E is for Editing

I'm an avid reader. I read as much as possible. Sometimes to the extent that I've had less of a life because of it at times (a testament to the writer, who has written a gripping book!). 

There are countless times when I've turned the pages breathlessly, however, only for the ending to cheat me (and no doubt, thousands of others). Sometimes deus ex machina (a highly improbably event that conveniently wraps everything up) has been the culprit. Others the cavalry coming over the hill have been responsible. Then there are the factual books in which the conclusions haven't fitted the facts. 

It's all very frustrating. Those are hours of your life you'll never get back. 

But why does it bother us so much? What's behind it? Poor editing, that's what.  

How to edit

To be a good writer you have to be a good editor. Those aren't just my words: they're the words of the world's most famous copywriter, David Ogilvy, a man who did some serious selling back in the day.

Of course, being a good editor is easier said than done. Where do you start? 

Be objective
Editing is about honesty. Be objective. Is what you've written really any good, or are you just trying to make the word count? If it seems like a load of rubbish, it may well seem like it to others too, so take it out. 

If you can't decide, ask yourself: 'Would I be embarrassed to show this to a client or publisher?' If the answer's yes, you know what you need to do.

One other trick is to observe whether you're feeling smug and showing your work to everyone in the office, trying to give others a laugh. The part you love the most is normally the part that has to go. 

Ask if it makes sense
Take a look at your draft. Do the pieces fit together? Do the events happen in a logical order, or does something within the text feel out of place? Is everything you've written plausible? If there's something in there that's tenuous or doesn't fit, take it out. It's weakening the text. 

This is especially so with the conclusion. Check you're not drifting into deus ex machina territory. Remember the Stephen King novel Misery and how psychotic bibliophile Annie Wilkes went beserk about the ending of a novel? Endings should be fair to the reader.

Delete the first paragraph
Just like you don't start exercising without warming up first, you don't in writing. The first paragraph get our thoughts flowing and our fingers bashing away at the keyboard. Read it at the end of the piece and you'll find it rambles on aimlessly, struggling to find its path. You may even find that it has nothing to do with the rest of what you've written. Chop it out. You'll see how your writing suddenly becomes tighter. 

Cut out the fluff
Are you getting to the point, or are you saying more than what needs to be said? Is what you've written adding value to the text, or is it simply surplus? If it does nothing for the text, get rid of it. 

Cutting out fluff is important, especially in the day and age of emails, in which everyone feels more hurried than they used to. They don't feel as if they have the time to wade through a forest of words. If you're writing a novel, your words should be valuable. They should help carry events forward. Even if they're just reading for pleasure, readers won't hang around forever to find out what happens (at least I don't). They've taken the time to start reading your novel. Reward them with some plot and character development, not pages of filler.

For me, the king of plot development is crime fiction writer James Ellroy. It's only once you get to the end of his novels, twist after twist after twist, that you realise he was already starting the conclusion halfway through the novel. Fantastic!

These are just a few tips on the mighty art of editing. Like any other, it's a skill and isn't something you just develop overnight. It takes time and plenty of writing. If you've got any editing tips you'd like to share with me, I'd love to hear them. Meanwhile, if not, then happy scribbling, and until we meet again in F is for... 

Write Life

Write life
Write a diary.
Write a covering letter. 
Write to your family.
Write a love letter; how you can taste flowers when you kiss them.
Write a forgive me letter; how you're so messed up you don't who you are without them.
Write a break-up letter; how it's not them, it's you.
Write about change. 
Write about today's generation; how it's lost but can be found.  
Write about your dreams; how one day you'll make it and then write about how you did it.
Write to your friends; thank them for being there. 
Write about the good times; how you'd give anything to return. 
Write about the bad times; bury the memories.
Write about the future.
Write to your workmates; they helped you to the top.
Write about retirement.
Write about your kids; the story of their first word.
Write about strangers.
Write about singledom; the pleasures and sorrows of freedom. 
Write about travel, of seeing the wonders of the world.
Write about music.
Write about books.
Write about writing.
Write life.

