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Writing Lab 101

How to become a writer: It’s all in the Writing

January 26, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

How to become a writer: It’s all in the Writing

The question of how to become a writer seems simple when you hear someone ask it. The answer some wisecracker immediately spits out is, write! Like the person asking the question has no idea there is a connection between written words and being a writer. Seems like that answers the question, and most people walk away, but in truth, many writers struggle with this. It’s haunting to aspire to something so nebulous. How do you know when you’ve become a writer?

The Groups

There are 2 groups of writers in the world. The first group is full of writers who started writing at such a young age the question of how to become a writer never occurred to them. I’m in this category. I started writing in the 3rd grade, and I just knew. I never asked if I was a writer. I only asked what I could do to be successful at it. I admired Hemmingway, loved Frost, and was astounded by Raymond Carver, but though I idolized them in ways, I knew I didn’t have to rise to their level to achieve the title of writer. You don’t have to be a GREAT writer to be a writer. You just have to love and be drawn to it. The first group of writers never asks how to become a writer because it simply never occurs to them.

The second group of writers is sidetracked artists. They didn’t find writing when they were young, so they are not called to it before they are old enough to know any better. This group struggles with giving themselves permission to be a writer. The worry they are not as good as their peers. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but for some of these writers, the word writer is so important it couldn’t possibly apply to them. They are not concerned with being “great”; they just want the right to call themselves writers. The truth is, anyone has that right.

I’ll say this before I go any further. If you feel a draw toward writing, if you want to create something out of words and feel something inside you pushing you to do it, you’re a writer, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you are drawn to writing, you’re a writer even if you never right anything.

A state of mind

Yeah, I’m a little metaphysical when it comes to writers, and yes, it is my calling. On top of that, I know the writing tunes in from a different place, muses, like the Greeks of old said. So if you are called to writing, and the ideas and inspiration are coming from someone else, you’re a writer. You are not a famous writer. You are not a successful writer, but becoming a writer is simple; you admit to yourself that it is calling to you and then just go with it. Of course, writing daily, with your heart and soul and body and blood until it’s an obsession, helps too.

Imposter syndrome

I know writers who have large book deals and have written several books that suffer from Imposter syndrome. People are developing imposter syndrome in every facet of their lives. Mothers don’t feel like moms because other moms on Instagram are doing it better and “for real.”

Writers jumping on Twitter and freaking out about book deals doesn’t make you less of a writer. Just because someone is on their 10th book and you still need to finish your first doesn’t make you less of anything. If you have felt the call, you are a writer, period. Nothing else matters. Let others be. Franza Kafka, widely considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, never wanted his work published. He wanted his works destroyed when he died. Can you imagine? That man was running from his calling like it was a disease. Kafka hid his writing, and if he could have quit writing, he would have. So just think of yourself as being inflicted by writing, and might not worry about the label so much.

Impostor syndrome is an actual condition, and I’m not trying to make light of it. Some people need professional help to get through it. It’s best with this syndrome, as will all things, to let go and just know who you are and go with the feeling. If you feel like you need help, get help.

Advice on how to “become” a writer.

There are a lot of sites on the web that tell you how to do this. They give you lots of steps in becoming a writer. They are all nonsense. There are steps to becoming a successful writer. There are steps to becoming a better writer. There are steps to becoming a published writer, but there are no steps to becoming a writer. If you are here reading this article because you desire to be a writer, some little flame inside calling you to put words down on paper, you’re a writer. It’s that simple, and don’t let anyone make you doubt yourself.

The Writing: Don’t worry about how to become a writer

Now, writing something great, writing something that touches people deep down, writing something that changes the world, that’s an entirely different story. Being a writer is easy. Learning to be great at writing is very very difficult. Writing is hard. It’s that simple, and if you want to be a writer, you are tackling something difficult. Write every day. Write as much as you can, and read writers who inspire you. Seek out communities of artists, writers, and musicians, and tell your story and be unique. Only you, as a writer, know where you are going and what you will achieve. You never know.

The late great Raymond Carver wrote: “Don’t waste time wondering why lightning struck for your friend but not you. Or wishing lightning had hit you instead of someone you consider less talented. Besides sounding like sour grapes, it’s an energy suck. You can’t predict the vagaries of fate any more than you can predict a lightning strike.

