In the 7th grade I wanted to be an architect but it turns out math is involved. Who knew? My 8th grade English teacher talked me into working on the school newspaper and I was hooked. It seemed like easy lifting compared to architecture.
This quote from newspaper columnist Russell Baker sort of sums up how I felt about writing as a career:
"The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any."
Baker and I, however, soon discovered that being an adequate writer is hard work, never mind being a great writer and doing it consistently. I thought that if I could speak the mother tongue that I could be a great writer. Wrong. But thank goodness Baker and I didn't know that when we decided what we would do with our lives.
Luckily, I had a head start on the writing life. My Dad was a good example. He read all the time for pleasure, and he often read to me. My teachers drummed the fundamentals of English into me. At the time, it seemed tedious, but I now appreciate their effort. Otherwise, I would not be doing something I love and getting paid for it. Because, you see, there will always be a need for words and wordsmiths, stories and storytellers.
You have probably not been as lucky as me. How many of you routinely diagrammed sentences in grammar school English class? How many of you were drilled on the parts of speech, or on verb conjugation?
How many of you learned reading and writing through whole language instead of phonics? That's like taking a 7-year-old who has never played basketball before and putting him in a game with the UNC Tar Heels and expecting the youngster to win the game.
How many of you play sports? What sports? How did you learn how to play?
You first learned the fundamentals. In basketball, you learn to dribble, pass and shoot. You work on it in the driveway. Then, you sign up for league play and take those skills into practice where the coach begins to explain the rules of the game. Next, you play and begin to improve your skills and your understanding of the game. You practice more. You watch great players to see what they do and you try to emulate them in practice and then in games. You push yourself by playing higher caliber opponents.
The same is true of writing. Vocabulary, sentence structure and punctuation are your skills. You move into the more advanced areas by learning about conjugating verbs and parts of speech. You learn the rules, and you begin to read the works of great writers to learn from them. And that is just the beginning.
Mark Twain says: "The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
How many of you love to read?
Hoover's Writing Rule #1: if you don't love to read recreationally, you will never be a good writer, much less a great one.
I read religiously as a child and still do. I have to read to stay abreast of my profession and to do research for articles I am writing, but I routinely read several books a month just for pleasure.
That recreational reading helps you see the world in a different way, or make connections you would not have made otherwise. This is helpful in developing story ideas that interest someone other than yourself.
Writing is both a very public and a very private occupation. No matter what type of writing you do, you must go out and experience life before you have anything worthwhile to write about. If you are a journalist, you must be able to walk right up and talk with people you often don't know, or who have been through a tragedy. Then, you figuratively go into solitary confinement while you write. Once written, your work is placed on display for anyone to see and criticize.
So, you must understand your audience because ultimately they decide the fate of you and your writing. Writers are often more educated than their audience, but you can't let the audience know that. You must write for them, in their vernacular so that your story gets through. This is particularly true in news writing. Keep opinions and bias on the sidelines.
In feature writing, the writer gets to intrude a little more, bringing his or her personality into the story. And in fiction, you get to make up your own world.
If you love to read and love to write, then I urge you to pursue your bliss. But just remember what science fiction writer Robert Heinlein said, "writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of ? but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards."
Harry Hoover is managing principal of hoover ink pr. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Bank of Commerce, Brent Dees Financial Planning, Bray Law, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, VELUX and Verbatim.
cheap limo service Lombard .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareEvery morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More
No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More
It was reported that the great American author Sinclair Lewis... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips:Your title is your selling tool. It's... Read More
If your articles aren't getting published very often, or you... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
1. Turning your idea into a bookWith non-fiction books the... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Your theme has to be something you... Read More
Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the... Read More
One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into... Read More
Riding on the fumes of potential, you take pen to... Read More
I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
How many of you take the time to really write... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?You are plotting the story. You write... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
What is a prologue? When should you use one? Should... Read More
Have you ever written a letter to a friend? Ever... Read More
Kallu was a tenant of Santosh Kumar Nayak. Santosh Kumar... Read More
You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More
In the ten years that I've taught people how to... Read More
Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important... Read More
limo O'Hare Glen Ellyn ..ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a... Read More
(This excerpt is taken from my new writing workshop Writing... Read More
Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's guidelines, are the rules... Read More
A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More
Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending... Read More
11 Secrets from an Experienced InterviewerOne of the unwritten rules... Read More
Let's Discuss Publisher Ethics:If you are an ezine publisher or... Read More
I call it cheap therapy. That gushing, near-religious, poured-from-the-body stress... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
Sometimes there is confusion about the exact meaning of the... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
As one of those fabulous Baby Boomers, you now own... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More
Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one... Read More
Written communication is often the first impression you make on... Read More
Have you ever wondered how you can adapt your screenplay... Read More
When a writer is working on their next literary masterpiece... Read More
If you are an aspiring writer, or you simply want... Read More
There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More
Peter Mayle was born in England in 1939.His fascination with... Read More
Someone once commented that there were no new ideas to... Read More
1. No one else will do it for you.2. No... Read More
You have a great idea for a poem, a story,... Read More
Writing |