Writing is so tough for some people. But, I’m going to rant for a minute. It cracks me up what I have to deal with sometimes.

Just Get Started Already

A guy is pacing his floor, throwing his football up and down, looking out the window, banging his head against the wall…

“The night was dark and salty…”

Salty, I don’t think that word works all that well. Not salty. The air can be salty I guess, but the night wasn’t salty.

“The night was dark and lonely…”

Well, I guess the character could have been lonely. But, night doesn’t get lonely.

Our guy paces the floor a bit more with his football. He puts it down and pours himself a short glass of his flavor. He takes a drink and paces the floor a bit more as he grapples over what word is going to follow, “The night was dark and…”

Just Get Started Already

It is in my personal experience that I’ll have no idea how to write the beginning until I get to the end. Oh, I know what direction I want to take with what I’m trying to write. I know that I have to start somewhere. But, I have never started from the beginning.

Try to follow what I’m trying to say. I figure out where I would like to start the story. So, I just get started writing the story. I figure out every nook and cranny of the story until I get to the end. That’s when I understand everything about my story. So, I return and I start all over.

Now, I know how to build the intrigue. I know how to start the first sentence and what words to use because now I know the real story. If you have ever endured reading three hundred pages of a Stephen King novel only to discover that the book was just beginning, then you know what I’m talking about.

He is the master of telling an entire story before the actual story begins. Well, I’m not saying write a three hundred page introduction every time. But if you know the basic elements of a story, then you know that introductory information exists.

You need setting and character development. You have to have some rising action to get you to the climax where you have falling action and a final conclusion. That’s all called the plot of a story.

Well, the setting and the rising action might all be understood before you get started writing. But, where is that first sentence going to come from when you are ready to write? Don’t worry about it…

Just Get Started Already

When I teach others to write, I always get an episode like the one depicted above. Whether they are writing an essay or a story, they just can’t seem to get past that first sentence. Let your writing tell you the story, then come back and write the beginning all over again.

If you have any questions or concerns about this entry, feel free to drop a comment. I’ll try to explain it another way if I have to do so.

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The writing process is technically made up of five different steps. Prewriting, writing, revising, editing and publishing is one version of those five different steps.

Prewriting, Writing, Proofreading, Editing and Submitting

That’s another variation. Of course, if you look through books and websites you’ll find quite a few other variations. But the bottom line is there is some confusion, the difference between Proofreading and Editing.

Why are there two different steps in the writing process that mean the same thing?

Well, they don’t really. A Supaproofreader will cover both steps. All you have to do is submit what you have written and we’ll take it the rest of the way to the Publish or Submit part.

But, proofreading and editing are different. They are actually two different sides of the same coin, but they have two different purposes. Let’s take a closer look.

Proofreading

Proofreading is actually the tougher of the two in my book. When you look your paper over after writing it, you should look for better ways of writing. You have awkward sentences that need some touching. You have words that don’t quite fit and you could make decisions about replacing them with more effective words.

You’re not just looking for errors in awkward sentences and weak words. You should look for places where you could be clearer. You should try to find places where you could make a stronger argument. Add sentences where explanations need to be. Proofreading is about tightening up your work and making your writing that much better.

Editing

Editing is where you look your work over for the actual grammar and spelling errors. That’s when you look through your document for all the “Red” squiggly lines – I can’t imagine anyone doing it with a typewriter anymore, but I do believe some old schoolers still exist. Just don’t consider every red squiggly line an error. “Supaproofreader” from a few paragraphs up and “schooler” in the last sentence technically are errors. But, I’m not changing them. I meant them just the way they are.

Don’t forget to look at grammar errors too. Subject and Verb agreement, Punctuation, Capitalization…those are the errors you catch when you are editing.

Yes, proofreading and editing can overlap. Let me put it this way, if I find a spelling error while I’m proofreading I’m not going to let it go. But, that’s the difference and now you know. Like the Justice League used to say all the time… “Knowing is half the battle.”

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Plenty of ideas floating around in the air, how in the world are we expected to reach up and grab any?  It’s not really that difficult.  But, you have to be focused.  You have to be in tune.  But, be in tune with what?

There is a conscience that seems to subtly drift from thought to thought until finally we are faced with an issue.  Tap into what people are discussing.  When they mention their concerns, offer your opinion or expertise.  Write a blog, article, a screenplay or even a book to put your thoughts into the mix.  It’s fun and it’s community.

I often get my thoughts from some of the most adverse places.  I could watch an episode of The People’s Court and get an idea about a screenplay.  Possibly, the idea fits other ideas I’ve had and I’m ready to put them together.  For me, at times it’s that easy.

In fact, I’ll give you an example.  Looking back at The People’s Court, that guy that stands outside the courtroom — I’m only kidding — Curt Chaplin always seems to want to stir things up even when the plaintiff and the defendant are fine with the outcome.  His remarks seem to intend to incite people to voice their opinion when they were trying to be nice about everything. 

“So, what do you think about your mother taking you to court over rent?”

“Ah, it’s my mother.  I love her.  I’m happy with the outcome.”

“But, she’s your mother and she wanted you to pay her rent.  What do you think about that?”

“It’s ok.  It’s not a problem.  Not for me anyway.”

“So, what do you think about your son refusing to pay rent?”

“He’s my son and I love him.  I always will.”

“But, he was mooching off of you.  He’s twenty eight.  He should be out on his own, don’t you think?”

“Any time my son needs me, I’ll help him.  That’s the way I am.”

