Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Great Rules for Writing
Great Rules for Writing
from William Safire in the New York Times
Do not put statements in the negative form.
Remember to never split an infinitive.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
It is incumbent on one to avoid archaisms.
The passive voice should never be used.
Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
Proofread care-fully to see if you words out.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
The adverb always follows the verb.
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Writing memoirs
I just finished reading the book:" Old friends From Far Away" by Natalie Goldberg.
I wanted to write about what she says in her book. This really was not a book about journaling but what she says in here about writing is why I have journaled since a teenager. there is a lot of usefully information in this book. I have read several of her books. I have enjoyed them all.
The word memoir comes from the French memoire. writing is the act of reaching across the abyss of isolation to share and reflect. Writing has an urgency. it is alive. A writer has to have a third thing. That is something to write about. Memoirs are usually not about your whole life. They are more an expression of your life through something. your writing needs to become transparent. We need to write about the ordinary; otherwise we won't know what they are and what direction to head. Memoir is not reportage. Memoir examines how one thing leads to another, how human life unfolds. Memoir is taking personal experience and turning it inside out. We surrender our most precious understanding. this means when we write we give up ourselves. The reason we write memoir is to surrender ourselves. Subjects to write about come from your life and surroundings. With memoir we can go back to retrieve our lives, to make sense of them. One of the jobs of writing is to not pass over hurt, pain, loss or missed connections. you write your memoir to remember everything. The good and the bad. Your writing is a breathing organism. Pour your heart out in your writing. A memoir is like a mirror reflecting back your life. A memoir is like walking into a vast room full of beginnings and endings.
I hope this helps you to understand what a memoir is.
Natalie has written many books on writing. I highly recommend them all.
I wanted to write about what she says in her book. This really was not a book about journaling but what she says in here about writing is why I have journaled since a teenager. there is a lot of usefully information in this book. I have read several of her books. I have enjoyed them all.
The word memoir comes from the French memoire. writing is the act of reaching across the abyss of isolation to share and reflect. Writing has an urgency. it is alive. A writer has to have a third thing. That is something to write about. Memoirs are usually not about your whole life. They are more an expression of your life through something. your writing needs to become transparent. We need to write about the ordinary; otherwise we won't know what they are and what direction to head. Memoir is not reportage. Memoir examines how one thing leads to another, how human life unfolds. Memoir is taking personal experience and turning it inside out. We surrender our most precious understanding. this means when we write we give up ourselves. The reason we write memoir is to surrender ourselves. Subjects to write about come from your life and surroundings. With memoir we can go back to retrieve our lives, to make sense of them. One of the jobs of writing is to not pass over hurt, pain, loss or missed connections. you write your memoir to remember everything. The good and the bad. Your writing is a breathing organism. Pour your heart out in your writing. A memoir is like a mirror reflecting back your life. A memoir is like walking into a vast room full of beginnings and endings.
I hope this helps you to understand what a memoir is.
Natalie has written many books on writing. I highly recommend them all.
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