Quick 50 Writing Tools - Dr. Roy Clark
KDG's Dollhouse [Knowledge of KPOP, Writing, & More!]I - Nuts and Bolts
- Begin sentences with subjects and verbs. Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right.
- Order words for emphasis. Place strong words at the beginning and at the end.
- Activate your verbs. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.
- Be passive-agressive. Use passive verbs to showcase the "victim" of action.
- Watch those adverbs. Use them to change the meaning of the verb.
- Take it easy on the -ings. Prefer the simple present or past.
- Fear not the long sentence. Take the reader on a journey of language and meaning.
- Establish a pattern, then give it a twist. Build parallel constructions, but cut across the grain.
- Let punctuation control pace and space. Learn the rules, but realize you have more options than you think.
- Cut big, then small. Prune the big limbs, the shake out the dead leaves.
II - Special Effects
- Prefer the simple over the technical. Use shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs at points of complexity.
- Give key words their space. do not repeat a distinctive word unless you intend a specific effect.
- Play with words, even in serious stories. Choose words the average writer avoids but the average reader understands.
- Get the name of the dog. Dig for the concrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.
- Pay attention to names. Interesting names attract the writer and the reader.
- Seek original images. Reject cliches and first-level creativity.
- Riff on the creative language of others. Make word lists, free-associate, be surprised by language.
- Set the pace with sentence length. Vary sentences to influence the reader's speed.
- Vary the length of paragraphs.
- Choose the number of elements with a purpose in mind. Each sends a secret message to the reader.
- Know when to back off and when to show off. When the topic is most serious, understate; when least serious, exaggerate.
- Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction. Learn when to show, when to tell, and when to do both.
- Tune your voice. Read drafts aloud.
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