Confident Writing

By Jenna Glatzer

You know how, when you’re watching a speaker, you can tell if he or she is nervous? There are those tell-tale signs: trembling hands and voice, lack of eye contact, perspiration, twitches, lots of "ummms," and a myriad of other idiosyncratic gestures and signs that show he or she is not fully at ease in front of an audience.

Did you know that I can spot those same tell-tale signs in your writing?

If you’re not completely confident in your skills as a writer, and in what you’ve written in particular, there are warning signs that can tip off an editor or reader. I find them in query letters all the time, and, to a lesser extent, in articles and stories themselves.

The first tip-off? Stilted language.

Stilted language is formal and proper. It employs big words when small ones would suffice just fine. It "sounds" canned and over-prepared.

Example: "Marjorie was required to submit to a physician’s examination prior to the interview in which she would be considered for the position."

Doesn’t it sound like the writer is working too hard to impress here? Like she’s trying to SOUND like a journalist? "Real writers" don’t have to use big words and serious language to effectively get their point across. In fact, the more direct and simple the language, the better.

"Marjorie had to go for a doctor’s exam before the company would consider her for the job."

Is it "dumbing down" your language? No. It’s cutting through the thicket and allowing the words to flow as naturally as they would in your speech—just with the benefit of editing. It’s being purposely as understandable as possible, so that if someone was skimming your query/article quickly, he would still get the meaning, without tripping over S.A.T. words or unfamiliar phrasing.

Many professional writers (myself included) believe in writing first drafts quickly, so as not to give our brains enough time to censor, doubt, and question each word as it flows through us and onto the paper. When I write, whether it’s an article, story, or just about anything else, I pretend I’m talking to a friend. I want my friend to hear about this interesting thing I learned. So, I tell him in the same manner I’d tell him if he were sitting next to me in my living room. I don’t need to impress him (or confuse him!) by "spicing up" my writing with words like "proceed" and "consume" when the words "go" and "eat" would have worked just fine.

Stilted language is a sign that the writer is not confident that her OWN words—the words she would really use—are good enough. It’s puffing up the writing to suit an editor. But think about this: the more formal and convoluted the language, the harder the editor will have to think just to get through the piece. Too much thinking equals rejection, unless you’re writing for an academic or very intellectual market. Editors want clarity. They don’t want to have to reread sentences to get the meaning of your words. Once the eyes glaze over, you’re in trouble.

Another giveaway: namby-pamby qualifiers that shift the responsibility for the statements away from the author. Example: "It seemed to onlookers that Mayor Ross might possibly have been suffering from exhaustion."

Were you one of the onlookers? Was it pretty obvious that the guy was falling asleep at the podium? Then don’t shift the observation into a passive voice. Be confident in your own powers of observation and reasoning. "Mayor Ross seemed exhausted."

The same goes for overuse of "experts" and studies when none are needed. We all know that you’re supposed to get eight hours of sleep a night, right? Then why do people insist on writing, "According to doctors, eight hours of sleep per night is optimal"? You don’t need the doctor to say that for you. If you know it to be true, you can skip the "according to doctors" and get straight to your point, without pulling out of your own voice.

Another example: "usually," "probably," "most likely," "often," etc. Watch for these words in your writing. There are times when they’ll be necessary—and, then again, there are plenty of times when you can omit them.

I once had a psychology professor who prefaced every statement she made with the words "basically," "usually," or "typically." It undermined what she was saying, because it felt like she was unsure of herself. When you write these words, it translates to uncertainty—did Mary Beth go to church on Sundays, or did she "typically" go to church on Sundays? If she skipped once or twice a year, she went. You don’t need a qualifier. If she skipped every other week, then you can add a qualifier.

Be confident in what you are writing. Every time you shift away responsibility for your words by attributing them to someone else, or by watering them down with adverbs, you give the reader leeway to question whether or not you really know what you’re talking about.

Another tip-off: fear of making a point.

Similar to the problem with too many qualifiers, pulling out of your article too soon shows a lack of confidence in your message. Let’s say you wrote an entire article about how a certain kind of duck is going extinct. You talked about all the reasons why it’s happening, and you explained what people can do to help. Then you end it with a lame conclusion like "Further studies are needed" or "Experts will continue to examine the causes…" blah, blah. Again, if you know that what you’ve just said is true, you don’t need to end off with anything that detracts from your conclusion. Sure, further studies may be conducted, but does that take anything away from the evidence you’ve just reported? Let your point come through loud and clear. Make the decision to take a risk and be accountable for your words.

You don’t need to tie it all up neatly with a moral, a la Aesop’s Fables ("And that’s why we must all stop throwing plastic in the garbage"). Just let the strength of your entire article carry the message—let your readers come to the conclusions to which you’ve directed them, and don’t let them second-guess those conclusions by giving a wishy-washy ending.

Be bold. Be confident. And let your very best writing shine through.

Jenna Glatzer is the editor-in-chief of Absolute Write (www.absolutewrite.com), where writers can get a free list of more than 180 agents who are open to new writers! She is also the author of OUTWITTING WRITER'S BLOCK AND OTHER PROBLEMS OF THE PEN and other books for writers, which you can read about at http://www.absolutewrite.com/jenna/books.htm if you want to make her day.

