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Fifty Writing Tools: Quick List

By Roy Peter Clark

Use this quick list of Writing Tools as a handy reference. Copy it and keep it in your wallet or journal, or near your desk or keyboard. Share it and add to it.

I. Nuts and Bolts

1. Begin sentences with subjects and verbs.
Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

2. Order words for emphasis.
Place strong words at the beginning and at the end.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

3. Activate your verbs.
Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

4. Be passive-aggressive.
Use passive verbs to showcase the "victim" of action.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

5. Watch those adverbs.
Use them to change the meaning of the verb.
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6. Take it easy on the -ings.
Prefer the simple present or past.
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7. Fear not the long sentence.
Take the reader on a journey of language and meaning.
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8. Establish a pattern, then give it a twist.
Build parallel constructions, but cut across the grain.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

9. Let punctuation control pace and space.
Learn the rules, but realize you have more options than you think.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

10. Cut big, then small.
Prune the big limbs, then shake out the dead leaves.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

II. Special Effects

11. Prefer the simple over the technical.
Use shorter words, sentences and paragraphs at points of complexity.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

12. Give key words their space.
Do not repeat a distinctive word unless you intend a specific effect.
PODCAST: Listen| Download | Drag to iTunes

13. Play with words, even in serious stories.
Choose words the average writer avoids but the average reader understands.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

14. Get the name of the dog.
Dig for the concrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

15. Pay attention to names.
Interesting names attract the writer � and the reader.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

16. Seek original images.
Reject clich�s and first-level creativity.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

17. Riff on the creative language of others.
Make word lists, free-associate, be surprised by language.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

18. Set the pace with sentence length.
Vary sentences to influence the reader's speed.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

19. Vary the lengths of paragraphs.
Go short or long -- or make a "turn"-- to match your intent.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

20. Choose the number of elements with a purpose in mind.
One, two, three, or four: Each sends a secret message to the reader.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

21. Know when to back off and when to show off.
When the topic is most serious, understate; when least serious, exaggerate.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

22. Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction.
Learn when to show, when to tell, and when to do both.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

23. Tune your voice.
Read drafts aloud.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

III. Blueprints

24. Work from a plan.
Index the big parts of your work.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

25. Learn the difference between reports and stories.
Use one to render information, the other to render experience.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

26. Use dialogue as a form of action.
Dialogue advances narrative; quotes delay it.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

27. Reveal traits of character.
Show characteristics through scenes, details, and dialogue.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

28. Put odd and interesting things next to each other.
Help the reader learn from contrast.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

29. Foreshadow dramatic events or powerful conclusions.
Plant important clues early.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

30. To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers.
To propel readers, make them wait.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

31. Build your work around a key question.
Good stories need an engine, a question the action answers for the reader.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

32. Place gold coins along the path.
Reward the reader with high points, especially in the middle.
PODCAST: Listen | Download | Drag to iTunes

33. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Purposeful repetition links the parts.

34. Write from different cinematic angles.
Turn your notebook into a "camera."

35. Report and write for scenes.
Then align them in a meaningful sequence.

36. Mix narrative modes.
Combine story forms using the "broken line."

37. In short pieces of writing, don�t waste a syllable.
Shape shorter works with wit and polish.

38. Prefer archetypes to stereotypes.
Use subtle symbols, not crashing cymbals.

39. Write toward an ending.
Help readers close the circle of meaning.

IV. Useful Habits

40. Draft a mission statement for your work.
To sharpen your learning, write about your writing.

41. Turn procrastination into rehearsal.
Plan and write it first in your head.

42. Do your homework well in advance.
Prepare for the expected -- and unexpected.

43. Read for both form and content.
Examine the machinery beneath the text.

44. Save string.
For big projects, save scraps others would toss.

45. Break long projects into parts.
Then assemble the pieces into something whole.

46. Take interest in all crafts that support your work.
To do your best, help others do their best.

47. Recruit your own support group.
Create a corps of helpers for feedback.

48. Limit self-criticism in early drafts.
Turn it loose during revision.

49. Learn from your critics.
Tolerate even unreasonable criticism.

50. Own the tools of your craft.
Build a writing workbench to store your tools.

To purchase a copy of "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer," visit your local or online bookstore or click here (as an Amazon affiliate, Poynter will receive a small cut of the profit). You can contact the author at: rclark@poynter.org.

Full post as published by Writing Tools on May 16, 2008 (boomark / email).