2013 April 16 Archive - EXEIdeas – Let's Your Mind Rock

I believe that cultivating a strong internal monologue is an intellectual and esthetic duty to yourself as a writer (even if I am mocked by more erudite people for “sounding out words in my head as I read”). Without developing your ear, you will never have a good sense for the music of your writing: for the rhythm, the cadence, the poetry of how the words go together. There are several things you can do to help you with this and you will find having an office door to hide behind will help immensely…1:) Demand Silence:Turn of your music, for a start and get rid of any other distracting noises.A composer would never try to work with music in the background, or people talking, or industrial noise, and neither should a writer, for the same reason.2:) Sound Out Words:Yes, consciously, as you read them. I often let my mouth form at least some of the words I’m writing or editing sometimes soundlessly to help me hear them in my head.3:) Use Your Ears:Your internal ear is important, but it will never replace your external ones. There is no writer so good he can’t improve his work by hearing it read aloud. If you can, have someone read your piece to you.Your own voice will do in a pinch, but a friend’s is better because it’s new and objective. When someone reads your piece aloud he will stumble in places you wouldn’t. He will find sentences confusing you find clear. He will have trouble following arguments you think sound. Fix these things. And while you’re listening, also notice any times where your friend has to pause for breath in the middle of a thought. Rewrite these sentences to be shorter, or break them up.4:) Write Every Day, And Learn To Love It:Maybe this sounds obvious, but i don’t think it is. A writer is a craftsman. Craftsmen have to practice to get and stay good at what they do. If they aren’t making tables or blowing glass or designing cars every day, then they’re doing it damn near every day; they practice so much that their craft becomes a part of them —they’re doing it even when they’re sitting in a restaurant, inspecting the woodwork of the table, rolling the glass in their hands, eying the Lexus parked outside. For you, that means whenever you read, whatever you read; any time you see or hear words put together, you should be thinking about writing. A writer—you’ll allow me to be corny for the sake of example—never falls out of love with words.5:) Delight Your Readers:If that sounds like too much commitment for you, stop now, find something you can love forever, and do that instead. Your potential readers will be happier, and so will you. But if you’re ready for the commitment, accept that writing every day will often be tedious and difficult, and is the only way to become exceptional. I highly recommend you indulge in personal writing projects on your own time, as this will make writing less tedious and less difficult for obvious reasons. There is nary a writer who’s lived who has not wanted to write something in particular. Keep your eye on the prize. Also remember that practice isn’t enough. To return to what I said in introducing this guide, writing, like any other skill, can be taught. So allow other great writers to teach you. Not only by becoming conscious of the process of reading and writing, of the decisions that other writers make, but particularly by reading books written for writers. #ath { background:#f8f8f8; margin:0 0 40px 0; padding:10px; border: 3px outset #e8e8e8; -moz-border-radius: 10px; border-radius: 10px; overflow:hidden; font-size: 14px; } .pro { background:#FFF; float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0; padding:4px; border: 2px inset #e8e8e8; } .social { float:right; } About the Author: Charles West is a professional content writer and blogger since last 2 years. I have writing expertise in technology and certification topics specially. I love to share that recently I passed my SY0-301 exam from SAS institute and 312-50V7 exam from VMware. Thanks for reading.Find Me On GooglePlus