Spend your time learning your craft. More writers have become successful because they worked at their craft than because they got lucky.”

Don’t worry about being a writer; just worry about your writing.

On a sidenote, if you want to test out some of your skills, try our Writer’s Playground.

Filed Under: Writing Tips

How to Publish a Short Story

January 23, 2023 by admin 4 Comments

Knowing how to publish a short story is not difficult. I’m astonished by how many writers are terrified to have others read their work. Many people are happy to have a few readers. Some writers will post work on their Facebook, Instagram, blogs, or web pages and let 100s of people read it, but they are afraid to get one rejection from an editor. This is silly. Writing might be a lone process; we may be alone in creating our worlds, but sharing your writing with others is one of the most fulfilling experiences of the literary process. See our literary magazine listings to find a magazine to submit your work.

This is a short article about how to publish your short story. It could be a better article. I wanted to give those writers out there who are somewhat afraid of this process some reassurance. There is no magic here. Everyone does it the same way. Many professionals, even well-known writers, still do this. Please don’t email me or post a mean comment and say Stephen King doesn’t follow this process. That’s true, I’m sure. He has an agent. He doesn’t have to submit a short story. The magazines are looking for him, but some professional writers still follow this process.

Option 1 Traditional Route

1. Spend time on your work

There used to be cost involved. You had to print, mail, and stamp your submissions. Imagine those of you who have never seen a typewriter; how would it feel to go through 5 or 6 hours of typing to get your work in shape and send it out? Starting a new file meant crunching the paper and tossing it into the wastebasket. The time and energy it took to create a piece ready for submission were substantial. Now it just tap, tap, and the mistake is all gone.

Computers improve the finished product, but they make it much easier to overlook mistakes. A writer doesn’t have to labor over a sheet of paper to get their writing to LOOK professional. There is much difference these days between looking professional and having a professionally prepared piece.

But the point is here; you have more time to write and edit and less typing. It is easier, so check, check, check, double-check. (And I’m sure there are some typos in this piece, so do better than I did when you send your work to a magazine for publication, and don’t send hate mail!)

Just spend time with your writing. Like in the days of old, spend time reading and rereading. Labor with it. Spend time with your work. 

2. Find a market: Find the Guidelines

In the old days, before the internet, writers dug through books like Writer’s Market to find a publishing solution for their writing problems. They spent significant time reading entries to find the right place to send their work. It wasn’t difficult. It just took time.

Today most magazines and zines have their submission information listed on their websites. FIND THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR SHORT STORY. , if you write horror fiction, do not send it to an erotic publisher. Before you send your work, learn as much as possible about the publisher. Write the work without influence. You’ll find a market. There is a place to publish for everyone. Make sure you read the magazine. Writers are used to buying many “sample copies.” It helped to keep magazines going. These days you have to read the examples on the website (most of the time, don’t send hate mail!)

3. What does the editor want?

Does the magazine or zine take online submissions? Many writers now send out their work before they look. If you know a little bit about the market, you first learn that many magazines take email, and some do not. Only send your work with being sure. Sites might need to specify. Query the magazines before you send your work. Some magazines take months to respond to a work of fiction. If you send your work to a site that does not accept online submissions, you might be waiting a long time to hear back from them to find they disregarded your submission. Most editors will delete unwanted work without ever reading it. Make sure you know first.

4. Format

The format for most submissions is pretty simple. You can use 1 inch or the default settings in Word or a word processing program, and most of the time, it will be fine. Just make sure to look for any special requirements in the submissions section of the magazine or zine. The most important part of formatting today is determining the file format to send the work. Most zines or magazines specify this on their site. Many sites avoid viruses by restricting file submissions, but some want a .doc or .pdf attachment. It is all up to the editor, and preferences vary greatly. Suppose you know which format to send your work in, email and ask. Most editors will be kind in their responses. If they are jerks, move on to the subsequent publication. Find out first. It will only be considered if you send a file in a suitable format. Make sure your name, address, phone number, and email are on the top of the first page of your short story. There is NO NEED FOR A TITLE PAGE.

