Thinking Small - Writing Big

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." By saying this, Elmore Leonard, an American novelist, has merely shown the ultimate goal to us. If you leave out the parts that people skip, the rest should be interesting, amusing, catchy and have the impact we want our piece of writing to have on the reader. Deliberately or not, he 'forgot' to say how exactly we can manage to detect and delete those unnecessary bits. As writing is a great deal a matter of craft, William Zinsser's simple tips are the light for those stumbling in the dark of the writing tunnel.

Think small. Narrowing the topic is hard work, as many writers don't know what exactly they want to write about once they start writing, and tend to generalize in order to be on the safe side. No one is able to do many things qualitatively at the same time: watch TV , study, chat with friends. Actually, it is possible, but all these activities are likely to be done superficially, without enjoying and devotion they deserve. Therefore, choosing one segment of the initial topic is likely to translate into clear thoughts, clear standpoints, and - clear sentences. "A clear sentence is no accident" says Zinsser. It is a consequence of narrowing, simplifying and finally finding out what exactly you want to write about.

If we try to visualise the 'thinking small' process, what we get is short paragraphs, that is, the visual representation of our thoughts. It makes it easier for the readers to follow you. I know a great deal of people who immediately get put off by a long block of text. I belong to the same group, too. However, don't make them too short. This may have a counter effect. Instead of helping the reader to follow your thoughts, you may annoy him with the constant 'chopping' of what should be integrated into one paragraph, into one idea.

Words are the writer's tools and he/she should have a lot of respect for them. Knowing all the shades of meaning and the correct usage of words gives the writer the power to organise his text and express himself/ herself in a much more vivid and original way. In the majority of cases a colourless phrase can be replaced with a single, colourful word. Why say extremely angry, when there is livid, or furious? Words are precious. If you know what to do with them, a whole world of expressing yourself is literally at your feet.

Written with reference to: On Writing Well, William K. Zinsser , Part 1

Writing: The Personal Transaction

One of the aims of the writing process is successful transaction. What kind of transaction are we talking about actually? Above all, the personal transaction between the writer and the reader. Writing is merely another medium of communication. The way you speak and address other people should somehow reflect onto the piece of paper you have in front of you just before merging into the process. Of course, I am not referring to writing newspaper articles and research papers in which objectivity plays the main role ( however, even in these types of writing you should integrate yourself somehow), but to writing for pleasure mainly. One more thing is also important: do not do anything which simply is not you.

Secondly, don't be fooled by the myth that there are born writers and those who are not. Talent really is important, but not to the extent people tend to think. In order to make the transaction natural and find your own style, be prepared to rewrite endlessly, to fight against clichees and clutter, to reach the level of abundant clarity, without any uneccessary symbols and metaphors for the sake of methaphors.

Be yourself. Let your enthusiasm infect the text and the reader. Although words can never tottaly describe feelings, try to do this as best as you can. Therefore, the first step is being yourself. All other issues are to be resolved, sooner ol later.

Written with reference to: On Writing Well, William K. Zinsser , Chapter 1

Writing: How Difficult It Really Is?

Is writing hard? Is the way you write determined by pure talent or just endless rewriting?

How to create your own style and yet remain in the domain of a clear, simple clutter-free area?

Answers to these and many other questions can be found in an excellent book I'm currently reading: On Writing Well by William K. Zinsser. As one single post would be overloaded with data if I tried to summarize everything I have read so far, I am going to compose as many posts as there are chapters in the book and thus dedicate as much attention as it is needed to each and every topic. Writing really is hard work, but it can turn into magic once you start understanding what it is all about. So, may this be the introductory post - we have yet to see what this book has to offer once we start using tips and hints from it.

Online Dictionaries

When dealing with words, dictionaries are absolutely essential. Paperback editions seem to be dying slowly these days, whereas online dictionaries are confidently gaining ground. That's why I feel the need to discuss the latter ones more and mention my absolute favourites.

1. The Free Dictionary

A unique combination of precision, proficiency and style. It is very detailed, covering many fields such as Legal English, Business English, Medical English etc. Moreover, it provides the user both with an abundance of explanations and transaltions into various world languages with great precision as well, which is, according to my experience so far, a very rare thing. After you go through the definitions, check the synonims, antonims or idioms containing a word in question, you may test your knowledge by doing some exerecises provided on the right hand side of the webpage. The thefredictionary.com designers have done everything to make the user feel at home. You may customize the page yourself and thus make it suit your interests and needs, which is also a marvellous touch from the authors of the site and the whole project. All in all, A+ for this one.

www.thefreedictionary.com

2. Oxford Collocations Dictionary Online

Collocations are also an important part of the language puzzle which has to click into place if you want to achieve proficiency and fluency. Although slightly old-fashioned in terms of web pages, it is very easy to use and provides you with what you exactly need. A nice tool for translators, above all.

http://llohe-ocd.appspot.com/

3. Online Rhyming Dictionary

Good news for poets and songwriters: this website can be a useful companion while trying to shake up new lyrics or lines. Always test your choice and rewrite until you find the right combination. This tool can be more than helpful.

http://www.rhymer.com/

I am sure that there are many more online dictionaries worth mentioning, and I am sure that I will include them here the moment I come across them. By then, I warmly recommend using the abovementioned sites both for study and pleasure.