50 Tools for Better Writing
After decades as passive consumers we are becoming a community of writers.
I read quite a lot and I have found some excellent writing on the Internet.
I’d like to give a plug to the Poynter Institute. Though designed to help journalists, they give our loads of excellent advice that we can all use.
Roy Peter Clark from the Institute has posted 50 tools that can help you when you do any kinds of writing.
Alhtough each of us wiull find some more useful than others, I hope that you will find many of them to be valuable and interesting.
Links of 50 Writing Tool
- Writing Tool #1: Branch to the Right
- Writing Tool #2: Use Strong Verbs
- Writing Tool #3: Beware of Adverbs
- Writing Tool #4: Period As a Stop Sign
- Writing Tool #5: Observe Word Territory
- Writing Tool #6: Play with Words
- Writing Tool #7: Dig for the Concrete and Specific
- Writing Tool #8: Seek Original Images
- Writing Tool #9: Prefer Simple to Technical
- Writing Tool #10: Recognize Your Story’s Roots
- Writing Tool #11 Back Off or Show Off
- Writing Tool #12: Control the Pace
- Writing Tool #13: Show and Tell
- Writing Tool #14: Interesting Names
- Writing Tool #15: Reveal Character Traits
- Writing Tool #16: Odd and Interesting Things
- Writing Tool #17: The Number of Elements
- Writing Tool #18: Internal Cliffhangers
- Writing Tool #19: Tune Your Voice
- Writing Tool #20: Narrative Opportunities
- Writing Tool #21: Quotes and Dialogue
- Writing Tool #22: Get Ready
- Writing Tool #23: Place Gold Coins Along the Path
- Writing Tool #24: Name the Big Parts
- Writing Tool #25: Repeat
- Writing Tool #26: Fear Not the Long Sentence
- Writing Tool #27: Riffing for Originality
- Writing Tool #28: Writing Cinematically
- Writing Tool #29: Report for Scenes
- Writing Tool #30: Write Endings to Lock the Box
- Writing Tool #31: Parallel Lines
- Writing Tool #32: Let It Flow
- Writing Tool #33: Rehearsal
- Writing Tool #34: Cut Big, Then Small
- Writing Tool #35: Use Punctuation
- Writing Tool #36: Write A Mission Statement for Your Story
- Writing Tool #37: Long Projects
- Writing Tool #38: Polish Your Jewels
- Writing Tool #39: The Voice of Verbs
- Writing Tool #40: The Broken Line
- Writing Tool #41: X-Ray Reading
- Writing Tool #42: Paragraphs
- Writing Tool #43: Self-criticism
- Writing Tool #44: Save String
- Writing Tool #45: Foreshadow
- Writing Tool #46: Storytellers, Start Your Engines
- Writing Tool #47: Collaboration
- Writing Tool #48: Create An Editing Support Group
- Writing Tool #49: Learn from Criticism
- Writing Tool #50: The Writing Process
A Rainy Day Question
“Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”—Susan Ertz (a.k.a. J.R. McCrindle, Anglo-American Novelist, 1894-1985)
It is widely known in the scientific community that there has been a great deal of progress on aging research, much of it done behind the closed doors of pharmaceutical companies. According to Professor Tuljapurkar between 2010 and 2030, the modal, or most common, age of death will increase by 20 years if anti-aging therapies come into widespread use. This projected increase is based on some sophisticated modeling, and reflects a life-span growth rate that is five times faster than the current rate. If accurate, this would increase the modal age of death in industrialized countries such as the United States from roughly 80 years to 100.
So back to the question: if you suddenly discovered that you were going to have an extra thirty years of healthy life, what would you do with it?
I really do suggest that you start thinking about that. Assuming that you have enough money to live a decent life, what would you do with that extra twenty years? Would you:
1. Enjoy spending more time with younger members of the family?
2. Learn some new skills?
3. Make new friends?
4. Travel?
5. Read those books you always meant to?
6. Become more involved in spiritual pursuits?
7. Find a new way of serving others?
8. Sit in front of the television?
What plans or aspirations do you have that you want to add to this list?
But then I have another question for you: if your answers included any of the points from 1-7, why not do them right now? What exactly is stopping you from doing all those things today?
