Everyday PR

I knew I’d be a writer when my eighth-grade English teacher told me to read aloud my essay on her two-page assignment called “If I could go anywhere in the world, where would that be and why?”  While everybody else tried to stretch into two pages dreams of DisneyWorld, Six Flags or the beach, I wrote about the religious and historic significance of Rome, and how that one-of-a-kind culture has affected every generation since its Biblical beginnings.  Yes, I was a nerd with a penchant for prose.  I also easily sunburned. 

In the 8th grade, I wrote about the importance of the Roman Forum to business and justice.

Throughout my career, my writing skills have served me well.  If your career or hobby involves writing (and if you’re practicing public relations, it better), or if you want to improve your writing, how do you hone your skills?  Here are ten suggestions: 

1)   Listen – If you’re saying anything other than “can you elaborate on that?” or “can I verify this?’, you’re talking too much.  If you want to be a good writer, be a good listener. 

2)  Move – Literally, get up and move.  If you’re maximizing your brain’s endorphins and all those other chemicals that prompt the creative juices through exercise, then writing becomes more natural. 

3) Read – While I’ve no scientific research to support this, I strongly believe that readers make the best writers.  Fiction, nonfiction, instruction manuals, food labels, whatever.  Just read – and keep a dictionary handy when you stumble upon new words. If you’re not stumbling upon new words, then you’re not reading enough or you’re not reading enough challenging material. 

4)  Practice - If you dream of making a living by writing, you either better be writing or practicing writing until you get that dream assignment.  Write about anything – your feelings, thoughts or memories.  Heck, write an essay on “If I could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?” 

5)  Think – We grew up on “Once upon a time” and “They lived happily ever after”. In general, good writing has a beginning and an end.  Think about how to best connect the dots in your work.  Use your analytical, logical and problem-solving skills.  As one colleague puts it, “when you wrap it up and put the prettiest bow on top, you’re done”. 

6) Diversify – Learn to write in different voices.  Writing a speech for a corporate CEO is completely different than writing a satirical blog.  People are diversified in their vocabulary and inflections; why shouldn’t your writing be as well? 

7) Timing – As my first newspaper editor taught me, write when you and/or the content is fresh.  As soon as you’ve completed that interview, verified that research or thought of that million-dollar-making strategy, write about it right then. 

8)  Read aloud – When you think you’ve completed the writing, read it aloud.  Does the article flow, make sense, capture your interest and have a point? 

9)  Feedback - Depending on your time frame, confidence and/or content, you may want to get feedback from either an experienced writer or a subject matter expert.  Make only those revisions necessary to clarify content or facts. 

10) Edit/Proof – After you’ve read aloud, make necessary edits, and correct grammar or typos.  DO NOT RE-WRITE (writers/editors are notorious for “perfecting” their work to the point of having no point). Put down the writing.  Go to bed. Repeat the process the following day. Then press the Send button, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done! 

What suggestions do you have for improving your writing?

In a moment of frustration, I recently posted on Facebook how I find it annoying when people refer to the book in the Bible as Revelations.  It’s Revelation, not Revelations.  To my surprise, I got a slew of responses of words/phases that also bother readers.  Among them:

End a sentence with a preposition? Like nails on a chalkboard.

• It’s a moot point, not a mute one
• “Close proximity” is redundant
• It’s the Book of Psalms; each chapter is a Psalm
• It’s toward, regard and afterward – not towards, regards and afterwards
• It’s Daylight Saving Time, not Savings
• Is it drapes or draperies? To avoid the issue, I use window treatments
• People graduate from college; not people graduate college
• You shop at Kroger, not Krogers
• A mason works in masonry; not in masonary
• Men can get prostate cancer; not prostrate cancer
• It’s means it is
• You’re, not your, means you are
• You insure (not ensure) things like people and property
• And the all-time worst offender to me:  Ending a sentence/question with a preposition – it’s like nails on a chalkboard with a full body shudder.

What are some words/phrases that bother you?

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I’m one of those people who interprets words in their most literal definition, which can be good or bad if you write for a living. Case in point:  A friend tells me about her part in a play about the Old South and says, “Everything will be fine as long as we take care of the black dishwasher in the back.” For the life of me, I could not understand what an appliance could possibly have to do with anything.

To my writing colleagues, I pray you’re not afflicted with TWTOL (Translating Words Too Literally) Syndrome. Although TWTOL can date back to childhood (I remember being strapped in the back of the station wagon on the family vacation, and my parents told me to keep my eyes peeled for a Dairy Queen – I started crying at the thought of peeling eyes), I’ve learned to work with it and around it. I even credit TWTOL with some of my professional writing abilities, especially in regard to projects like speeches and internal communications. For instance, there’s no such thing as a free cholesterol screening if the employee has to pay for the results (seems obvious to me, but some CEOs just don’t get it). Then again, I’m the person who goes into all-out panic mode if the Bible says you must wear a purple robe to get into heaven, as in what shade of purple –  light purple, dark purple, something in between?  Should the robe be floor length or cocktail length, short sleeves or long sleeves? It never ends.

If you also have TWTOL Syndrome, take advantage of your literal perspective on words and weave that into your writing. And above all, have fun with it!  My literal sense of translation has provided me countless moments of both laughter and embarrassment. Like the time I saw the sign that said “Watch Batteries Repaired.”  Since I needed a new battery for my watch, I went inside the store. When the clerk took my watch to the back I called out with genuine disappointment in my voice  ”But I thought I could watch.”

I don’t see a change any time soon. By “see,” I mean “predict,” not “visualize.”