5. Writing a bio

Write your bio in the 3rd person. Keep it short, and list your publications, if any. You can follow this short bio scaffolding if you are having trouble.

Please keep it simple and to the point. Some magazines create almost gag-like bios, but before you make it to that point, you want to make yourself look good. It should be based solely on the merit of your work, but small zine editors are trying to build a name. Sometimes you do see work published just for the bio. It happens much more now than ever before. It will be fine with more significant, better, established publications. They won’t give a frog who you are.

6. Write a cover letter

It is good practice to write a cover letter, even for a short story submitted through email. It would be best if you told the editor a little about yourself.

7. Wait

Zines and magazine editors tend to be busy people. They take an ungodly long time to respond. Just sit and wait. Usually, it is okay to follow up after a couple of months, but only email, call, mail, or fax every day asking if you’ll be in next month’s issue. Just wait.

            8. Don’t be ashamed.

I hear many writers shaming themselves for not sending in their work. Don’t be ashamed; do it. The worst thing that can happen is getting a rejection letter.

            9. Repeat

This article was moved from another page to here. It was updated and edited with changes. 

Option 2 SelfPublishing (Multiple Options) 

To start, you should still see number 1 from option 1. It is best to spend time on your work. You want to make sure it is as good as possible. Today, there are many ways you can publish your work without going through a literary magazine or a gatekeeper. 

  1. Editing is most important if you are not going the traditional route. In conventional editing, you have helped before your writing reaches the public, but if you self-publish, you own every mistake. This means that when the world sees them, they only have you to blame. 
  2. There are many ways to self-publish a short story. 
    1. You can use social media accounts to bring your stories to your audience. You will get instant feedback. The most significant drawbacks are only reaching your followers and being in an echo chamber. Your friends and family may need to be better judges of your work. 
    2. Sharing platforms: Writers do have the option today to get feedback on their work on platforms that were built to bring their work to a larger audience. An excellent example of this is Wattpad or Inkitt. Many writers use these two platforms to get their work out there. These platforms are often used more for editing and drafting than for final publication. They are valuable tools; some may want their stories to appear there. 
    3. Blogs and personal websites, you do have the option of starting your website. There are many options like WordPress, Squarespace, and even tumbler. You will get a wider readership from sharing, but you will not get the same accolades from being published in a journal or literary magazine. 

Option 3 Money Making

  1. If you want to avoid putting your stories in a magazine, you can collect multiple stories in a book, self-publish the book and sell it. There aren’t many magazines that will pay you well for your stories. You shouldn’t try, but if you decide to self-publish your story, you might as well make money off it. 
  2. Amazon for short stories is another way to sell your shorts for the money. The length needed to do this is a grey area. I’ve seen sites say Amazon shorts need to be 2500 words, but I have talked to authors, and they say 5000 words and up is best. People do sell and make money by selling their stories. 

There are many ways to publish a short story in 2023. This gives you a general idea of many of the options. If you think of other ways to get your work out there, please leave a comment. If you have any questions or general observations, please leave your comment below.  

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Filed Under: Publishing Your Writing, Writing Tips

Should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

January 14, 2023 by admin 11 Comments

Should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

 

If you love writing, an MFA might be the way for you to go, but there are many things to consider. In life, there are no guarantees, but taking the risk might keep you writing. The truth is, you never know. Before signing up for your MFA in Creative Writing, here are some things to consider. Student Union, where many MFAers sleep.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

If you are considering pursuing your MFA in Creative Writing, here are a few things to keep in mind. Creative writing programs are bombing now, but it may not be your best idea.

The Good

Circle of Writers

You will be around people who write. You will be around experienced writers. Having access to professional writers is generally a good thing for writers. The more people you know who read your work, the better you write most of the time. You’ll have other people around you to motivate you. Do you need it? Do you crave a community of writers?

 

More Time to Write

You’ll have more time to write. Most MFA programs are studio programs that focus on writing. We are not talking about an MA in English. We are talking about studio creative writing programs. These are programs that give you time to write. You spend most of your time meeting deadlines for writing and then workshopping what you’ve written. A writing program might work if you need to get away from your busy job and life to write and have no refuge.