So while I’m thinking about Curt Chaplin in the hallway trying to get people to put on the boxing gloves, I watch an episode of Monk where Monk beats up Santa Claus and the media has a heyday with it.  It turns out that this particular Santa Claus is trying to rob a museum of a thirty million dollar jewel they have in custody.  So, the Monk is right while the media is making him out to look like the bad guy.  They just want their story.

So, the theme that is running through my mind from both of these shows is that sometimes….SOMETIMES…journalists are more interested in creating a story than just telling the one that actually exists.  It’s a story that has been told before.  But now, I have my own angle on it.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do with that yet.  But, that’s what I’m talking about.

Stay focused and let your brain grasp the thoughts.  You’ll never run out of things to write.  And keep in mind that writing is supposed to be fun.  So, have it!

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See how I did that? Drew you right into my conversation didn’t I? That’s one way you begin a conversation with your intended audience.

No, I’m not giving away confidential secrets of the government. I’m not about ready to divulge the ancient secrets of a sacred society that lives among us as quiet and beneficial members. I don’t want to let you know the meaning of life just yet. It is merely a suggestion for the way you communicate a message to your intended audience. But nonetheless, I drew you into my conversation when I wrapped up Part I of Beginning a Conversation with Your Intended Audience published December 5, 2007.

When you read that blog entry published earlier, you instantly thought, “Shucks, I have to wait to get the beat.” You may not have said it quite that way, but I’m paraphrasing your thoughts for you. Yes, you resumed with the rest of your day. You haven’t been sitting still waiting patiently for Part II. It didn’t ruin your day or anything like that at all. But, it did make you curious.

You returned today to get the secret. And even though I told you that I have no secret to tell you, it still subconsciously nagged at you because it aroused your curiosity. If there’s no secret, then you want to know what is it that you haven’t learned yet or may have forgotten a long time ago. And if you haven’t been paying attention, you missed it once again.

When you stir up someone’s curiosity, you draw them into your conversation. You know something your readers don’t. Even if they do know what you are about to tell them, you know the answer to the question and the answer is nagging at them. That implies that you raised a question.

Raising a question is definitely a great way to begin a conversation. But, and this brings you back to a very important point I made in Part I, you have to know your intended audience. You have to be able to strike a chord with them. You have to raise a concern that would get them interested in what you have to say.

If your intended audience is an artist, then raise a question that would really get the attention of artists. But, keep it real! An artist will not join the conversation if you raise a question about something base and unchallenging. Some questions just don’t stir enough interest. But if you can tap into the heartbeat of the artist community, you can turn a question into a group activity.

In order to really raise a good question, stir up some controversy. The artistic world is full of controversy, so that’s a bit easy. But if you want to communicate a message in a rather non-controversial field, you have to create the controversy for yourself. So, are you making things up for yourself? Not really.

What you are doing is looking at the issues, finding an angle and giving your readers something to really chew on so that they get your message entirely. In fact, this is so easy that I don’t think there is a field in which someone wants to write that they can’t find some controversial topic.

Let’s give this theory a try! Let me give you some examples to start. In the field of carpentry, is there a best hammer? Could that issue raise some controversy? In the field of bubble gum, is there any that won’t rot your teeth? Could that issue raise some controversy?

Task: Find the most boring or non-controversial topic and explore any angle that can raise controversy. In other words, you are trying to find a field that has no controversy whatsoever. I’m sure someone if not I will come up with a controversial topic in any field.

Method: Blog comments.

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Try to begin a conversation with your intended audience. This isn’t a trick. It’s a way of thinking. When you write, you are intending to communicate a message to someone. But, some writers either forget that basic premise or they just never knew it in the first place.

A beginning writer or one who will never be any good forgets about the audience. Sometimes, they don’t even have an intended message. When writing’s sole purpose is to communicate a message to a certain audience, it astounds me that those two things can slip from a writer’s mind while… “writing.” But, it happens.

A great writer or one who intends to get better at it will actually consider audience and message first. Yes, the message is obviously most important. But, considering the audience offers the guidelines you will need in order to write effectively. The intended audience can be teenagers, women, minorities, the middle class, the rich or any other category you can imagine.

If you read any magazine, you will easily figure out who the intended audience is supposed to be. Without trying to offend anyone, here are a few examples. People is basically for homebodies who like gossip, Time is for the socially aware in about the mid-age range, YM is obviously for young girls (it is right in the name) and Cosmopolitan is for women. Notice how I mentioned who the intended audience is “supposed” to be? Anyone can read Cosmo, but it’s going to be written for the female population.

When you write, think of yourself as someone who is pulling an audience to you and attempting to tell them something very important. Yes, there are writers who write only for the purpose of hearing themselves talk basically. But, think of yourself as an authority on something. You are an authority on the message you intend to communicate.

No, that doesn’t make you the smartest person in the world. Being the “authority” doesn’t have to be some burdensome, all-empowering position. You have a message and that in itself is enough to give you some authority. You have some insight on a topic. You know how to do something. Your message could be as simple as how to bake a pie, but you are the expert at the moment and your purpose is to inform your readers your best practices in baking a pie.

What brings your writing to life is if you can engage your audience and this is where you begin a conversation with your readers. This isn’t a trick, I said it before. But, it is important. It’s a set of techniques. It’s not a secret or it’s not intended to be a secret, but the fact is that many writers don’t know how to engage an audience and draw them into your conversation.

Now that I have your attention…now that I have you expecting to learn a secret…this is to be continued…

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