Write Better

By Ray Wiseman

These 52 tips grew out of at least 52 different sources and took many years to compile. They began in kernel form in various courses, books, workshops, and discussions. They grew as the author used them in practical writing assignments and taught them in workshops. They reached adulthood when he posted them on his website and emailed them to fellow writers.
This book offers what every aspiring writer needs: quick, practical tips that are immediately applicable to any writing project. One reviewer said: Your tips have changed the way I write. I heard you more clearly than all the teachers, professors, educators, and books on writing that I have had in my life. Marcia Lee Laycock, author, said: Ray Wiseman's name should help sell this book. His tips are both wise and practical. His wealth of editing and publishing experience is obvious and his writing skill gives him undisputed credentials.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ray Wiseman
• Release date: Feb 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9780968891759

Ray Wiseman

Ray Wiseman's early memory--being pushed up a rope ladder and over the side of a tramp steamer at age two--set the tone for his life. He has spent much time travelling, and most of his life looking from the hilltop of one adventure to the beginning of the next. Born in England, Ray has lived in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and South Africa. He has traveled in Africa and Asia. Ray counts writing as his fourth career. He began his working life as an electronics technician, then returned to school to study for the Christian ministry. He spent time in the pastorate and overseas with a missionary society. He returned to electronics, working as a video systems engineer. In 1993, he took early retirement to pursue a career as a writer and speaker. Ray graduated from Radio College of Canada (now RCC Schools) in 1952. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of General and Biblical Studies from Briercrest College. He has also studied at the Toronto Institute of Linguistics and The International Institute of Christian Communications (Daystar University College) in Nairobi. Ray is a member of The Word Guild, an association of Canadian authors and writers who are Christian.

Book preview

Introduction

These 52 tips grew out of at least 52 different sources and took many years to compile. They began in kernel form in various courses, books, workshops, and discussions. They grew as I used them in practical writing assignments and taught them in workshops. They reached adulthood when I posted them on my website and emailed them to fellow writers. I trust they give you as much help as they have given me.

A word of caution: not every writer or editor will agree on all the points discussed. Before submitting work to publishers, check their requirements as to style and spelling. Often you will find the information you need on their websites. This book, produced for the Canadian market, uses Canadian spelling.

Acknowledgments

No one writes a book alone, but not every writer comes with a built-in proofreader. Anna, my wife of over 50 years, reads everything I write and catches my frequent dyslexic wanderings.

I appreciate the feedback of well over 100 members of The Word Guild. They read the tips posted weekly on a 'list serve' and responded when they saw me going astray. A special thanks to Mary Lou Cornish who added her proofreading and editing skills to the final product.

A writing tip for every week of the year

Chapter 1: Develop your own writing standards

Early in your writing career, develop a set of personal writing standards. The standards will set goals for your editing - if you have no goals, your writing quality and style will vary from assignment to assignment.

Always ask intended publishers for their style sheets, but you will still want basic standards of your own. As an example, the following points come from my own writing standards:

- Weed out redundancies, fat language, and echoes;

- Use verbs in the active voice (never passive);

- Keep the verb to be at a minimum (under 20 per cent);

- Stay both politically and grammatically correct;

- Avoid errors of fact and chronology;

- Use Canadian spelling when writing for Canadian publishers and U.S. spelling when writing for American publishers;

- Maintain a fog index appropriate to your target readership (vary sentence length, limit your use of 35-cent words, and avoid jargon).

Later writing tips will deal with the above points.

Chapter 2: Weed out redundancies, fat language, and echoes

Reread everything, looking for words that add clutter without adding new information or meaning. Redundancies simply repeat things already said, often in the same sentence.

Examples: It happened last fall toward the end of the year in mid October, October the 15th to be exact. The writer gave the same information four times, but could have eliminated that line completely by starting the next sentence with, "On October 15 of last