QUALITY WRITING

There’s No Magic Potion for Achieving Effective Wordsmithing!

For decades, I have strived to shape effective written materials for clients and myself.  At the end of many assignments, clients ask if there’s a definitive method for generating quality writing.  Unfortunately, while some aspects of the pieces I write can serve as virtual templates, I have to report there’s no magic potion for guaranteeing effective wordsmithing.

AMATEUR OR PRO…The key to Successful authorship is quality writing, a blending creativity with exhaustive editing!

DOVETAILING CREATIVITY AND TECHNICALITY. Despite my assertion that such organization will aid every writing endeavor, do not suppose that good writers never experience confusion, indecision, or misdirection.  The writing process is a dovetailing of creative and technical writing and other organizational activity.  As you plunge into the construction process of your project, you will need to alternate between capturing the essence of what you might call coldly editing what you have written.  The beauty of this double pronged approach is that you can let your thoughts flow freely, knowing that the structure of your work will evolve as you edit your way toward a harmonious conclusion. I certainly found this approach to wordsmithing invaluable in writing the first Natalie Seachrist Visionary Hawaiian Cozy Mystery, Prospect For Murder. This approach facilitates your remaining productive, even when experiencing writer’s block.

LAUNCHING THE PROJECT.
Are you feeling nervous about launching your writing project?  Ask yourself one simple question:  Am I so focused on the final product that I’m inhibiting my ability to write? Your honest answer might be a reluctant yes.  If so, merelyfacing a pen or keyboard can be traumatic.  In response, consider performing a visualization exercise.  Without committing yourself to serious meditative practices, you should be able to picture your target audience reacting positively to a large screen presentation of your message.  Armed with this optimistic image, you should feel better prepared to set your verbal vehicleon the path to success.

TARGETING YOUR AUDIENCE
Regardless of writing fiction or non-fiction, the author must know their audience. When writing an ongoing series of articles or books, success yields a sense of the readers and/or listeners who will be partaking of the final result(s). But when undertaking an initial piece, it is helpful to consider the demographics of the audience joining in the journey. Historical Romance, Detective Mystery, Classic Western, or Visionary Cozy Mystery (like me), it is good for the author to explore the taste of the public seeking that genre. Age, gender, ethnicity, and level of education can all determine the appropriate methodology an author will employ in their tailoring their composition and marketing.  

THE VALUE OF AN OUTLINE.
How will you reach your goal?  Regardless of the type of text you are composing, I’ve found that outlining is an invaluable tool.  I believe there are three essential steps to shaping focused outlining:

~  Write a mission statement summarizing your project’s purpose
~  List key points in a progressive sequence that validates your summary
~  Craft a closing statement summarizing how you’ve met the goals of your mission (this should help you in writing the ending of your piece. . .)

You now have a recipe for clearly determining the content and sequencing of the elements of your composition.  The exact position of the various components will vary, depending on the product you’re fabricating.  The key points on your list may yield paragraphs in an essay, article or speech.  They may also become individual pages in a website.  If you are seeking financial backing for a new business, they could become categories within your business plan.  And fiction?  Well, your list may be the plotline that yields the chapters of a prize-winning novel or the continuation of a book series.

STAGNATION.  This is a word you will hear repeatedly by me…and unfortunately experience too often. If you feel your creativity as a writer has stagnated, turn to another aspect of the project.  Is there supporting work or other material that requires your attention?  Are there questions that you have not answered that further research could enhance? Perhaps you need to shape a bibliography or glossary, or a preface, afterword, or acknowledgement section.  If you’re responsible for printing, broadcasting, or uploading the final product, you may also need to work on color, form, texture, and artwork to present your thoughts with dynamism to your readers or viewers.  And, of course, you can  always revisit your personal bio or mission statement…

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, narrator, consultant, and motivational speaker