Jenna is an expert writer, her articles have shown up throughout the Internet. Visit her site, absolutewrite.com to see what writing gems she has available. Sign up for her invaluable newsletter, you won't be disappointed. Until next time, keep writing!

Lorraine Cote

The Write Touch 4U

www.Thewritetouch4u.com

Give More Than You Get

By Jenna Glatzer A member of one of my writing groups confided in me that she was fed up with the way that she was feeling used by other writers. This writer is very talented and accomplished, and she's a member of a few different groups that trade feedback and critiques of each other's work. "I feel like I get back 10% of what I put in," she said. And she was losing her energy, thinking about quitting these groups. As she put it, "I'm getting tired of needy people." This writer was the victim of what I'd call parasitic networking. When some people think about networking, they think, "How can other people help me?" They join writing groups, hoping to get feedback on their own work, with no regard for how they can help other writers. They write to experienced authors, asking for leads and free advice, without ever planning on "paying it forward." Some people would call it karma. I'm not new age-y enough to use that term, so I'll just say this: when you help a fellow writer, you help yourself. And if you expect free help from someone, you should be thinking about how you can do something in return. I'm not saying that we have to be "tit for tat" in our exchanges with fellow writers. But here are some examples from my own life: I have often traded critiques of screenplays with fellow writers. When I do a critique, I try to be thorough, fair, detailed, and helpful. And when someone gives me that same courtesy in return, I remember it—and I try to pay it back. I got a phone call from a producer who wanted me to write a script for him. I was too busy with my own work at the time, so I said, "I have a few other great writers who I can recommend to you instead." I sent this producer a list of about three writers who (a) were very talented writers and (b) had helped me in the past with substantive critiques. The producer wound up using one of the writers I recommended, and the last I heard, the film is now in pre-production. That writer then wanted to do something to pay ME back, so he nominated me for membership in an "exclusive" screenwriting group. See how the circle continues? I once sent an e-mail query to Men's Health. The e-mail address I had bounced, so I tried to think of who I knew who had written for the magazine before. I recalled that freelance writer extraordinaire Linda Formichelli had written for them, so I wrote to her to ask if she had a current e-mail address. She didn't, but she did have a contact at Men's Fitness, and asked if my idea would be appropriate for them. Of course, I wanted to do something for her in return, so we wound up writing back and forth all morning, trading contact information for editors. I don't know if anything's come of it yet for her, but I wound up with my first assignment for Prevention. Numerous times, when a writer does me a favor by writing for Absolute Write, I've referred that writer to one of my editors, or written a letter of recommendation for them to use with potential employers. A wonderful screenwriter offered to field questions for Absolute Write, and it just happened that he was interested in breaking into writing nonfiction books. I offered him my advice, and mailed him a great book I'd read about writing book proposals. Ideally, my view is that whenever you seek to network with a writer, you should first think about what you can offer in return. Now, here's where some writers get tripped up: Let's say I'm an unpublished writer. I desperately need some help—maybe some career advice, maybe feedback on my queries or proposals, maybe a referral to an agent or publisher. I've found an experienced author who I want to approach for help. I may want to do something in return, but I think... "What could I possibly have to offer this experienced author?" Good question. If the experienced writer in question is a book author, here's what you can offer: You can review her books. You can review them on online bookseller sites like Amazon.com and Bn.com, or you can offer them to e-zines, newspapers, and magazines. Authors are ALWAYS in need of good reviews! You can help the author with public relations. Help him her set up a book signing, or offer to put flyers for his books in your doctor's office, your grocery store, or tack them up around town. You can pitch articles about the author to magazines and e-zines. (Ask permission first, of course, but most authors are thrilled to get publicity like this!) If the writer is a magazine writer, you can offer to help her with research, locate experts for her next article, transcribe an interview, pass along leads, or give her your old magazines (hey, we magazine writers can't afford subscriptions to all the magazines we want to write for!). If you have experience in one area (let's say, magazine writing), and you want to break into writing novels, find a novelist who's interested in breaking into magazine writing and swap information. There will be some situations where there's nothing you can do in return except gush your thanks and promise to someday return the favor by helping another writer. Genuine appreciation is payback in itself. Take a moment to write a thank you card, or send flowers, to a writer who has helped your career. In this life, I believe you usually get what you give. If you see writers as adversaries and aren't apt to share your contacts, your feedback, or your advice, then don't expect anyone to help you, either. But I challenge you to see your fellow writers as cherished colleagues. Whenever you can help someone, do it. Kindness has a way of coming back to you. Jenna Glatzer is the editor-in-chief of Absolute Write (www.absolutewrite.com), where writers can get a free list of more than 180 agents who are open to new writers! She is also the author of OUTWITTING WRITER'S BLOCK AND OTHER PROBLEMS OF THE PEN and other books for writers, which you can read about at http://www.absolutewrite.com/jenna/books.htm if you want to make her day.