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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] (useful when composing posts to forums) The Minimalist's Guide to Becoming a Better Writer | The Copybot
  • Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2014 10:06:34 -0500

(useful when composing posts to forums)

The Minimalist's Guide to Becoming a Better Writer | The Copybot
http://thecopybot.com/2013/08/minimalists-better-writer/

The Minimalist’s Guide to Becoming a Better Writer
Posted on August 15, 2013 //

>From my position writing seems simple. You read, you write, you critique.
What’s missing from that simple equation is the hard
work<http://thecopybot.com/2012/09/problem-with-giving-advice/>
.

It took me over fifteen years or longer to arrive here. And I’m still
learning. Still growing. Portions of writing get easier, but I still have
my challenges. Yet, if you love what you do, time will fly. I promise.

Yet, don’t waste time.

So, if you like simple, but want simple explained (I don’t care what we are
talking about — there are always nuances to be teased out of “simple”),
then here’s a cheat sheet to guide you in your journey to becoming a great
writer <http://thecopybot.com/2013/04/truly-great-writer/>. Enjoy.
Reading

Writers love to read. And there’s two ways to do that.

- *Read deep.* Great writers master their craft. They are not satisfied
with understanding the fundamentals. They want to master those basics, and
they are always looking to upgrade their talent. Sharpen your saw by
reading — and re-reading — classics like *The Elements of Style*, *Bird
by Bird*. Then work through a list of books that focus on the art of
writing: *How to Write a Sentence* or *Advertising Secrets of the
Written Word* <http://thecopybot.com/2013/03/classic-copywriting-books/>.
- *Read wide*. A massive store of ideas, metaphors, peculiar words,
superb opening lines, sublime closing ones, and stories will satisfy the
monster known as creativity. Read biographies, science fiction,
commentaries. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Read the
old<http://thecopybot.com/2011/07/read-old-books/>before the new. You
will learn from it all. None of it will go to waste.
And the only trajectory you should follow is your interest.

Writing

The more, the merrier.

- *First drafts.* A whole slew of writing fits into here. Your journal,
premature ideas, emails never sent, pages of a favorite story you copy by
hand. This is the portion of the iceberg under the water. The words that
will never see the light of the day. Your spring training. Daily workouts.
The stepping stones toward perfection.
- *Revisions.* About one tenth of what you write must see the light of
day. You must deliver something if you want to be regarded as a
professional. And what you deliver must be honed. Trimmed. Rewritten. This
is where the men are separated from the boys. The women from the girls.
- *Copy*. Take a page from your favorite author and copy it by hand.
Copy it by laptop. Germane to this practice, memorize well-written poems
and paragraphs. Absorb their
style<http://thecopybot.com/2011/08/absorb-book-bloodstream/>
.
- *Everything Else.* Obsess about writing. Find opportunities to write
when you cannot write. Need to make a call? Create a script. Need to
deliver a speech? Write a draft. Email friends and family. Dust off posts
on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook. Focus on a planned and purposeful neglect
of everything else but writing.

Critiquing

Perhaps the most potent element in becoming a better writer is constructive
criticism. It’s the objective measure you need to help correct your
mistakes. It’s not easy, so humble yourself. Grin and bear it. In time you
will develop your own sense of objective criticism. But never abandon
bouncing ideas off others. We can always grow.

- *Friends*. Run your copy by an honest friend who shoots straight from
the hip. Avoid the perennial cheerleader.
- *Critique Groups. *Join a group of
writers<http://thecopybot.com/2013/05/fight-club-feedback/>with a
slight mix of talent to avoid constant frustration. Listen to the
feedback no matter who is giving it: beginner or pro. Evaluate everything
they say. Keep the good, dismiss the bad.
- *Professionals.* Mentors guide you with specific, strategic direction.
- *Metrics*. Pay attention to how people are reacting to your content.
Are people reading it? Commenting on it? Sharing it? Is your content
driving traffic? Showing up in search engines? Subscribers joining?
- *Self Examination.* In time you will acquire the ability to judge your
own work — to distinguish the best, the worst and the mediocre. You will
have ample amounts of the latter two. Be
ruthless<http://thecopybot.com/2011/05/mamet-editing-rules/>.
No free lunch.
- *Publication*. Submit to traditional and online journals. Send your
work to literary agents. Package a work as an ebook and release it. Measure
the response.

By the way, when you feel confident, join a group, committee, or company
where you are the dumbest writer in the room. Let the talent and the
competition spur you to new heights.

Got anything you’d add to the above? Please share in the comments.

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  • [permaculture] (useful when composing posts to forums) The Minimalist's Guide to Becoming a Better Writer | The Copybot, Lawrence London, 01/04/2014

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