Writing well doesn’t come easy
By Leo Valiquette
I came across a couple of interesting blog posts today about the trials and tribulations of being a writer, not to mention the trials and tribulations of those who must deal with writers without a firm grasp of what constitutes good grammar.
The first is on the Strategic Public Relations blog. I thought it summed up quite well the never-ending evolution of a writer. If you’re a writer yourself, or intrigued by the process of writing, the author is looking for comments on how to deal with various challenges such as writer’s block.
The second post deals with more nitty-gritty issues of grammar and the poor impression that is made on journalists and editors when PR practitioners fail to adhere to the finer points of style such as proper apostrophe use. Check out the post titled Quality is Job #1 on PR Squared.
For those of us who craft words into coherent patterns of thought for a living, it’s often easy to take for granted what others sometimes see as a cryptic, even magical process.
Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s not. Is there some magic formula, or secret sauce that stirs the creative juices? Not that I’ve ever discovered. It’s hard work, plain and simple, and the only way I know to get in the groove is to clear my head and get the oxygen pumping with some kind of physical activity, then sit down and focus. There are plenty of little things that can help. When writing fiction, sometimes I favour peace and quiet and classical music, other times I go for the background noise of a cozy coffee bar. But in the end, there’s no substitute for sheer willpower and something that drives a sense of urgency. (On the job, it’s amazing how much inspiration can be drawn from being on the clock with a deadline to meet.)
What often makes all the difference with those of us who write for pay, pleasure, or both, is the enjoyment of the craft itself, rather than whatever monetary rewards we can garner from it. Most of us are unapologetically word geeks. We like to play with words as the building blocks of a good story. Maybe that story comes in the form of a news release launching one of our clients, or a case study in a white paper, but it’s a form of storytelling just the same. In the end, what we are trying to do is reach out, capture the attention of, and strike a chord with, our target audience. Is that so different from what a fiction writer is trying to do?
And much like the case with good fiction, what we do is a product of both a writer and an editor working together to create a final, polished piece. It’s all about making a good first impression so that people focus on what you have written, rather than on how you have written it. (Editor’s note: This piece now makes a much better impression!)
