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Professional vs. Amateur
The professional writer writes : New York is magnificent in spring.
The amateur writer writes:
I know this is a clich� nowadays, especially after 9/11, but I live in New York, which is much cleaner and safer now because of Giuliani, who really ought to be president after handling the crisis so well, and I know I�ve had some issues in the past with the mayor�s handling of the NYPD in regard to African Americans and his war against art involving sacred religious icons and feces (hello!? freedom of expression!?), but when all is said and done, New York, as maybe the best example of the �melting pot� etc. etc., is a great city, especially when it starts getting warmer and people go outside more, like around March or April.
The amateur reads the professional and cannot bear the understatement. The professional reads the amateur, gives up after the word �nowadays,� and decides that he/she has been video�gamed to idiocy; the amateurs are hopeless; this new wave will be the last.
Not true. Amateurs are writing as they�ve always written. Self-consciousness, self-doubt, awkwardness, and overcompensation are perennial hallmarks of the beginning writer. The reason today�s amateurs seem more profoundly un�profound could be a simple matter of exposure.
Great writing can�t be taught, but atrocious writing is entirely preventable.
The professional writer writes : New York is magnificent in spring.
The amateur writer writes:
I know this is a clich� nowadays, especially after 9/11, but I live in New York, which is much cleaner and safer now because of Giuliani, who really ought to be president after handling the crisis so well, and I know I�ve had some issues in the past with the mayor�s handling of the NYPD in regard to African Americans and his war against art involving sacred religious icons and feces (hello!? freedom of expression!?), but when all is said and done, New York, as maybe the best example of the �melting pot� etc. etc., is a great city, especially when it starts getting warmer and people go outside more, like around March or April.
The amateur reads the professional and cannot bear the understatement. The professional reads the amateur, gives up after the word �nowadays,� and decides that he/she has been video�gamed to idiocy; the amateurs are hopeless; this new wave will be the last.
Not true. Amateurs are writing as they�ve always written. Self-consciousness, self-doubt, awkwardness, and overcompensation are perennial hallmarks of the beginning writer. The reason today�s amateurs seem more profoundly un�profound could be a simple matter of exposure.
Great writing can�t be taught, but atrocious writing is entirely preventable.
The Rules
There are, in fact, rules�even online. Rules are not restrictions. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, rhythm, focus, syntax, and structure aren�t especially romantic terms, until you get to know them. Writers want to make sense. They want to move the reader. It ain�t never gonna happen if you got busted paragraphs, mistaken punctuation and, bad rhythm, not to mention kreative spelling: see? Clarity is key. Learn the rules. Break �em later.
The best rules can�t be stated, but you can learn them by reading excellent writing. Develop an ear. If you know what works, you�ll start to emulate it. Conversely, it�s good to study truly horrendous language, stuff that makes you embarrassed for those responsible. You�ll find yourself mortally afraid of�and automatically avoiding�the same mistakes in your own writing. Hemingway said, �The most essential gift for a good writer is a built�in shock�proof shit-detector.� (They�re cheap if you haven�t already got one.) This is especially important for web writers, most of whom are publishing without the benefit of editors.
Bold statements are dangerous, but they won�t kill you. Timidity will�or at least your traffic. Everyone has a hazy opinion or two. The writer�s goal is clarity. Vague feelings or ideas don�t have to be vaguely written. Imagine two sites with similar descriptions of an indescribable sensation. Which would you remember:
A: �Her physical affections made his world feel somehow different and indescribably alive.�
B: �She kissed him with her tongue until the leaves on the trees, the soles of his shoes, and even his thoughts, felt like happy tongues.�
First�person point of view is not the only point of view. I should be necessary, or else avoided. This is not to condemn first person, but to suggest that it needn�t be the default choice. If first-person perfectly suits your subject matter, use it. But maybe second� or third�person is more effective. Consider your options.
The advice �write only what you know� increases the likelihood that you will know the same things forever.
There are, in fact, rules�even online. Rules are not restrictions. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, rhythm, focus, syntax, and structure aren�t especially romantic terms, until you get to know them. Writers want to make sense. They want to move the reader. It ain�t never gonna happen if you got busted paragraphs, mistaken punctuation and, bad rhythm, not to mention kreative spelling: see? Clarity is key. Learn the rules. Break �em later.
The best rules can�t be stated, but you can learn them by reading excellent writing. Develop an ear. If you know what works, you�ll start to emulate it. Conversely, it�s good to study truly horrendous language, stuff that makes you embarrassed for those responsible. You�ll find yourself mortally afraid of�and automatically avoiding�the same mistakes in your own writing. Hemingway said, �The most essential gift for a good writer is a built�in shock�proof shit-detector.� (They�re cheap if you haven�t already got one.) This is especially important for web writers, most of whom are publishing without the benefit of editors.
Bold statements are dangerous, but they won�t kill you. Timidity will�or at least your traffic. Everyone has a hazy opinion or two. The writer�s goal is clarity. Vague feelings or ideas don�t have to be vaguely written. Imagine two sites with similar descriptions of an indescribable sensation. Which would you remember:
A: �Her physical affections made his world feel somehow different and indescribably alive.�
B: �She kissed him with her tongue until the leaves on the trees, the soles of his shoes, and even his thoughts, felt like happy tongues.�
First�person point of view is not the only point of view. I should be necessary, or else avoided. This is not to condemn first person, but to suggest that it needn�t be the default choice. If first-person perfectly suits your subject matter, use it. But maybe second� or third�person is more effective. Consider your options.
The advice �write only what you know� increases the likelihood that you will know the same things forever.
Offer Something New
And are you attempting to produce quality material, or just killing time? If you�re killing time, O.K., but don�t be startled when your audience is small and no one links to you. Instead of publishing disconnected diversions (by the way, look at this, check it out, here you go, really cool), connect the dots or offer a full opinion.
Better yet, take The Nick Hornby Challenge. In High Fidelity, the narrator is described as a professional critic. He�s good at it. Music criticism is what he does. Then he starts an independent label and produces a record made by a couple of talented, shoplifting skate punks in order to, as his girlfriend says, �put something new into the world.�
The web is a tremendous hodgepodge of media. There are sites about books, sites about music, and sites about sites. Plenty of weblogs center on consuming and critiquing other people�s work, and all this recycling and redistribution has its place�a very important place that we�ll make note of later on. But why not make something new? Instead of linking to a few articles every day, write one. Instead of showcasing and discussing the latest designs, design something. You�ve got this absolutely batty opportunity of instant global publishing. Publish! The world is your oyster!
And are you attempting to produce quality material, or just killing time? If you�re killing time, O.K., but don�t be startled when your audience is small and no one links to you. Instead of publishing disconnected diversions (by the way, look at this, check it out, here you go, really cool), connect the dots or offer a full opinion.
Better yet, take The Nick Hornby Challenge. In High Fidelity, the narrator is described as a professional critic. He�s good at it. Music criticism is what he does. Then he starts an independent label and produces a record made by a couple of talented, shoplifting skate punks in order to, as his girlfriend says, �put something new into the world.�
The web is a tremendous hodgepodge of media. There are sites about books, sites about music, and sites about sites. Plenty of weblogs center on consuming and critiquing other people�s work, and all this recycling and redistribution has its place�a very important place that we�ll make note of later on. But why not make something new? Instead of linking to a few articles every day, write one. Instead of showcasing and discussing the latest designs, design something. You�ve got this absolutely batty opportunity of instant global publishing. Publish! The world is your oyster!
