A road map to better writing
Fran Lebowitz is an acclaimed author and speaker. In the Netflix documentary, Pretend It's a City, by Martin Scorsese, Scorsese talks to Lebowitz about her life. When Scorsese asks, "What's the worst thing you could say about a book?" Lebowitz says, "I forgot I was reading it." Ouch. Let's not let that happen. A lot of people talk about how writing is hard. And it is. But writing is also an orderly business: - Start with an opening that catches your reader's attention. - Watch your timeline ... when, where, and how things happened. - And pay attention to detail. Map it out Think of your writing as a road trip. Start with the action, experience, or lesson you want to tell your reader about, then back up and tell them how it came to be. Write about where you started, why you took that left instead of a right, highlight a few attractions along the way, and talk about the traffic jam that caused a delay. If it starts well, follows a logical thread, and offers insight, they'll be with you to the end. If not, they'll disembark before you turn the next corner. Don't let that happen. If you need help getting started or help editing your work, let's talk. Comments are closed.
|
|