“The Essence of Bad Writing! --An Expert's How to Write a Book Step-by-Step Guide”
Every author wants to avoid writing badly, so here's the very essence of what you should not be doing when you start writing your book!
by Steve Manning
I have an assortment of writing books on my shelves. Some are outdated, some lack the detail to be really useful, others are brilliant and there are a handful of writing books that that have been around for several decades and will be for many more to come.
Yet, as I go through all these instructions about how to write books there is a consistency that is overwhelming. No where have I found a book that tells me my writing would be better if I used very long sentences. No where can I find confirmation that my book would be better if I used multi-syllabic words instead of the more common one or two syllable variety. No where does anyone say that if I can keep the whole page down to just one, or, at most, two paragraphs will I be doing the reader a favor.
I've looked. I really have. Most of my searching has been within the hallowed halls of learning. Because that's where the irony I'll describe exists most. Yet the only writing books I find in these stacks are the same garden variety you'd find in your local library or bookstore.
Keep the sentences relatively short, they tell me. The last thing you want is the reader arriving at the end of your sentence, only to discover they can't remember how it started. And use small words if at all possible. There are times when a big word is certainly more precise, or descriptive of the situation. But those moments are rare.
Don't use 'weasel' words. Those are the words that usually end in 'ly' and nearly always take a definitive sentence and virtually give the writer a way out. The dress was blue. The dress wasn't practically blue.
So where do I find the worst book writing I've ever seen? In those same hallowed halls of academia. For some reason, many people in our society believe that in order to sound intelligent, sophisticated, or in some way a cut above everyone else, your book must be impenetrable. And when you pick up one of these books (where was the editor??) and find you can't get past the first paragraph, you're left with one of two choices. Either the author is a lousy writer, or you're stupid. The author is a Ph.D., and so we assume she's bright. If she's bright, she must know how to write, right? So you're left feeling inadequate. The fault must be yours.
Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD,
“How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! The CD is free, just pay postage,
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here.
Now, back
to the article…
Okay, let me let you in on a little secret that every good book author knows. If the reader can't understand what the author has written, it's not the reader's fault. The author's job is to make the complex, simple. To make the boring, exciting. And to replace frustration with clarity. You get no points for making the obvious, convoluted.
University students and those who write business proposals do the same thing. I've asked them why they do it and the answer is almost always the same.
"If I don't write that way, the reader (professor, prospective client, boss) will think I have (gulp!) average intelligence." Oh, no! Think of the embarrassment. The familial humiliation!
This kind of writing, what I candidly call 'inflated writing' is the very essence of bad writing. And it's poison if you put it into a book. From now on, every time you find this kind of writing, be nice, be polite, but gently make the writer aware of what has been done. They've lost readers, they've lost impact, and they've lost the opportunity to help, entertain, inform or succeed because of what they've done.
While we're on the topic of strategies, and if you haven't already done so, feel free to
subscribe to my FREE on-line course, "How To Write A Book On
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Wait a minute! You mean you still don't have your writing program, "How to Write A Book On Anything in 14 Days Or Less... Guaranteed!"? Well click How to Write A Book!
Time for a little unabashed, self promotion: If you haven’t asked for my Free CD,
“How to Write a Book On Anything in 14 Days Guaranteed!” then you’re just plain nuts! The CD is free, just pay postage,
but you can bet this $100 CD will be carrying that price tag very shortly. How do you get it? Just order it
here.
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Just about everyone has asked me, what's the cheapest, fastest, most cost effective way to turn your manuscript into a real,
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I have it by this afternoon. Cost effective as in, what if I only
want to produce one or two copies. Take a look at this information for all the answers you'll ever need.
