Writing Tip | Cathy C. Hall Writes

It seems to me that the more I write, the more I realize what I don’t know about writing.

Usually, it’s right before I fall asleep, when some burning, writing question pops into my head. I still fall asleep, mind you. But I wake the next day, determined to find answers. (And looking a little worse for wear, I might add.)

The Muffin answered a writer’s question this week, and as it happened, I was one of the writers who made a suggestion. You might have this very same question and find the answer you’re looking for among the four writers who weighed in. But it occurred to me that even if you don’t, you might have another writing question that’s causing you nightmares.

If you can’t find the answer amongst all those issues over at WOW!Women-on-writing.com, you might want to ask the editor. Maybe your question will show up over at the Muffin.

Then frabjous day! You’ll be a writer in the know!

(And you can get some much-needed beauty rest. Or maybe that’s just me.)

While reading The Writer’s Little Helper (yes, the same book from this post–I told you I was actually reading it), I came across several references to readability. The author, James V. Smith, is a big fan of readability. And so am I. But I wasn’t always.

One of the publications that got me back to writing was a newspaper that our church produced. We had a circulation run of about 3,000, and twelve pages to fill with news. And the editor was a writer gal who was very serious about journalism.

At one of our staff meetings, she came in with a handout. “Here are instructions for enabling readability statistics. Use them.” Then she gave us the numbers that she wanted our writing to meet. It was an eye-opening experience for me.

I mean, I was a journalist, too. I thought I knew the ins and outs of writing. But there is a big difference between fine writing–and writing that people will read. So, yeah. I had to make some changes.

That must have been at least ten years ago. But the lessons I learned from using the readability statistics stuck with me. And I can prove it. Just read my post on The Muffin.

I may not always get around to reading my writing books, but if you give me a handout, we’re golden.