Writing

As we all know, some of us (you know who you are) suck at writing. I thought it would be nice if those who are good at expressing themselves through writing gave some advice/tips to those among us that are lacking.

Earlier today I advised Jeremy to look for some books on writing on amazon. Here is a link for the search for that

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...146904-0534522


I did not make this thread as a joke or for others to troll. It would be appreciated if Diff, Josh, g0zen, Yoshi, and a few others would not post in this thread if they can't be civil. Thanks in advance.

This board has many english majors and I think some good can come from this thread if used correctly.

The best way to learn to write is to read from other writers. Being well-read leads to a good vocabulary, also (unless you're completely dense) you'll learn a little about good sentence structure. Some things about 'the craft' of writing is best learned from something more like a textbook. Like all things, though, the best way to improve is to practice. Have other people read your writing, people who have a clue, and get their -honest- feedback.

Oh and fuck you IP for your implication. You've trolled just as many threads and made just as many shit topics.

How ironic that IronPlant would make a thread about writing.

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Originally Posted by g0zen

The best way to learn to write is to read from other writers. Being well-read leads to a good vocabulary, also (unless you're completely dense) you'll learn a little about good sentence structure.

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I have never really understood this. I read a lot. And when I read, I'm completely focused on what is being said. I think for the most part, I completely ignore the syntax.

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Originally Posted by g0zen

Oh and fuck you IP for your implication. You've trolled just as many threads and made just as many shit topics.

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No, you fuck off mr. IP should go kill himself. Yes, we both troll, but you're one cold mother fucker about it.

One guideline for journalism that I wish more people would follow is this:
If you have to look up a word in a dictionary or thesaurus to get its meaning, then chances are, so will your readers, so don't use it.
There's a world of difference between writing an essay for your english prof and writing an article for the masses.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

I did not make this thread as a joke or for others to troll. It would be appreciated if Diff, Josh, g0zen, Yoshi, and a few others would not post in this thread if they can't be civil. Thanks in advance.

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This thread is some kind of bullshit entrapment. Not fair at all.

I think your biggest problem is shitty spelling. Aside from spellchecking I have no idea how one can correct it mentally.

And yeah, just read and write stuff everyday. I'm not saying it's the greatest book in the world but Stephen King's "On Writing" was a good read. The fucker's a millionaire so he oughtta know something right?

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Originally Posted by Glitch 2.0

How ironic that IronPlant would make a thread about writing.

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Not really, since he's asking for tips on improvement. It's not ironic for an alcoholic to be at an AA meeting, either.

A book that I found helpful was Woe is I by Patricia O'Conner. I have the first edition, and as it says, it outlines sentence structure and basic grammar rules in, as it says, "plain English." It's been a few years since I've read it, though, so I definitely need to read it again, myself.

Ever since about April of last year, I've been reading much more than before, and I definitely think that it's helping my vocabulary and overall language usage. Even when writing a response to a message here on TNL, I always try to use correct spelling, just for practice's sake.

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Originally Posted by Revoltor

This thread is some kind of bullshit entrapment. Not fair at all.

I think your biggest problem is shitty spelling. Aside from spellchecking I have no idea how one can correct it mentally.

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make a list of everything I messpell, and spent 30 minutes on those words everynight, would probably work. But I'm to lazy for that.

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Originally Posted by Revoltor

And yeah, just read and write stuff everyday. I'm not saying it's the greatest book in the world but Stephen King's "On Writing" was a good read. The fucker's a millionaire so he oughtta know something right?

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Could someone explain this to me. I mean fuck, Jeremy just about lives on the net and he has, according to a few of you, been writing the same shit for the past 3 or 4 YEARS. I'm just not seeing it.

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Originally Posted by Tones

Even when writing a response to a message here on TNL, I always try to use correct spelling, just for practice's sake.

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That's a good strategy for developing any skill, because bad habits have a way of creeping up on you.
I usually try to write properly, but sometimes informal or even incorrect grammar just sounds 'better' or at least more conversational.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

Could someone explain this to me. I mean fuck, Jeremy just about lives on the net and he has, according to a few of you, been writing the same shit for the past 3 or 4 YEARS. I'm just not seeing it.

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Some people don't learn from their mistakes, or rather refuse to. Seriously, how can someone remain that bad unless they simply aren't really trying to improve? Then again, there is a certain part of writing that just requires natural talent, like playing an instrument or drawing. You can learn all the techniques and still just be unable to apply them.