 

Literary Writing

You’ll have training from literary writers. It’s good if you are interested in literary writing (meaning you write the fiction of life). I’m about to say something that will get me in trouble with you, but if you are most concerned with story-telling and have few details about how the story is told, you probably will not like academic courses. Literary writers get into the nooks and crannies of writing. Not to say that genre writers do not focus on language—literary focus on how the story is told. If you are not a “micro” writer, you may not enjoy it very much. There is always an exception to the rule. Some MFA programs do offer paths in genre fiction.

 

Agents?

You MIGHT have access to literary agents. Literary agents watch some MFA programs. These programs usually produce good writers, and agents monitor the programs for writers they can represent. Iowa and Arizona are at the top of this list. The list of good programs is constantly changing, save that Iowa is always on top.

 

Better Writer

It will help you in your writing, or better stated: it will help you understand yourself better to become a better writer. After all, becoming a better editor is one thing, but becoming a better writer-storytelling- having your style is different altogether. An MFA program will teach you about language. It will also allow you to learn more about yourself as a writer. It will give you time and support. It will not magically improve your writing just by stepping into the program. Could you do this on your own without the program? Yeah, many others have. Many great writers have sought out writing circles and have yet to attend university.

Professor

It will allow you to teach at a university or in a writing program or go on to get your Ph.D. An MFA is ideal if you are interested in teaching at a university. This especially applies to poets. Poets generally find it hard to make a living writing poetry, so teaching is one of the best options.

 

Bad

 

There are other ways.

You can get a lot out of simple workshops. If you do not want to teach writing, you might not need an MFA. You do not have an “academic” interest in language and don’t necessarily care about the literary world; I would say you might want to sign up for a couple of workshops. They have workshops in every major city from time to time. Look for them in writer’s magazines (classifieds).

 

Bad Influence on Your Writing?

Some people say MFA programs are a terrible influence on your writing. They mean that most programs do not focus on a particular genre (other than literary). Writers need to remember that each genre in writing has its quirks and niches. Science fiction, romance, and mystery writers may have different goals in their writing. Working with writers who focus on the genre you love will do you more good than going and getting an MFA. When choosing an MFA program, one thing you should remember is the professors teaching the courses. If you like their writing, they will help you the most in your writing. If you think they are boring, why bother going into the program?

Every genre has workshops and seminars where great writers from that genre attend and teach or even read your work and comment. There are online courses where outstanding writers in a genre teach. These are much more valuable than going to a general MFA program. Get involved. Get in a workshop.

Being in an MFA program will not “hurt” your writing. It will change your writing and may not tailor changes to the genre you love. You can use what they teach you, but why not learn and work with someone in your area of the genre?

 

Ugly

Cost

You will buy primo credits at a Master’s level at a university. You will spend between $7000-$15,000 a semester (or more, depending on the school). The degree could cost $30,000-$100,000. Each degree and university are different, but make sure to look at the cost before you enroll. Many MFA programs do have stipends and assistantships where you can teach to get your tuition paid. If you are one of the unlucky ones who do not get an assistantship, you are looking at a steep bill for your writing degree.

 

No guarantee

MFAs are like any degree you get in the humanities; there is no guarantee. It might not get you a book deal. It might not get you published. It might not even get you a teaching job. Many MFAs had gone right back into the field they were working in before they got their MFA. Yes, you can do the work, pay the money and spend the time and you still need to get a job related to writing. This happens in every field, but you have to remember the jobs associated with report writing tend to be few and far between in many parts of the country. Only some people can get a job, and it is possible to go through all the steps and remain in the same spot you’re in right now.

 Ask yourself the right questions. Don’t let others discourage you. Don’t let anything stand in your way. If you want an MFA degree, you shouldn’t let anything stop you. Many writers do very well with a creative writing degree.

Updated 1/14/22

Filed Under: Writing Tips

Top 10 Types of Poems, Forms or Formats

January 14, 2023 by admin 19 Comments

pictures of 4 famous poets

Top 10 Types of Poems, Forms, or Formats

Here is a list of the Top 10 Types of Poems, Forms, or Formats. I say forms or formats because we cross some lines of distinction here that are only sometimes easy to explain. These are poems where people use a particular form to create them, but some are forms in and of themselves. I wanted to develop a short list of the most famous poetry types. Here is an essential guide. If someone throws these at you, at least you will know what they are. Please try each type, and if you do, feel free to share them in the comments.

