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There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

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Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#21

Post by m52go »

jacobolus wrote: post #17
m52go wrote: post #9

But there is a game! It's called Write On Par. It teaches concise writing, playfully. Because no writer has the patience to sit through a grammar class...and no reader wants to read wordy, confusing writing no matter what the topic. http://writeonpar.com /shameless plug Beautiful article though. I've met a couple recently-turned full-time authors and have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the author/a…

This idea is cute, but it’s a poor substitute for a real writing tutor/coach/teacher. It repeatedly returns: “Your response seems incomplete, so we set your score to the length of the original sentence. If we're mistaken, please drop us a line with a screenshot of this screen”, without any indication of how to fix the solution to be acceptable. I suppose it’s fishing for some specific keywords? It doesn’t seem to hav…

Thanks for the feedback.

You're right that it's crude, lame even. That's why I dragged my feet on releasing it for weeks. But if you're getting the incomplete message, chances are your response is actually incomplete. We've had over 7,000 submissions and only 2 issues so far. Feel free to send me an example at steve at writeonpar dot com...I'm curious why you keep seeing that.

Writing is subjective. Your idea of elegant prose is different from mine, especially when context isn't specified.

I'll concede the game is more of a tool to practice good grammar & clarity than a way to teach it, but I don't agree that it's no different from rewriting random sentences in a book.

The par/record sentences are helpful for a lot of people. The timer is a simplistic but effective way to create mental pressure. And when we add videos explaining the journey from lousy to concise, players will actually learn the reasons for lousiness and techniques for clarity.

And, consistent practice trumps everything. Strange as it is, I've tried to pick examples that make the game less boring than any class/book/lecture you'll find anywhere. The result: this tool helps a number of people consistently practice writing better...something that wasn't otherwise happening.

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#22

Post by klodolph »

nxzero wrote: post #12

Use "The Elements Style" by Strunk & White.

That might be one of the most contentious entries. I personally think it is overrated, muddy, and generally mediocre as far as style guides go. There seem to be a lot of people who hate it as well as some people who love it. The only guides I dislike more are the MLA and APA guides.

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#23

Post by klodolph »

The title is a bit more precise than commenters in this thread are giving credit for. There is no handbook for "being a writer", but there are many handbooks for writing.

You could translate this to another field. I've read lots of books on programming, but very few on "how to be a programmer". Mostly a few short blog posts with contradictory information.

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#24

Post by achairapart »

klodolph wrote: post #20
vonnik wrote: post #18

People mean different things when they say "writer," and it's worthwhile untangling a few different types. * Writers who make a living writing * Writers who don't (yet) * Fiction writers: Novelists and short-story writers * Poets * Journalists: reporters, war correspondents, editors * Bloggers * Corporate: Technical writers, Marketing copy writers, etc. * Academics all stripes These categories aren't mutually exclusi…

Not that Strunk and White is bad , but it's a peculiar choice to list first because it is mediocre and there are so many other options which are better. At the very minimum, Strunk and White is a very contentious entry, and people (like me) will come out of the woodwork to attack it. * Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace , Joseph Bizup * The Chicago Manual of Style (depending on what kind of writer you are, a differe…

    ...in On Writing, Stephen King writes: "There is little or no detectable bullshit in that book. (Of course, its short; at eighty-five pages it's much shorter than this one.) I'll tell you right now that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style. Rule 17 in the chapter titled Principles of Composition is "Omit needless words." I will try to do that here".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style#Receptio...

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#25

Post by microcolonel »

m52go wrote: post #9

But there is a game! It's called Write On Par. It teaches concise writing, playfully. Because no writer has the patience to sit through a grammar class...and no reader wants to read wordy, confusing writing no matter what the topic. http://writeonpar.com /shameless plug Beautiful article though. I've met a couple recently-turned full-time authors and have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the author/a…

Cool site, I sent in a minor issue. I can tighten the prose further, but the tool then says it's incomplete; though, perfect being the enemy of good, I am glad you released it.

