The ABCs of Writing: Introduction
I’m starting a new series on this blog. Yes, another series.
Since I hold an English degree and am an educator of the finer arts of the English language — OK, so I’m teaching English to Korean kids (it’s not that complicated).
Wait. Wait. Wait. Did I write any of those sentences correctly?
That’s what I’m going to explore — the art of writing well. Sure, I’m going to make mistakes with this series, and I hope you all (or y’all) call me on every one of them.
Why start a series on how to write?
When I decided to take this blog in a new direction, one of the things I wanted to do was use my English degree to offer writing advice. (Or, is it advise? No, it’s advice.)
Too often, I see a lot of noticeable mistakes on many blogs. And these aren’t (ain’t) your run-of-the-mill Blogger.com sites either. I’m referring to some more well-known blogs.
Do you have to write well to have a successful blog? To some degree, yes. This also largely depends on the type of blog you run. The act of blogging is essentially writing.
This is also a way for me to take a step back from my WordPress duties. I don’t, can’t, and won’t blog about WordPress every day because I would become overwhelmed with pressure to continuously better myself with each post. This will be a way for me to supplement my work with WordPress. This is the “Blogging” part of “Justin Tadlock: Life, Blogging, and WordPress.”
How will I present this series?
This is undecided for the moment. Right now, I’m thinking of running through the alphabet (the ABCs of blogging), each day adding tips relating to a letter of the alphabet. Since I’m not sure yet, I’d like to hear some feedback from my readers. What would you like to see in this series?
I will try to cover all topics. Large and small. Simple and complicated. I will cover basic word usage, common misspellings, maybe a few dangling modifiers, and butchering the English language but doing so effectively.
My background:
I hold an English degree from Auburn University in Alabama. I’m sure the words “in Alabama” make you confident that this will be the best writing series ever, right? My concentration was in Creative Writing, but a large portion of my classes was in Literature. I spent a few semesters over in the journalism department as well. I probably learned more about grammar in those journalism classes than I had learned in the prior 23 years about English. I’m currently an English “conversation instructor” (teacher) at an English academy in South Korea. I teach little crumb-snatchers the finer points of the language.
I’ve always been a writer. Since I could hold a pen and pad, I’ve written some words in some way. To see some samples of my writing, you can browse the writing page. It’s nowhere near a comprehensive list of my work, but it’s a place to get a feel for my style.
Blogging has also been a big part of my life in the last few years. View the archives to see a post-by-post list of the last four years or so of my blog posts.
I am always learning more about writing and learning more about myself through writing. It’s time to give a little back to the world.
Are you ready to learn how to write more effectively?
I hope you are.
I would like to hear some feedback. What type of things do you struggle with? Do you want to tackle misspelling words? Common grammatical errors? Maybe you want to learn how to write better. How to capture an audience. Get information to the reader in the most effective way. Would you like to see more blog-centric posts or writing in general?
Right now, I’m laying out a plan to present this series. Now is the time to offer your feedback.
For your first homework assignment: find errors in this blog post and discuss why and how I could’ve written it better.
I am ready and I need that sort of help. Smile. Lead on oh great one. Smile
I been doing a blog since June of 1982. (I know it looks like typo. But it is true.) I have a lot of little errors now on my blog (www.showmeblog.com) but God years ago my blog was real bad. One thing is I did not worry about it much or think that it mattered.
Now I wish I had paid more attention in school or any attention for that matter.
So I will be reading your blog and hope I learn something.
Jim
Miami FL
Of course I am ready to learn. Looking forward to the series Justin.
I looked long and hard at this post to find any errors, but without success. Am I supposed to be a lazy student?
Jim and Mohsin, I’m ready to get started with this series. I’m currently laying out an overall plan, adding a few new ideas every day. Tell me some of the things you struggle with. It would definitely be helpful.
For example, I’ve always struggled with the active voice. I write in the passive voice too much. This is something I’ve worked on hard, but still have a tough time with sometimes.
Hi Justin, this blog is a treasure chest indeed. Just found time today to read more about you. I write much in English (e.g. more than 13,000 pages serial killer bios during the last years) despite the terrible mistakes I make (my native language is Austrian German). But as a trainer (on web design & conception) I am always willing to learn - and this is a great opportunity!
One of my fav mistakes (I have hundreds!): The usage of “since”, since it is very much different from the German use of “seit”.
In German I usually say, “I write since years”, which would be wrong in English…
Will dig through my basket of mistakes and send some more…
ReadU
eliZZZa
Of course it should read
In German one would say, …..
Plus a second grave mistake is the correct “timing”, which is tricky sometimes…
eliZZZa
I think I’ll use “this blog is a treasure chest indeed” for a testimonials page or something.
I’ll try to keep the series entertaining and informative. Thus far, I’ve written the “A” and “B” parts of the series, but I haven’t committed to a structure yet. I’m sure it’ll change over time.
I want to release a polished version of the overall series as an e-book when it’s over. It will give me a chance to add those things I wish I would’ve blogged about and a few more tips.
Either of these is correct:
In German, I usually say…
In German, one would say…
It really depends on what you want to convey to the reader. Is it a mistake that most German speakers make or just you? Also, note the comma after “In German.”
I’m not sure what you mean when you say “the correct ‘timing’” though.
I hope you continue reading the series and learn from it.
You are very welcome to use my comment for testimonial.
An eBook about is a great idea!
Ah, yes, the English usage of commas - I NEVER know! Why in hell is there a comma after “German”???
The “since” question is a mistake most German speakers make (as I was told).
With the “correct timing” I meant the usage of Present, Past etc. from a writers view as well…
after ” the last four years” I notice that you have typed ‘of’ instead of
‘or’.
I also notice many spelling mistakes on web sites and blogs, that are , as you say, not amateurs. I did write an ezine article about the very same topic, that people don’t seem to care about spelling any more, and,do we as a society, promote that lack of perfection?
I am a writer, and I have just published an ebook about Organic gardening, but the sales are slow, perhaps the topic is not popular enough.
I would like to write fiction, I have the story line in my head,I am just not sure how to start?
Do I just use Word and keep going till I finish, or is there a smarter way to get the job done?
I would really appreciate your input, and thank you for taking the time to read this rather long epistle!.
Ena
Ena
Good catch. You definitely have an eye for detail. I have now replaced “of” with “or.”
I’m right there with you about promoting imperfection. That’s why I’m trying to reach out to a small portion of the Web. We don’t have to write perfectly but could do much better.
I think everyone has their own preferences for writing. When I write fiction, I like to be a little more traditional. I try to find an empty room, toss a few pillows on the floor to lie on, and write with only a pen and pad.
You could always use Word and just hash out the storyline until you’re finished. My advice is that you shouldn’t edit yourself. Just write. You can edit later. Grammar Nazis (us) sometimes get too caught up in the details.
This series will sure help me out. I’m bad with “your/you’re” and “there/their”. Yes simple grammar, but boy I miss them alot.
I think I found one mistake in the above…
“portion of my classes was in Literature”
was should be where??? was just sounds wrong (to me, but I’m here learning right).