I was reminded today of something a high school writing teacher of mine once said. He’d walked into the classroom and pushed the door shut behind him with his elbow. As the noisy hallway disappeared with the click of the door latch, we realized how loud we’d been and settled quietly into our chairs.

He set his bag on the low table near the lectern and reached inside for a stack of papers. As he did the bag flap rolled back to reveal a bright yellow lining. It must have coordinated with some prior shade of red the leather bag hadn’t known since the early 80’s. Our teacher lifted the stack of papers, squared them against the table with a hard thump, and set them in a neat stack beside the bag.

He straightened, removed his glasses with his left hand, and squeezed the bridge of his nose his right index finger and thumb. Replacing his glasses and staring at us with the well-worn eyes of a teacher about to say the same thing again, he spoke.

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One of the things I like best about social media is the way it helps me discover talented writers. They remind me a lot of distance athletes with their deep conversations about seemingly minor details and long periods of time spent practicing alone.

The web also has a downside. There seems to be a growing belief that having mobile access to information negates any need to regularly consume quality writing.

Some writers point to the popularity of the Twilight series and say it’s a sign the general population no longer cares about quality. In my reply

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Have you become a lazy writer?

You may want to reconsider the way you use contractions in your writing.

My reasoning is simple:

The “out of sight, out of mind” rule applies to words as much as it does to other things. As such, when you “hide” words by contracting them, you push a part of your writing out of sight. Banning contractions from your writing, if only for the sake of this simple exercise, will give you a fresh look at the way you put words into sentences.

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The internet is not going to die if you feed it less frequently. There’s a lot to be said for developing good writing habits. However, you don’t need to publish everything you write in order to experience the creative benefits of putting your thoughts into writing.

I know that’s blasphemy to many of you blogging pharisees. How could I possibly imagine writing an article for public consumption then be so selfish as to keep it to myself? It’s not so much about keeping things to myself as it is about trying not to waste your time with articles that offer little value.

How do I navigate the brambles and choose which articles to publish and which to send back into the mill? I ask myself these questions:

1. What does this article do?

Does it share a story, ask a question, present a resource, or promote something? Knowing what you want an article to do simplifies editing for clarity while creating a benchmark you can compare response to.

2. What part of this article will be most easily misunderstood?

For every point, there is a counterpoint. For every positive, a negative. I believe we are responsible for the messages others derive from our writing. We can’t cover every base, but we can often address obvious counterpoints to the messages we share. Have you ever run across an author response to feedback that involved the author expressing frustration that the reader didn’t seem to have actually read the article? 9/10ths of the time, the author is mostly to blame for not writing with clarity. Readers are doing you a favor by spending time with your thoughts. Don’t disrespect them with frustrating drivel spun as elegant verbosity. For instance, this entire section could be compressed into: strive for clarity and don’t expect readers to know things you haven’t plainly stated.

3. If I wait to publish this article for a day, or perhaps even a week, will it still be relevant?

Unless you specialize in reblogging or have access to breaking news, is there any reason why you MUST publish articles immediately? I think not. Write for lasting relevance and you’ll end up with a blog you’re not embarrassed about three years from now. A lot of bloggers confused conversation with progression and discussion with contribution. You don’t need to be one of those. If you won’t care about your content a week from now, why should we? Just like a watermelon on a hot day, you get the most refreshment if you put it in the fridge for a few hours before eating. Delicious!

4. Do I give credit where credit is due?

This one is simple. Tell us where you find your inspiration. It doesn’t make you look like less of an expert. In fact, it makes you more trustworthy and seem more intelligent when you give others credit for inspiring your thoughts. Be humble and give credit where it’s due. We’ll respect you more for it and become loyal readers because we trust you not to mess with us. (Please, let me know if you see one of my posts and wonder if I’ve skipped a mention of some inspiration. At worst, you’ve reminded me of something I prefer to do. At best, you’ve shown me another resource that I can add as additional reading. It’s a win both ways!)

5. Did I push myself in some way with this article?

Write for you. I’m serious. If you get caught up in SEO and maximizing some vague niche market, chances are good that you’ll burn out and your writing will suffer. Find different ways to challenge yourself. Try a new format, play around with images or video, or write a post with relevant links to every member of your blog roll. Make a point to write about things that interest you and let us readers do our thing. We’re a fickle bunch and can’t be trusted most of the time anyway!

What questions do you wish more people asked themselves before publishing articles?