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#26

Post by klodolph »

achairapart wrote: post #24
klodolph wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not that Strunk and White is bad , but it's a peculiar choice to list first because it is mediocre and there are so many other options which are better. At the very minimum, Strunk and White is a very contentious entry, and people (like me) will come out of the woodwork to attack it. * Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace , Joseph Bizup * The Chicago Manual of Style (depending on what kind of writer you are, a differe…

...in On Writing, Stephen King writes: "There is little or no detectable bullshit in that book. (Of course, its short; at eighty-five pages it's much shorter than this one.) I'll tell you right now that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style. Rule 17 in the chapter titled Principles of Composition is "Omit needless words." I will try to do that here". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Sty…

From the linked section:

> The book's toxic mix of purism, atavism, and personal eccentricity is not underpinned by a proper grounding in English grammar. It is often so misguided that the authors appear not to notice their own egregious flouting of its own rules ... It's sad.

> aging zombie of a book ... a hodgepodge, its now-antiquated pet peeves jostling for space with 1970s taboos and 1990s computer advice

I'm not saying that this book is terrible, just that it is mediocre, spits out good advice but not couched in good practice, is a bit old-fashioned, et cetera. There are better books out there. Stephen King's book On Writing is better in spite of the fact that Stephen King recommends Strunk and White.

I think that the reason people like the book is because it says things that you would agree with. "Omit needless words." How can you dislike a book that says such good things? But it doesn't surround the advice with solid examples the way Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace does, and it doesn't go into depth the way a proper style guide like Chicago does, and it doesn't have the more down-to-earth "how to be a writer" advice like King's or Lamott's works do.

So I don't recommend it.

(It's also quite curious that you quoted a tertiary source such as Wikipedia rather than King.)

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#27

Post by sverige »

The best advice on writing I've come across in 40 years of reading about writing is a "pithy maxim" from Cato the Elder: Rem tene, verba sequentur. (Grasp the thing, the words will follow.)

The best advice on being a writer is mostly reading how others did it and then avoiding their mistakes. Thus, I hope I don't end up kicking a can up a lonely road in Idaho or showing up drunk for an interview by Buckley or marrying my too-young cousin or winning any kind of prize.

Edit: I forgot to say what I came here to say: "Being a writer" is socially awkward and a little embarrassing, especially in this society. I've had feelings similar to the author's and had to learn to deal with them. Almost no one talks about that part of writing.

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#28

Post by methehack »

I know folks are trying to be helpful by listing all the handbooks on the mechanics of writing, or on the creative process (closer), but it's off topic. The author is talking about 'being a writer', as in the title. As in:

  "What do you do?"
  "Oh, I'm a writer"
Not like:

   "Should one _ever_ begin a sentence with 'but'?"
   "No, you should _never_ do that.  I'm a prig!"
It seems that sitting down to write every day and telling people you're doing it brings with it a wrath of psychological goop that sane people need to cope with if they're going to keep remain sane. That's more what this essay is about.

All that finger-waggingly-said, some great books recommended. Thank you for that!

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#29

Post by estonian »

update wrote: post #11

it's pretty funny that the author takes so long to get to their point :P, given the title Anyone want to post a tldr? as a paid author, given the title, i was hoping for an article that touched on drinking, lallygagging, and partying --- then getting all your work done in one day at the end of the month.

The article's also evidence of the temptation to write about yourself, as I suppose that's what you know best. I have seen a lot of successful authors who inject themselves into the narrative.

For example, this successful author (David Wilcock) who failed to make a documentary, and wrote about it and turned it into a NYTimes bestseller. It's sub-par book with silly claims but he has an audience and it provided a story structure with interesting ideas and alleged facts. Eat Love Pray is another example.

And I suppose if you can write about outrageous things you do, it probably makes people all the more motivated to read you.

Re: There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer

#30

Post by Mendenhall »

Him sitting next to author reminded me how I always think you are a writer when you pay your bills through writing, same with art etc. I find so many that say they are an "artist" yet thats not how they pay their bills. Sure you may make fantastic art but you are not an artist.

You never here someone say I am a basketball player just because they play basketball as a hobby. Doing something that pays your bills is totally different than it being a hobby or even being great at it.

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