D is for Daily

You may recall when I first started this series just a few weeks ago, I gave a brief account of the different types of writing I'd done. From writing blog posts and copywriting professionally to bearing my soul in love letters... it was all in there. It was all writing in one form or another.

More than that, though, they were examples of how the everyday world can present us with opportunities to write. Further ones include office emails, text messages, personal emails, reports, comments on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, blog posts, selling stuff on eBay, reviewing purchases on Amazon and applying for jobs.

Practice makes perfect, so even if it's something trivial like an email you should try to write every day if you can. It all helps. It doesn't always have to be something that you'll publish, not by a long shot. Just write. The more you write, the better you'll get; the better you get, the easier you can connect with the reader, make them feel something special. Ah the power of words... *sigh*

Don't think of writing as a chore (especially not the love letters!). Do it out of love. Brighten up your prose, not bash out boilerplate. Polish your punctuation instead of making your reader join the dots - or rather, the commas and full stops. Get a grip on your grammar and spoil the pedants' fun! 

If I were a nutritionist, I'd tell you to eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day (not including Wine Gums and mince pies) to stay healthy. Fortunately for you, I'm a blogger, so I'm suggesting that you write something at least once per day instead.  

This will keep your writing in good health. Not only that, it will keep your mind so too, which, in the binge drinking age, is definitely something to write home about!

C is for Concise

First a quick story...

If I cast my mind back to the days of my English Language A-level classes (seems so long ago), there's one exercise which has always stood out. 

In it we read a long, rambling letter about NHS funding. We then had to summarise each paragraph in as few words as possible.

There was one particular paragraph, packed full of long words and linguistic clutter, and it lasted some five or six lines. I can still remember the teacher, with a deadpan expression, chopping it down to just two words: 'Needs money'. Masterful!

The moral of the story: be concise
Fluff is something that you either pick out of your belly button or hoover up off of the carpet. There's no room for it in writing.  

Be concise. Don't use three words where one will do, especially if you're writing advertising copy. For instance, why say 'make a decision' when you can simply write 'decide'? 

Strip away adjectives if they don't add anything to the text. Don't write 'hit somebody hard'. The beauty of the English language is we have a whole load of colourful expressions for acts of violence. So why 'hit someone hard' when, instead, you can slug 'em, crack 'em one, thump 'em or lamp 'em! Bit colloquial, I know, but you get the picture. 

The more concise you are, the easier you'll get your message across. Bury it in a mound of adjectives and set verb + noun phrases, and mix it up with some lousy punctuation, and your message will be lost. Not only that, so will your reader. Ouch!  

B is for Blogging

Are bloggers journalists? 

It's the great debate. Bloggers, journalists and a host of other professionals will still be arguing this one on their death bed. My personal opinion - who cares?

For me, the truly magical thing about blogging is that you have your own little corner of the web. It's a place where you can write for fun and discuss your own interests (with people who share the same ones), get something of your mind, even give yourself a bit of DIY work experience, or make a little money for yourself.  

Whether for business or pleasure, you should write a blog. It's the ideal way to hone your writing skills and also to find out if you have what it takes. You learn to express yourself. You develop your own style. You learn how to write for a particular type of audience. Whatever lights their fire, you'll learn how to deliver it.

Just one question: how do you write a blog?
That's a darned good question! I mentioned in the A section that you should know your audience. If you know them, write for them. Discuss the things that interest them. 

The simplest way to do this is by choosing a theme for your blog. This could be a hobby of yours, such as martial arts or photography. You could also write a blog about your profession, such as marketing, computing or teaching.

A blog can be about anything, really, but remember that writing consistently about a subject that readers are interested in is the easiest way to build up a following. You'll also become known as an expert on the area. And we all like to hear from someone who knows what they're talking about.

How long should the posts be?

There's no hard, fast rule about how long your blog posts should be, but the general convention is 200 to 400 words. They can can be longer if you wish, but avoid writing posts of 1 000 words or more (unless you want to lose readers). If a particular topic requires lengthy posts, you can split it up into a series. (Brownie points for me for following my own advice!)