Note: Comment moderation is turned on. Once you’ve had a comment approved, you’ll be able to post at will. Please be respectful of others. At the same time, I hope you’ll feel free to challenge ideas and try words on for size. You’re probably smarter than me. Please demonstrate that intelligence in your comments. If we respect each other while refusing to tolerate weak arguments or personal attacks, I think we’ll have a solid chance at making good things happen. Does that sound good? Let me know!

Thank you!

Seth

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photo: aym neutron

What pronoun do you use in your writing when referring to a generic person? Him, her, their?

I came across the following in a post on ReadWriteWeb:

The first time I heard the term “thought leader”, I thought, “Now there’s a cool concept: someone who is able to assert influence and change outcomes through the sheer force and power of her ideas.” (excerpt from Cartoon: Thought Leaders)

The author chose to use the feminine pronoun “her” to describe the nonspecific “someone” in the piece. There are a few reasons one might take issue with such usage:

1. The default pronoun used to describe nonspecific persons in the English language is masculine.
2. Using the feminine pronoun, while acceptable, is a departure from common usage and causes distraction.
3. Changing pronouns is often done as an afterthought in the name of political correctness at the expense of clear, approachable writing.

I asked my followers on Twitter to give me their thoughts on the subject. Here are just a few of their replies:

Following Darla’s suggestion of removing the pronoun, the rewrite reads, “…someone who is able to assert influence and change outcomes through the sheer force and power of [] ideas.” I like that. It truly is a stronger sentence without the pronoun. But deleting pronouns is an unreliable road to stronger writing. We need a solution.

I think we’ll find that solution in the midst of strong ideas thoughtfully expressed with a consistent voice.

I’ve discovered that the more concrete examples I use in my writing, the less time I spend worrying about nuance and vague references. When I talk about general ideas, gender rarely comes into play. When I write about specific people, I often find it a simple matter to reference them with an accurate pronoun.

What about you? Do you think differently of writers who use certain pronouns? Do you find it annoying or refreshing when a writer jumps between “her” and “him” in the same article? I’ve got thick skin and hope to learn from you so fire away with any thoughts you might have!

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photo: pinksherbert

Is it possible to engage a Kindle audience with content optimized for the web? 

Bloggers, Amazon is giving you the opportunity to reach Kindle users with your content and make some money at the same time. Unlike RSS subscriptions, which are free, Kindle users will shell out a dollar or two each month for the privilege of reading your blog. 

In theory, publishing a blog on Kindle sounds like a winning idea. Earning $USD .30-.60 (depending on plan) per subscriber month sounds like a simple way to expand a blog monetization plan.

But will it work for you? 

Do your articles have the guts to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with literary greats? This is not RSS. You aren’t just competing with other bloggers for attention. You’re competing with the contents of every user’s Kindle for attention and continued readership. 

When a Kindle reader finishes a chapter by Steinbeck, reads a NY Times article, then takes a glance at your post, will it measure up? 

Amazon has taken another step in bridging the gap between books and blogs. Will the writing that serves you well online keep a Kindle reader’s attention? I, for one, can’t wait to try this out!

What about you? Would you consider publishing your blog through Amazon? Do you see any additional complications?

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As I look to the right side of my screen, there’s a large blue button with the word “publish” on it. (I use Wordpress) Technically, I “publish” things when I hit that button. But does clicking on that blue button make me a published author? 

Over at FundsforWriters, I saw the following as part of one contest’s rules: 

“You are not eligible to enter and will be disqualified if you are a professional writer, such as a novelist, magazine, blogger or newspaper writer who writes books or articles for pay, or you have authored a work of fiction that has been published or is about to be published in exchange for payment.“ 

So if you have a little blog and decide to put adsense on it, if even one of your readers clicks on an ad, you’re a paid blogger and ineligible for this contest.

Most of the writers I know keep their blogs updated for community purposes. They vent about character development and the difficulty of navigating the publishing industry. They don’t consider the blog to be a published work beyond any obvious copyright issues. 

What do you think? Does having a blog constitute being “published” to the extent that it seems fair to bar a person with a blog from entering a contest? 

There are profitable blogs in existence built by authors with massive followings. But those blogs are, for the most part, an exception to the rule. Is there a breaking point between dabbling in blogging and making it a profession? Is there a number of readers or profit line that makes a blogger a pro? 

I’d like to know your thoughts.

photo: js