3 Quick Tips That Add Power to Your Writing
By Barbara McNicholYou have a message to share and a story to tell. You want to accomplish that mission as effectively as possible. Learn to apply these 3 quick tips and see how you can add power to your pen.
1. Vitalize Your Verbs (and other words)
You can enhance the meaning and attraction of a sentence by making sure its verb is “alive” (not to mention the other parts of the sentence).
Lifeless—“The boy ate the juicy watermelon and liked the way it tasted.”
Alive—“The boy chomped into the watermelon’s belly, relishing each juicy bite.”
Lifeless—“Jane walked down the sidewalk, looking at the trees.”
Alive—“Jane strolled down the sidewalk, gazing up at the emerald elm canopy.”
2. Nix Mixed Modifiers (aka Dangling Participles)
Consider what your phrases modify, or you may end up with a “silly” sentence.
Silly sentence: “When thinking about a good place to eat, many choices are available.” Are the “many choices” doing the thinking? Of course not.
Sound sentence: “When thinking about a good place to eat, the meeting planner had many choices.” It’s now clear who’s doing the thinking—the meeting planner.
Silly sentence: “Peeking through the sidelight, his truck could be seen in my driveway.” Who did the peeking? The truck?
Sound sentence: “As I peeked through the sidelight, I could see his truck in my driveway.” Aha.
3. Use the Right Word
It’s amazing how many words trip up writers. Do you know when to use “amiable” as opposed to “amicable”? “Among” instead of “between”? “Arrant” not “errant”? Do you know to use “hanged” when referring to people and “hung” for everything else? (Let’s hope you don’t have to use “hanged” unless you’re writing a Western!)
Do you sometimes slip up and write “further” when you mean “farther” or “accept” instead of “except?” Selecting the correct word from similar-but-different options saves confusion for the reader and embarrassment for you as the writer. Grab your dictionary or a specialized reference guide when you’re not sure if “imply” or “infer” or some other tricky choice is correct within the context of your paragraph. Your readers will be happier and you’ll rest assured.
Apply these three tips consistently. You’ll immediately see how much more powerfully you can write—guaranteed.
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Barbara McNichol helps nonfiction authors perfect their writing through expert editing and her searchable quick-reference guide, Word Trippers: The Ultimate Source for Choosing the Perfect Word When It Really Matters, available at www.BarbaraMcNichol.com. Contact Barbara at 520-615-7910 or by email at editor@BarbaraMcNichol.com.
Source: April, 2009 Put Old on Hold Newsletter
Barbara Morris — Image F/X Publications
Barbara@PutOldOnHold.com
760-480-2710
© 2009 – Image F/X Publications, All rights reserved
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