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When it comes to technology, I feel like the Geico caveman: I understand enough to get by in today's hi-tech world, but look more closely and you can easily tell I'm a neanderthal when it comes to certain things involving computers. This blog is a good example. I'm happy with the content, but I know there are plenty of technological bells and whistles that should be added, like a blog roll.So, until I muster the motivation to learn how to put one on here, let me list a few writing and communication blogs that I find worth reading. Maybe you will, too.-- "My 2 cents" by public relations and communications expert David Reich offers cogent comment on marketing, media and PR. I like Dave's writing style, too.-- Kenneth W. Davis' "Manage Your Writing" always seems to have something helpful to say on the craft. Check him out.-- The great thing about Roy Clark's writing blog is that besides its outstanding content, it also introduces you to Poynteronline, an informative Web site that's aimed at journalists but is worth reading by anyone interested in effective communication. Take a look at Roy's post today on the art of revision.-- Another must-see blog for me is Dan Santow's "Word Wise." Dan offers specifics on grammar, usage, punctuation and other vital topics, and he conveys them in a highly readable way.That'll have to do until I can get that blog roll figured out.
I frequently have clients who, in asking me to exmaine something they've written say, "All it needs is proofread." I try not to cringe and then gently explain that what they're requesting may not be what they really want, or shouldn't be. Here's why.
To most professional writers and editors "proofreading" refers to a process of scanning a document for errors in spelling, grammar, usage and punctuation. That's it. Proofreading amounts to little more than what Microsoft Word's spell-grammar check function accomplishes, and we all know how effective that is.
Proofreading fails to encompass a vital, more time-consuming examination that every piece of written communication should undergo – editing. When professionals edit text, they not only proofread it, but they also examine it for problems of structure, logic, style, tone and other fundamental elements. Getting these things right is what marks the difference between an effective communication and one that baffles readers. In fact, you could have a piece that's free of errors in spelling, usage and grammar and still be utterly unreadable because of the other flaws I just mentioned.
If I had to have an error in my copy, I'd rather it be a typo or punctuation goof than an error in logic or structure. And what I'm saying doesn't just go apply to someone who's barely capable of stringing two words together. Even pros need edited, not just proofread. I believe so firmly in that advice, that if a client insists that he or she wants me to comb text only for mistakes in grammar, usage and punctuation, I refuse the assignment.
I was reading an article by Biz Stone on the Blogger Web site's help page recently when Biz (is that short for something?) referred to someone as a "grammar bitch." Ouch! That's a snarky way of referring to a person who suggests that if we're going to write in English we should observe its rules of grammar, usage and punctuation.
Actually, to give Biz some credit, he used the b-word in a paragraph in which he tossed a bone to the advocates of clear writing, advising that if you don't know a pronoun from a proverb, you should "fix yourself up a bit...have some respect for your readers."
Though I haven't been called a grammar bitch or bastard yet (not to my face, anyway), I have noticed that whenever I advocate the need to write well and observe the rules of grammar, I often get an icy response along the lines of "no one cares about that anymore."
I won't do as Biz does and resort to name calling. In fact, in the interest of playing fair intellectually, I'll conditionally concede that point by responding, "Sometimes no one cares." And even in those cases, the non-caring is limited to simple errors in capitalization, spelling, or some other flesh wound of a grammar flaw. But if you butcher sentence structure, disregard subject-verb agreement, or dangle your modifiers, people do care. They care enough to dismiss you as a buffoon and will go elsewhere for information. Now, that is a bitch.
I mentioned emoticons in a recent post, and on Sunday, 7.29., the New York Times ran an informative piece on the evolution of these helpful little critters. I'd like to say that the Times piece was inpsired by my post, but of course that would be a stretch.
The piece includes a cogent quote by Will Schwalbe, an author of "Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home": "In a perfect world, we would have time to compose e-mails that made it clear through our language that we are being cheerful and friendly, but we're doing these things hundreds of times a day under pressure."
Schwalbe goes on to note that he sees a broadening use of emoticons among adults in "delicate and significant communcations." With that in mind, I'll repeat the contention I made in my recent posting (which dealt with avoiding having your communications misinterpreted). Emoticons are all right, but use them, if you must, only to back up or underscore the feeling and tone that you should try to establish by striving to write clearly and concisely, and then carefully reviewing what you've written.
It's not as hard as you might think. ;-)
Most folks would agree that we are what we eat. Considering that I consume way too many cheeseburgers and pizzas, I don't want to dwell on what that makes me. But let's modify the dietary adage and apply it to writing: "We write what we speak."
Huh? you say. OK. Maybe I'm overworking the maxim. What I'm trying to convey is that just as we're careful about grammar, punctuation and usage when we write, or should be, we must be careful about the same issues when we speak because writing and speaking are related. If we employ sloppy grammar and usage when we talk, then it's likely that the same flaws will creep into our writing.
What I've found is that people start out learning grammar, usage, punctuation, vocabulary and so on to become better writers. But as they become skilled as writers, they also become more circumspect about the words coming out of their mouth. And as Martha Stewart would say, "That's a good thing."
