Home
>
Writing
>
In Your Own Words

In Your Own Words

More Tips For New Writers (Part I)

Explain in your own words

Familiar phrase? Yes, we have all heard it many times in many different situations. This little phrase is used to convey subtly different meanings depending upon the circumstances in which it is used. At school, the teacher means "Don't just copy chunks out of a book; show me you can write an essay". In an examination the words mean "Prove that you understand the question and know the answer". On an insurance claim form it means "Tell us what happened from your point of view". From a Judge it means "Tell the truth without embellishment".

What do all these people have in common? They want to hear what you know, what you think about things. They don't want something you have copied from somebody else, they don't want regurgitated chunks of something learned by rote, they don't want to hear somebody else's words repeated, they don't want to hear excuses. They want to hear what you have to say. They want honesty.

Honesty is the best policy

If you want to write, you must learn to write honestly. By this I do not mean that it is essential for you to always tell the unvarnished truth (this article is not about personal development: it is about writing and moral debate has no place here). I mean use your own words, your own style, your own "voice". Do not try to imitate a writer you admire. Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery. That may be true enough but most imitations turn out to be poor copies of the original item. Make your writing the real deal; don't give people the chance to say: "He's that guy who tries to write like Stephen King". Believe me, they won't mean it as a compliment; what they are really saying is: "He's that guy who tries to write like Stephen King but fails and (snigger, snigger) he doesn't realise it". Being honest has the undoubted advantage that it saves you having to remember what lies you told previously. It should also make you feel good and that's a bonus.

There have, of course, been instances where an unknown artist has created a painting in the style of a master and the work had been painted so skilfully that experts declared it to be authentic. Remember, though, the forger had skill of his own in the first place. Whether you are forging a masterpiece or a bank note, you need to possess skill as well as the appropriate tools. If you are new to writing, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to manage a convincing imitation of a famous author's style. Indeed, you will probably find it difficult to even begin to analyse what makes a particular author's writing uniquely personal. Writing "in the style of" can be a valuable exercise for trainee writers but it should only ever be an exercise, not a substitute for authenticity. If you have what it takes to be a writer, get out there, write and make sure your fingerprints are all over your work declaring it to be yours and yours alone.

Voice recognition

No, not the computer software type: the type that happens when Joe `phones a friend. Joe says: "Hello." and the friend instantly says "Hi, Joe." If you write as yourself, your loyal readers will reach the stage where they recognise your work from reading a fragment without needing any clue from a by-line.

If you have something interesting to say, there is no need to put on a phoney voice (unless your intention is to make your audience laugh). You will probably not get to be President if you make all your speeches in the style of Homer Simpson. If you decide to put your message in writing, you should write it in your own words and in your own way. When you write, you have your own voice and you should not try to disguise it. Allow your audience to hear your voice and become familiar with it. Of course not everybody will like your voice one hundred percent all of the time: there is not one thing in this world which is liked by everybody always.

None of us is perfect

I don't mean this in terms of never making a mistake: I just mean that, as human beings we all have imperfections. Keats says "Beauty is truth, truth beauty". I heartily concur but imperfections are, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder; a matter of personal taste. What is a blemish to you might be an endearing feature to me. There are also degrees of imperfection. A minor imperfection in an otherwise excellent work may be overlooked. A similar imperfection in bad piece of work might be the final straw which prompts the reader to throw the book across the room and vow never to read anything else by that author.

Whilst reading works of horror fiction by some of my favourite fiction writers, I have found the repeated use of certain words irritating; for some reason I dislike the use of "umbra" and "orb" in place of shadow and eyeball. (The subject matter of these books is of necessity dark and grisly things frequently happen to eyes.) As the remainder of the work is perfection (in my orbs, anyway) I am able to forgive this minor irritation and still eagerly anticipate each new publication by these authors. Other readers might be impressed by the use of these alternative nouns or not even notice them. Whatever your imperfection might be, never ever compound it with sloppiness. You cannot help being less than perfect, that is part of being human; there is no excuse for offering sloppy workmanship.

This is one of a series of articles published by the author, Elaine Currie, BA(Hons) at http://www.huntingvenus.com The author's monthly newsletter is available free from mailto:networkerhvm@ReportsNetwork.com

Twin Lakes rental limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

The White House launched a new cybersecurity safety label, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, intended to help consumers make informed decisions on smart device safety.

Today's tech can help make life so much easier — if you know how to use it. Here are a few tips on the quickest and best ways to make your phone, laptop and other devices work for you.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers Windows 11 restart fixes: Update drivers, run system scans and check hardware.

Sony and Honda's Afeela 1 EV launches with advanced tech and entertainment for $89,900. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives his takeaways.

With limited hard drive space, tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers these tips for storing large video files and photos.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the $236,000 Yangwang U9 electric hypercar boasts 1,287 horsepower and can jump obstacles.

Flip phones are harder to block spam calls from, but it's not impossible. Kurt the "CyberGuy" explains how to stop incoming robocalls on your flip phone.

With so many notifications buzzing our phones these days, it's tough to distinguish between legitimate messages and possible scams. Kurt the CyberGuy helps unravel the mystery.

Scammers have a new trick where they pretend to be job recruiters to plant malicious apps on your devices. It all starts with a deceptive email.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy breaks down why those emails that warn that "Your Apple ID has been disabled" is most likely a scam. Here's how to protect yourself.

Even small mistakes can negatively impact your credit score; here are some of the most common credit report errors and how you can fix them.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores the many different ways you can repurpose that old iPhone of yours rather than trashing it.

A pioneering artificial intelligence and robotics company from China has developed a repository of over 1 million robotic movements to provide robotic training.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals the warning signs and steps to take if you suspect that your personal computer is infected with a virus.

Researchers found in a study that users of a robotic prosthetic hand could successfully grasp and move two objects at once without dropping them.

The James Webb Space Telescope captured photos of one of the earliest supernovas ever seen using infrared technology, and creating a time lapse of the phenomena.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

New Mac malware variant targets browser credentials and personal data, researchers find. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to safeguard your Mac from the latest malware threats.

The Jetson One eVTOL showcases air racing potential, ushering in a new aviation era. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the race for eVTOL supremacy is just beginning.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals that hackers stole data from Gravy Analytics, a major seller of smartphone location data to the U.S.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: If you just bought a new iPhone, here’s what to do first when you fire it up.

AC Future and Pininfarina unveil AI Transformer homes, merging sustainability and innovation. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this could change the way we think about home.

Technology expert Kim Komando shares her easy tips on how to declutter your phones, computers and devices from the files you no longer need.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson has the details on a Volkswagen data leak that exposed the personal data of around 800,000 EV owners.