Talk to Me, Not to Yourself

There has been a recent trend of articles on our beloved Mibba that appear to be written in absolute gibberish. Here's how to improve your writing so you don't get added to the list of people writing in Gobledegook.

An excellent book to improve writing is John R. Trimble's Writing With Style: Conversations On The Art Of Writing. Professor Trimble retired from his position as a University of Texas English professor after 2000. He wrote the original Writing With Style in 1975, and he thought it was time for a revisit. Writing With Style volume II is an educational, extraordinarily helpful book for improving writing.

Here's how to communicate effectively with readers as according to Professor Trimble:

1. Phrase your thoughts clearly so you're easy to follow.
2. Speak to the point so you don't waste readers' time.
3. Anticipate their reactions (boredom, confusion, fatigue, irritation)
4. Offer them a variety and wit to lighten their work.
5. Talk to them in a warm, open manner instead of pontificating to them like a know-it-all.

The whole point of writing articles is to inform people of events or perspectives. So why would you write in a way that people can't get past the first couple of sentances? If you want to keep your readers hooked, you need to consider their reactions.

However, before you can even think about readers' reactions, you have to realize "Hey, I'm actually writing to someone other than myself!" Amateur writers are like small children. They don't realize there is anyone or anything other than them. As they grow, they start to realize the world does not, in fact, revolve around them. To progress beyond amateur writing, you must realize you are not writing to yourself. You can't write with some strange punctuation code only you understand.

You cannot assume that when you say something, your readers will automatically know exactly what you mean. Some things require further discussion or explanation from the author.

Here are some things to consider when writing, again from Professor Trimble:

- Am I droning? Is there any way I can lighten this up?
- How can I make them feel the urgency of my point?
- Is this phrase silky smooth or rough as sandpaper?
- Is this abstract idea clean enough on its own or do I need more explanation?
- Am I treating them as idiots?
- Is there any way this sentance might confuse readers?
- Have I just used any words from previous sentances? Might a synonym be in order?
- Will this appear pretentious?
- Will they get the nuance or should I spell it out?
- Am I being too verbose?
- Am I conversational or awkward?

And remember, don't just type something up and hit the lovely blue Submit button. Re-read considering the above mentioned points and re-write your article. Do it at least twice. If, after at least two revisions, you think your article is clear, concise, and effective, you may then hit the pretty blue button.