Before I came across the book “On writing Well”, I use to think people had a gift in writing or maybe I still do but there has been a shift in my belief system since I read that book. I now understand that anyone can become a good writer if you put in the work. One line that propelled me to keep reading was “To become a professional writer, one must keep cutting, revising and reshaping words. So, it’s safe to say even though writing is hard work, there are some guidelines to Writing Well.
We must understand that writing is simply talking to someone on paper, using your preferred language that you both understand to communicate in a way that will achieve the greatest clarity and strength. If clarity is one of our goals of good writing, then we must learn to strip every sentence to its cleanest component thereby eliminating words that serve no function, adverbs that carries same meanings already existent verbs as well as adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence.
It is important to note that a muddy thinker can never write clearly because writing is basically your thought imprinted on paper. While readers do not know what they want to read until they read it, we must think carefully and write clearly so as not to lose the reader by simplifying, pruning and striving for order when writing.
One of the things I noticed about some writers is the element of “Style” I come across their post, article etc and I know this was written by XYZ. Their style is organic to them. So be yourself when writing, readers want the person talking to them to sound genuine and one of the ways to achieve this is to strengthen your verbs and syntax so your sentences doesn’t fall apart.
Writers must learn to be expressive, tell the story from your own perspective bringing the reader into your reality. But while I want to be in my imaginations when I read, please don’t over escalate so I don’t find myself in Sambisa Forest in a story line that should leave me in Lekki conservation centre. Writers must learn not to inflate what needs no inflating, say it in its simplest form and let’s move on to the next paragraph please. Lol.
Some writers began to write after being influenced by writers they have read their works over time and they admire but even though you are imitating what others have written, you must find your own voice. Be You, let people read and hear your voice speak through the piece of work.
I know there are primary and secondary audiences to whom some piece of work is being written for, but writers must learn to simplify subjects especially on professional matters that would be published for a vast majority to consume.
Lead the reader who knows nothing about your feed from one point and move to the next in a manner that they don’t get scared.
#MEMBA11