Make your posts easier to read by splitting them up with subheadings. When reading texts on the Net, people tend to skim-read them first to see if the content is useful to them. If it is, they'll read the whole thing. The subheadings will steer the reader gently through the text, and the easier your post is to read the more chance you have of people reading them.  

Feel free to break up texts with pictures, too. They add colour to the post. Besides, visually, long blocks of text just ain't schmexy!  

On a final note... Do your put your own picture in?

You'll notice that I have put my picture on this blog. The face behind the words. However, the late Italian writer Italo Calvino believed that if writers kept from making public appearances, their work took on more authority. He had a point, but really, what harm can it do? Just enjoy yourself.

The first in a new series...

I've been writing for a long time now. It's something I've always done, in one way or another. 

First it was a spoof diary back in the school days. 

Then in the college years, and even before then, I was scribbling letters by good ole snail mail to penpals. 

'A' levels out of the way, I was free to contribute to the student newspaper in my uni days. Email was also starting to become a friend of mine. There were the love letters, too.... Loves that are lost now. Only the memory remains. 

Now we're in the digital era, my writing has turned to copywriting and blogging. Both are fun. 

So yes, I feel I've a fair bit of experience in the writing department, either from writing professionally, writing as an amateur or writing from what life has given me. People have said I do it well. Some have asked me how I do it. All I can say is I have passion for it. I've indulged it by reading, reading about writing, and by writing, and I've decided to share a few things I've picked up along the way.

I'd like to kick off the first in my own little A to Z of writing tips. The series will do what it says on the tin. Like all good A to Zs, why not start with the letter A?

A is for Audience

It's a golden rule, especially in advertising, that you should think about who (or, if we're going to split grammatical hairs, for whom) you're writing for. Know your audience. What do they like? What makes your blog, column or stories so special that they're reading your work instead of someone else?

Knowing your audience will keep you and your writing focused on the task, or better said, the text in hand. It'll help you provide useful, engaging content that speaks to them, instead of generic, mind-numbing drivel that talks at them.

Our parents always warn us when we're young not to talk to strangers. That applies to writing too. Find out who your audience are, learn about their likes and dislikes and, even though you might not have met them, they won't be strangers to you any more. More importantly, when they read your writing nor will you feel like them one to them. 

Be careful what you wish for

Some people take to everything they do like a duck to water. Not me. I have to work at it (I get there in the end).

Some people sail through their exams without reading a word. Not me. I have to study, and study hard I do (again I make it).

Some people get all the girls. They only have to look at them and they fall at their feet. Not me. I've lost count of the times I've been a third wheel, a gooseberry, a (drunken) wallflower. 

And some people just have it all: gorgeous wife, good job, kids, a mortgage; everything society has taught us to want out of life. 

But you know what? It doesn't bother me. I enjoy my job and have money in my pocket. I don't mind the single life. I get on well with my colleagues. I have friends and family (all are well). I have hobbies.  

I have simple pleasures. Despite not having certain things or capabilities, I don't want what someone else has or wish I was like them. I celebrate their happiness in my head, and feel happy with my lot.   

The great Oscar Wilde said there are two tragedies in life: one is not getting everything you want, the other is getting it.

He was right. If you can be content, you can be happier. 

That puts me in a good place, then.

'It's not you, it's me'

There was a time when I was impatient to log in to Facebook and see what was going on, see people's pictures of the night before the morning after, of the birthdays I couldn't be there for, of the newborn babies I couldn't hold and other such happy moments. 

But now I've fallen out of love with Facebook. After several updates in which Facebook has changed my privacy settings to 'Public' without my say-so, I've started phasing the once-good book out of my life. 

And not content to lock horns with just Google, Facebook plans to take on Twitter with some hashtag functions of its own. The chances are once Facebook gets its own function up and running, my news and views will yet again be open to all and sundry. 

But having a Facebook account is like having a passport. Everyone has one. So I'll be keeping my account for the sake of keeping in touch with my friends and family. 