The Forms

Free Verse

Refrain from being mixed up with blank verse; free verse is a poetic form/technique where the poet does not follow the conventions of any meter or rhyme. Free verse is just that, free. A form we think of when we write a poem not based on any patterns or structure. So you might think of this as form free. 

It is undoubtedly the most common form used today. 

Haiku

Haiku is the only poem that rivals free verse these days. People love Haiku. Haiku is very popular in Japan. Poets like Matsuo Bashō, Yosa Buson, and Natsume Sōseki are renowned for their Haiku. It’s 3 line poem generally where the first and last lines have five syllables, and the middle has seven.

Basic requirements: 

  • 5 lines
  • 5 syllables
  • 7 syllables
  • 5 syllables

Examples: 

10 Famous Haiku https://www.readpoetry.com/10-vivid-haikus-to-leave-you-breathless/

Sonnet

There are various sonnets, but the most popular ones tend to be the English or Shakespearean sonnets. Of course, there is much more to these, but this is the general definition. There is also the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet. The English sonnet is the most attempted.

There are many types of sonnets. The four most popular are: 

Petrarchan

Named after Francesco Petrarca, it is sometimes called the Italian sonnet. It is generally written in iambic pentameter if written in English. The poem is made up of an Octave (an 8 line stanza ABBAABBA.) and a sestet (a 6 line stanza CDECDE or CDCDCD). Poets study their whole lives to perfect writing these types of sonnets. An excellent example of this type of sonnet is: 

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 

William WordsworthEarth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Shakespearean

Popularized by William Shakespeare, this is the most famous type of poem. It is a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter. The poem will end in a rhyming couplet. It’s generally more complicated than it sounds. A famous example: 

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometimes too hot, the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Spenserian

Named after famous poet Edmund Spenser this poem has three interlocked quatrains and a final couplet, with ABAB BCBC CDCD EE as its rhyme scheme. Again, harder than it sounds. 

The famous warriors of the antique world,
Used Trophees to erect in stately wize:
in which they would the records haue enrold,
of their great deeds and valarous emprize.
What trophee then shall I most fit deuize,
in which I may record the memory

There are more kinds of sonnets, like the Miltonic and modern ones, but the three above are what people talk about when they say the word sonnet. 

Blank Verse

Blank Verse is a poem written in Iambic pentameter but does not rhyme. It can follow another meter, but Iambic pentameter is the most common by far. Milton wrote his masterpiece Paradice Lost in blank verse: 

Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of _Eden_, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,
Sing Heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top
Of _Oreb_, or of _Sinai_, didst inspire
That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,
In the Beginning how the Heav’ns and Earth
Rose out of _Chaos_: Or if _Sion_ Hill
Delight thee more, and _Siloa’s_ Brook that flow’d
Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence

Limerick

Limerick is, at its core (giving the basic definition here) a 5 line poem that follows a strict meter and always has a AABBA rhyme scheme.

For example, Rudyard Kipling writes:

There was a small boy of Quebec,
Who was buried in snow to his neck;
When they said, “Are you friz?”
He replied, “Yes, I is—
But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.”
This verse from the Jungle Book is a good example of a limerick.

Tanka

Related in a sense to the Haiku, the Tanka poem is a poem with 5,7,5,7,7 for its lines. So it’s a Haiku with 2 seven-syllable lines added to the end.

Cinquain

At its very base, this is simply a 5 line poem. So The Tanka above falls into this classification. Still, the most popular Cinquain that people want you to write when you say, Let’s write a cinquain, is generally in English that follows a rhyme scheme of ababb, abaab, or abccb.

Sestina

It’s easier to write a sestina than to explain how to write one. So it’s a six stanza of six lines, each with a triplet at the end. Each stanza has the same six words at the end of each line of the poem. The words that end the first stanza’s lines are rotated over and over again at the end of the lines of the next stanza.

