Sunday, October 20, 2019
Learning a Lesson from 50 Tips on How to Write Good
Learning a Lesson from 50 Tips on How to Write Good Learning a Lesson from ââ¬Å"50 Tips on How to Write Goodâ⬠Learning a Lesson from ââ¬Å"50 Tips on How to Write Goodâ⬠By Mark Nichol Last week, I wrote a post I didnââ¬â¢t write. In the introductory paragraph, I clearly stated that it was a mash-up of two similar and, to many people, familiar packages of pronouncements that illustrate the writing errors (or are they?) they are intended to highlight. For what I thought were obvious reasons, I didnââ¬â¢t state outright that this list is a parody of writing rules, though I did offer a hint with a reference to ââ¬Å"wit and wisdom,â⬠which I considered a tip-off that the article is not to be taken at face value. Thus, I was flabbergasted to receive a flurry of emails castigating me for 1) using the phrase ââ¬Å"write goodâ⬠in place of ââ¬Å"write wellâ⬠in the headline (which, like the content, I borrowed from the original writers) and 2) writing an egregiously error-filled post. At first, I was inclined in this follow-up post to write, ââ¬Å"Donââ¬â¢t feel bad if you were hornswoggled.â⬠I recalled the schoolroom handout listing seemingly random and inane tasks students are instructed to perform one by one after reading through the entire page first the last item of which reads something like ââ¬Å"Do nothing on this list except write your name on this paper and put your pencil down.â⬠If you experienced this exercise, do you recall how you giggled while you sat there after writing your name and putting your pencil down, smugly watching your classmates pat their heads while rubbing their stomachs, then hoot like an owl three times, and follow whatever other goofy instructions preceded the injunction to ignore all preceding items? Or perhaps, like me, you didnââ¬â¢t read the last item very carefully. But then, when I reread the scolding responses to ââ¬Å"50 Tips on How to Write Goodâ⬠(which, in case you didnââ¬â¢t notice, has 52 items, plus a postscript that counts as number 53), I was reminded that many people donââ¬â¢t read very carefully. And thereââ¬â¢s more to the list than meets the eye. Some items simply illustrate, through deliberate error, the peril of ignoring the admonition within. Others, like ââ¬Å"Avoid alliteration. Always.â⬠and ââ¬Å"Employ the vernacular,â⬠point out the fallacies within: Alliteration is a valid stylistic device (and one you may notice I enthusiastically embrace), and sesquipedalian sentences arrest oneââ¬â¢s ocular organs just use these strategies sparingly. Months ago, I wrote a post in which I jokingly titled a section ââ¬Å"Write Good.â⬠When several readers commented on the poor grammar, Daniel, the siteââ¬â¢s webmaster, and I agreed that the deliberate error was distracting, and he changed it to ââ¬Å"Write Well.â⬠But when I decided to disseminate last weekââ¬â¢s humorous lesson on writing, I assumed that even if site visitors were initially taken aback by the sight of ââ¬Å"Write Goodâ⬠in the headline, they would, after reading the list, understand why I had erred in my word choice. For many readers, obviously, that didnââ¬â¢t happen, and for them, ââ¬Å"50 Tips on How to Write Goodâ⬠was a washout. But what was the alternative? ââ¬Å"50 Funny, Fallacious Tips on How to Write Good (You Know I Meant ââ¬ËWellââ¬â¢)â⬠is a thudding spoiler. The lesson for me is to write what comes naturally but to realize that, although I have a role in, and some responsibility for, how my writing is received, it is ultimately the individual reader who determines the success or failure of that writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Sit vs. Set
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment