Just a couple things I’ve got to get off my chest before diving into my next Totally Stolen Writing Tip:
a) Jonathan Acuff and his Stuff Christians Like blog-to-book story would’ve made a much better – and funnier – movie than “Julie & Julia.” I mean, I know nothing about Mr. Acuff’s personal life, but I’m just that convinced he would’ve made a more likable, interesting character than Julie Powell. (Now, the Julia Child side of the story was fun, and Meryl Streep’s acting pretty spot-on – uh, not that I really know anything about acting. But the Julie side…blah.)
b) I wish I was funny! Like Jenny B. Jones, Jonathan Acuff funny. Not just accidentally funny. Not just “Oh my goodness, I spilled my coffee for the seventh time this week??” funny, but intentionally funny. It’s a skill, yeah? Maybe I need to try practicing humor 30 minutes a day…like piano lessons when I was a kid.
c) I used the word “funny” five times in that last paragraph…perhaps I need to post a Totally Stolen Tip about irritating repetition.
And now on to TST #3-5 – or rather, TST 8-6 ’cause we’re counting down, aren’t we. (Yeah, thought I’d employ an acronym. I’m trying ignore the fact that TST can also stand for Thermal Shock Testing. Or Tuberculin Skin Test. Or Transatlantic Slave Trade. For real. Google it.)
So, I used to be a reporter. And it was suh-weet. (Shout out to my Sioux Center News friends!) During that time, I – along with a friend, former roommate and fellow 24-junkie (shout-out to Maggie!) – was given the opportunity co-teach a couple college classes. One of those classes: news-writing and editing.
I don’t know if it was in prepping for that particular class, or in one of my own college classes, that I learned about the ABC’s of journalism. But wherever I came across them, they stuck. And they are:
A – accuracy
B – brevity
C – clarity
In my own Christopher Columbus way, I’ve discovered those keywords to be pretty relevant in just about any kind of writing (except, perhaps, literary writing – ’cause brevity isn’t always, mostly never, a big literary trait).
First, A – accuracy. You might think this is a “duh” one. And yes, it is rather obvious. Be accurate, of course.
But really, to strive for accuracy doesn’t stop at fact-checking. In fiction-writng, for instance, I’m finding myself constantly asking the question: “Is that really true?” Is it really accurate to say that Georgia is upset when her mother remarries without telling her? Or is there a different “hue” of emotion (shout out to the Ponderers and SMW!) she’s really experiencing – hurt, betrayal, maybe even jealousy?
And sometimes it’s hard to be accurate in the little things when you’re in the frenzy of bringing a scene to life. I’ll talk about someone’s brown eyes when three chapters ago I called them blue. I’ll mention someone’s Ford Taurus and then later have them driving an Impala.
Accuracy – it’s more than making sure you’ve got corn at the right height during the right month. (Yeah, another thing I’m working on…)
B – brevity. (I feel convicted not to write too much on this one! 🙂
Of course, in reporting, brevity is a must. You’ve only got so much column space to work a story into. But, I think it’s applicable in most writing areas (except, as I noted above, literary writing). If you’re taking an entire page to say something that could’ve been said in a paragraph, then you’re using up page-space that could’ve gone to something more.
And tight writing is, to me, just plain impressive. When you find that one perfect noun or verb to say something it would’ve taken a collection of descriptors to say, you’ve got skills.
C – clarity.
I struggle with this one. My problem? I know my characters. Inside and out. They’re real to me. I forget sometimes that others don’t have the inside creator’s scoop! So, clearly presenting a situation so the reader gets the full picture can be a challenge. (Especially when you’re trying to mix it with brevity.)
I just have to remind myself, “They’re not in my head, they’re not in my head.” (Lucky for them.) The reader only gets what I put on paper. Of course, I don’t want to tell the reader how to think or feel about what’s happening in a scene. I just want them to get a clear enough picture of what is indeed happening.
What’s been the most helpful for me in this area is simply letting others read scenes and watching for signs of confusion. (Wrinkled brows are dead giveaways!)
There ya go. Three TSTs for the price of one post.
*****
p.s. Gotta plug it: “Stuff Christians Like” the book just came out. Read it. And laugh.
p.p.s. On the topic of brevity. heard this comment once in regard to the Amplified Bible: “Why say something in 7 words when you can say it in 23?” Laughed my head off.
Comments 1
No kidding on that Amplified bible quote!
I’ve been working hard on brevity myself, though sometimes I’ve been TOO concise. I.E. I’ve learned not to use [sic] as a super-short way to tell someone you think they have a typo.
But I definitely try to think when I write an e-mail: “how can I shorten this.” In “Don’t Make Me Think,” Steve Krug says when you’re laying out a web page, cut the amount of words you’ve written in half. Then do it again. That’s when you’re getting close to the number of words you need.