Villanelle

Here is another poem, but it takes more work to explain or write. The most famous one is Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas. The form is a 19-line poem that has five 3-line stanzas. The first line of the poem and the last line of the first stanza become a refrain (repeated) repeatedly until the final stanza. Lines 1 and 3 become the beginning and ending lines of all the other stanzas.

Acrostic

An Acrostic is a simple poetry form, newer than the rest on this page. The Acrostic is a poem that uses a poem’s up and down letters to spell a word or phrase. In this poem, the first letter spells a word.

Here is a list of the most popular poetry forms. These are classic forms used by authors throughout time. If you want to give them a try, we’d love to see them in the comments below. If we see one we like, we may ask you if we can publish them on our site. 

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Filed Under: Resources for Writers, Writing Tips

How to Improve Your Tech Writing Skills

November 9, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

How to Improve Your Tech Writing Skills

There are two vital skills demanded of technical writers. One is to first be able to comprehend what can often be difficult and specialized language. The second is to possess the ability to translate that technical language in an accessible, coherent matter. Clarity and conciseness are the cornerstones of high quality technical writing.

What sounds simple and straightforward on the surface can be challenging when put into practice. Subject matter experts from specialized industries can find it exceedingly troublesome to translate their knowledge into a document that any outsider or layman would be able to grasp without problems.

Here are a few guiding principles designed to keep you on track and simplify the process for you as you work to improve your technical writing skills:

Your outline is your best friend

Although your readers will never see your outline, it’s still the most critical part of the process. Attempting to “wing it” without an outline will cause you more stress than it is worth. Think of it as your roadmap as you navigate the often mysterious landscape of your topic. Your outline, aside from allowing you to organize your thoughts and ideas so they flow pleasantly, will keep you from straying.

Use sections and headings to help direct your reader

As soon as you start writing, decide that you are going to employ ample sections and headings. For example, on a document that is longer than a single page, it’s important to organize the content under sections, using headings to break up the information. Together, these tools will help summarize the content for your reader, making it more understandable. This is another way to communicate complex ideas clearly.

Breaking the content into smaller pieces makes the information more digestible as well as more visually pleasing. Looking at huge blocks of text can fatigue the eye.

Keep your sentences short

When you are dealing with complex ideas, the best way to keep from overwhelming your reader is to keep your sentences as short as you can. It can be tempting to pile on clause after clause, but doing so makes it easier for the reader to get lost. Periods are free, so use as many of them as you want.

Another common issue when explaining an unfamiliar concept to readers is the tendency to say the same thing more than once. Although you think you are reinforcing the point, the reader doesn’t feel the same way. Redundancies weigh down your copy. Trim them.

This should go without saying, but please avoid jargon in your technical writing. Trying to impress readers with your beefy vocabulary will just obscure your ideas behind fancy words, making your prose dense and harder to get through.

Make lists look like lists

Some writers have an aversion to lists. Lists seem too simplistic to them, perhaps. Often technical writers want to turn a simple list into paragraph after paragraph of prose – that really isn’t helping to keep your writing concise and clear.

You don’t necessarily have to number your lists. Sometimes bullet points are the way to go. As long as your reader can follow the steps easily, then you’ve done your job.

Use the active voice

Burdening an already complex topic with pages and pages of the passive voice will wear the reader out. In case you aren’t familiar with the active and passive voices, here is an example:

Passive Voice
The car was driven to the drop off point by Dan.

Active Voice
Dan drove the car to the drop off point.

The passive voice, while needlessly complicating the sentence, also adds more words for the reader to have to wade through to get to the subject.

In spite of its technical nature, technical writing should still be engaging for the reader. Maintain a brisk pace and keep moving forward. While there is no need to try to get too creative with the writing, you do want to develop an easy, pleasant voice that readers can relate to.

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Tess Pajaron (1)Tess Pajaron is an experienced writer currently working at Open Colleges. She’s an incurable book addict with an irresistible impulse to travel.

Filed Under: Writing Tips

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50 Fantastic Science Fiction Writing Prompts Here are 50 fantastic writing prompts that will get you writing sci-fi. If you use one of prompts to write a story, we’d love to read it! Send it to us.  In a future society where humans have achieved immortality, a rebel group arises seeking the right to die. […]

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