As we become better writers, we speak more precisely and correctly, which feeds back into our writing and, before long, you have this beautiful ying and yang thing going.
So, the next time you're holding forth about something, siphon off some of your gray matter to simultaneously mind your grammar and usage, your choice of words and the way you're structuring your sentences. Is there a chance that you might come off as too starchy? Yes, but that's part of the learning experience. Edit yourself the same way you edit your writing, and in time you'll find your true voice as a speaker, just as you'll discover it as a writer.
We've all blurted out things we would like to take back, or have had what we said taken wrong. The same errors often occur in writing, perhaps even more frequently because written words have to stand on their own; they can't be propped up by body language, facial expression and tone of voice.
Absent these helpful indicators, what we write often goes awry. Anyone who's written what they intended as an inoffensive e-mail or memo only to be surprised by a frosty response that makes it clear that the recipient took it wrong, knows what I mean.
"Say what you mean," is the slogan for my public relations and marketing communications business. And if you want to make sure you're doing that when you author an e-mail, letter, memo, report or other written communication, follow some of these tips:
• Don't write when you're angry. Usually you'll regret it after you've cooled off. If you feel compelled to vent your ire in writing, go ahead. But wait at least 24 hours before shipping it out. Most of the time, you'll never send the poisonous missive you previously penned.
• Exercise one of a writer's most important tools: being able to read what you've written through the eyes of the reader. As the writer, you know that you're trying to be witty or humorous, but your reader can't look inside your head. He or she has only your words on the page or computer screen. Scrutinize your work with that in mind. Clarity and precision of language are key. Are you really saying what you mean?
• Let your writing age. Above, I recommended a 24-hour cooling off period when you write angry. I suggest the same period with any important communication -- be it a vital report or a love letter. That first draft that practically writes itself may initially seem to be a model of wit and sagacity, but revisiting it even a few hours later may unmask it as flawed and trite. I know, you often can't afford to postpone sending something. If so, follow this rule: stick to the unadorned facts and give your communication at least one swift read-through before pressing the send button.
• When e-mailing, don't rely on smiley faces and emoticons (keyboard characters that can be combined to form expressive symbols, :), for example) to convey that you're just kidding. I'm not advising against using these tools, but be mindful that not all of your recipients are aware of their meaning. Count on your words to convey your message.
• Know that humor is a tough effect to handle successfully, as anyone who has ever attempted stand-up can confirm. If you try to be comical in print, you'd better know what you're doing; otherwise, leave the jokes to the pros.
• Be mindful of "tone." I'm not talking about the noise you hear over the phone after the other party hangs up. In writing, tone refers to the choice of words, sentences and expressions that give readers insight into our mood and manner as we're speaking to them through writing. Our tone can be serious, frivolous, casual, angry, etc. In business writing, it's usually the former. Just make sure, as you review what you've typed, that your writing reflects that.
This list could be longer, but you get the point. Words are like dynamite. They must be handled carefully or they can blow up in your face. Here are some other helpful sources on this topic: Mind your manners and e-mail etiquette.
On the first day of each semester I tell my university writing class that one of the most important tools a writer can possess is a hide about as thick as a rhinoceros's. Why? Because whether you're a novelist, copywriter, journalist, or report writer, if you take time to put words on paper, a little bit of your self bleeds out along with the ink, which is why we tend to take criticisms of our writing personally, as though our religious convictions or politics were being attacked.
The more work you put into your writing, the more seriously you take it. Hence the need for a bulky suit of armor to better enable you to survive the arrows and spear thrusts of constructive criticism. Try not to take it personally when someone suggests that you could have worded a sentence differently or that he or she really doesn't understand what you're getting at in the second paragraph.
Criticism, or editing, is a necessary element of the writing process. We know what we're trying to say, but what we write doesn't always accomplish that aim. A writer should scrutinize what she's written over and over again. But even the most careful scribbler will miss flaws in her copy. That's why it's critical that someone else look at your work. The importance of that second and third pair of eyes examining your darling can't be overstated. That's why you must detach yourself from what you've written and listen closely to the advice of others. Does that mean that the readers who you invite to examine your work are always correct in their criticisms and suggestions? No. They can often be decidedly wrong. But you must objectively weigh what they say and choose whether to change your work. The more detachment you've developed, the more objectively you'll be able to consider suggestions, which often are helpful – more times than we would like to admit.
Of course, suggestions aren't always what you're dealing with. Depending on your situation, you may have no choice but to accept them. That news release you toiled over for a week could be hacked and retooled to the the point where it's unrecognizable. You can rail against the injustice of it, or if you've a hide thick enough to stop a bullet, you can view things philosophically and console yourself that you did the best you could.
Being able to detach yourself from your work is easy to say, but, depending on your personality, it may be hard to do. I wish I could offer some advice to thin-skinned folks about adding tough layers to their epidermis. But in nearly a quarter of a century of professional writing, I'm still working on mine, though I'm happy to report progress. It's now about as bulky as tissue paper.