Driven into the arms of another
Many entries ago, I declared my love for Facebook. Twitter was the one playing gooseberry. My how they've traded places since then.

Twitter is more open. When I tweet I already know the whole world can see it, and that they can see it because it's my decision - not Facebook's - to let them. There aren't any secrets between Twitter and I, and anything that happens between us stays between us.

So Twitter has stolen my heart, though I suppose one day I'll come crawling back to Facebook. 

The thing is, love is hard to find but easy to lose. Things just won't be the same again between the two of us. 

It's hard to love someone you don't trust anymore.  

Choosing Life II

And so our hero continues to choose life. 

Yep, with my cold out of the way, I've taken my first steps towards being more active. Was originally going to take up rollerblading, but before I could pick up the phone for classes something else caught my eye: judo! I wanted to do something that was fun, interesting and would improve my overall strength and fitness, and judo fitted the bill perfectly. 

I'm the first to confess I'm a wimp. But I'm a wimp with heart. Of course, when it comes to the martial arts and combat sports, heart will see you through. That's if the movies are anything to go by - which they aren't. Good technique and dedication, on the other hand, will take you far. 

So there I was last night at my first class, learning to grapple, to escape different holds and to block attacks. It was fun. It was intense. It was physical. I've got to tell you, being thrown around has never felt so liberating!

The next class is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the discipline, techniques and the fitness that lie ahead for me by learning judo. I'm looking forward to making new friends. I'm looking forward to, one day, even competing. 

Or simply, I'm looking forward to the journey.

Choosing Life

... And so another New Year begins, and our hero finds himself with yet another series of good intentions.

This year I decided to:

• Cut down on chocolate
• Do more exercise and be more active
• Join a club and make a few new friends (several are married off and with child now) 
• Learn to drive. 

So how's it going so far?

Give up chocolate? Never

Says it all really. I've gotta be honest with you, my friend, I love chocolate too much. You've heard the Queen song 'I'm in Love with my Car'? Well, for me, it's 'I'm in Love with my Chocolate Bar'!

If you're shaking your head, tutting in disgust or both, you try resisting the big bags of Maltesers at half price. Go on. I dare ya!

But it's not all bad news. I've cut down on caffeine, I'm drinking more water and eating more fruit. I've also given up the Greggs breakfast sausage rolls, exchanging them for bananas instead. Oh and my skin condition is clearing up slightly too. Hooray!

Me? Exercise?

I used to be really active. In my twenties, it was running and the gym. In my early thirties, it was the gym, spinning classes, which I particularly loved, and swimming. For the benefit of the tape, I promise I wasn't splashing round in the pool. Oh okay, just a little bit, then....!

These days not so, but I'm trying to change that. Was struck down with flu on New Year's Day, which just about wiped me about for the next few days. Still got a vicious cough that won't go away, no matter how much medicine and flu capsules I hammer it with.

So at the moment, I walk both to and from work instead of catching the bus, which is an hour each way on these short legs of mine. As soon as this cough goes on its way, I'll be enrolling in my rollerblading lessons. Been wanting to rollerblade for some time now, but I'm not steady enough to make a hasty exit from the kids at the skate park in Gorgie or be sure I won't end up under a bus! I'll also be swimming again (safer!).

Friends to the End
Poor health is no excuse for not making friends. Managed to indulge myself further in my horror film interest and joined the city's horror film society. Went out for a pint the other night, followed by a gallon of Diet Coke in front of the family film that is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2013 in 3D. Slightly weird and unrealistic ending, but still worth going to see. Not that I minded - I have new friends! Hooray again!

When Driven, Maybe I'll be Smitten!
Not made any progress on this front yet. Not sure what's stopping me either. Maybe once I get behind the wheel, I'll be smitten. It's just getting over that first hurdle: the telephone!

Oh well, in terms of keeping to my New Year's resolutions - revolutions, anyone? - 2013 has been a mixed bag so far. Of course, I'm getting older, so I'd better get cracking with them.

Thankfully, though, the year is still very young. Hopefully, I'll have some good news to ring in 2014 with.

Watch this (thinner) space!