all your comments on this video! I made this video
I didnt plan on this to get all this attention! (I am not the best writer myself) Yeah…