People who know that I am a writer often express a wish that they, too, could do what I do. I am going to give some unsolicited advice that will help you a great deal.
1) Write about a subject you know well. Your editor and the general public can spot a phoney, who is just trying to “wing it,” a mile away.
2) Pay attention to the basics. If you are writing about people or places, for heaven’s sake, report their names correctly, also spelling them correctly. There is nothing that makes living people more sad or upset than to read their name, misspelled in a print venue, and there is nothing that makes the family of a deceased person more upset to read a misprinted name, either.
3) Give strict attention to details. They matter more than you know. Life is made up of details. If you think they don’t matter, don’t become a writer.
4) If you are giving your opinion, state that it IS your own opinion. Avoid the use of “We” or “our,” as in “We think,” or it is “our opinion,” when you are providing ONLY your opinion. At the same time, do not say, “It is said,” unless you qualify who “says” this. Whenever one writes, “They say,” it appears that the use of “they” is just another disguise for a personal opinion. My father used to exclaim, “Who is “they?” Name names.”
5) If you are presenting data that you did not generate, cite the specific source where you found the information. If not, you will be plagiarizing which is just another word for stealing someone’s “intellectual property.”
6) Know copyright law. Protect your own work, but also respect the copyright rights of others.
If you ask to “borrow” a photo, and the answer is “no,” for whatever reason, accept the situation and move on, without harassing the party you’ve asked for a favor.
7) Spell correctly, and use correct grammar. You know, someone once told me that anyone can write. All that is needed is a “good editor.”
I am here to tell you that your work will be preferred by that good editor, if he/she does not have to spend hours re-writing it, or researching your statements to determine if the information is true and correct. Always cite books, journals, or another other source, as I said before! Document everything!
Content that is compelling is imperative in order to draw readers. Gather photos or illustrations or even graphs that will make your points clear.
9) Meet editorial deadlines, ahead of time, if possible.
10) Write in a manner that flows, has connective words, and does not change topics too abruptly. Consider your audience when you write, but mostly, just write as well as you can, using words most appropriate to the situation.
To BE a writer, is to choose a solitary path. It is impossible to write well while surrounded by crowds of people. You must have enough time alone to think, and to rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite, for as many times as it takes to create a high-quality manuscript.
Check your facts, use your computer’s spell-check function, and if possible, have a friend read any manuscript you generate. Sometimes inadvertent small errors can creep in, and those the computer can not pick up.
Good luck!
Patricia Cummings, columnist for The Quilter magazine since 1999, and well-published in many venues
