Keys to Good Writing

I have been meaning to post this for some time. First, a short biography of my writing experience.

When I was in fourth grade we started homeschooling and the evaluator said that my parents should put me in this fancy English composition course called Wordsmith (a lovely combination of words though at the time I had barely read Lord of the Rings and so did not appreciate the etymology of the title). My workbook was a simple blue, soft-bound with black letters and a picture of a quill pen on the front. Inside, however, was torment. All through the lessons the author kept telling me what to write and how to write it. In feeble protest, I complained to my new teacher, my mom, that I couldn't possibly need to know all these things, as I never intended to be a writer.

About ten years later I decided to write a book, which is not finished yet, so don't get your hopes up. So sometimes moms do know what they're talking about. However, there are some things that neither Wordsmith nor any subsequent writing course taught me, but which I picked up from friends and observation. I believe the main points can boil down to these:

1. Avoid using pronouns like "it" and "that." This will inevitably lead to passive sentences, to which spell check objects, but don't worry: when done right, passive sentences add variety to your writing. Following this rule will also necessitate extensive use of articles (most commonly "the", "a", and "an"). Always try to substitute other descriptive words or vivid nouns for the pronouns. Don't just use the "it" to stand in the sentence. The word you use to communicate that same function in your sentence should build the reader's understanding of your topic. Show, don't tell.

2. Learn to recognize objective and subjective cases. Subjective words are actually the protaganists of the sentence. Objective nouns are words which receive action: direct objects, objects of prepositions, etc. I envision objective nouns as the anchors and subjective nouns as the helms of the ships.

3. Do not end sentences (or clauses!) with prepositions. While this practice has gone out of fashion, failure to properly phrase sentences by this rule has cost us clarity and opportunity to use cool old words like "whither." Some of you may be wondering how to fix a sentence which slips from your pen ending with a preposition. First step: see if the sentence makes sense without the word on the end. Prepositions are occasionally tacked onto phrases unnecessarily to volumize the sound. Second step: check the usage of the word. Many prepositions double as adverbs: especially up, down, on, and off. Third step: try putting the preposition first and adding a helper word such as "which." Fourth step: comment here and I'll help you out. = )

4. Use words of similar etymologies (language history) and sounds for impact. I can't even begin to explain this one. Read Lord of the Rings. Read J.R.R. Tolkien's alliterative verses (found in Lays of Belieriand). Study the dictionary. I know, it sounds boring... Get Tom Shippey's biography of J.R.R. Tolkien to get an idea for how he used words.

5. In a given paragraph or composition, limit the number of times you start a sentence (or paragraph) with the same word. Vary your sentence structure. Use commas. You can use "ing" words for a change, or stop using "ing" words if they were already in the sentence prior. Mix it up.

6. Beware of homophones or homonyms. The most common are: to & too, your & you're. When I'm writing quickly, homonyms happen - or I spell phonetically.

See also this recent post on YLCF from Elisabeth Elliot's suggestions for writing. And this new one just posted today!

Remember when I posted about little alterations changing the world? I am on a mission to implement Suggestion #3 in order to return our language to clarity and revive the use of archaic words. You can join me if you want.

To God be all glory.