Writing – Page 7 – Patricia J. Parsons

5 Writing Myths You Need to Bust Now

Posted on 4 May 2021 by Patricia J. Parsons

As I said in my book Permission to Write, there are myths and there are realities. It’s about the difference between how you’d like it to be and how it really is.

What exactly is a myth? It’s a story that may or may not have a basis in reality―a widely held belief that is largely unfounded or false.

In the twenty-first century, when it seems like everyone is writing a book (and publishing it), there are so many myths about writing and publishing that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for any serious writer to know what to believe. Over my 30-plus years of writing, I’ve learned more than a few realities. And what I have learned is that continuing to believe the myths eventually becomes an obstacle for anyone who aspires to write and publish successfully.

Do you know what’s real and what’s a myth in this world of writing and publishing?

I’m not sure where all of the myths about writing and the writing life come from; I only know that new writers seem to have a lot of unfounded beliefs. Here are five tips for busing those myths.

The myths you need to bust now summarized:

Talent is over rated. Anyone can be a successful writer. The sad truth is that although talent is not enough, it is necessary for success. And this is true of any field. Talent can be cultivated.
No one cares about grammar. I beg to differ. Everyone cares about grammar; it’s just that some of them don’t know about it. Get out the grammar book.
I write better than most people. Can you hear me laughing? As American writing guru William Zinsser says, “Most people have no idea how badly they write.” And if you don’t know who he is, stop reading and go immediately to Amazon and order his book On Writing Well. Then read it.
Thousands of Instagram and Twitter followers guarantee success. Now I’m grinding my teeth. If would-be writers spent as much time practicing their writing and having it edited by someone who knows what he or she is doing rather than amassing thousands of Twitter followers, success would be more likely.
My friends think my idea is great, so everyone else will, too. I just have one question for you: how did you get friends with such deep knowledge (backed up by data) about how your target readers will think at any given time? The rest of us would love to know.

You might also have other unfounded beliefs about writing success, but these are the ones I see demonstrated most often.

Get over these ones, and you’ll be able to move ahead with a clear view of the future.

5 tips to avoid writing errors that drive editors crazy

Posted on 27 Apr 2021 by Patricia J. Parsons

Why is writing correctly so important? It doesn’t matter whether you write ad copy, corporate blog posts or novels; it’s important because it provides us with a set of shared understandings of the meaning of words, phrases and sentences. And those are the building blocks of writing.

A proper grasp of grammar, punctuation, syntax (all the elements of style) makes you appear more professional and more knowledgeable. On another level, it’s important because poor grammar pegs you as an amateur in the eyes of editors, agents and, yes, readers.

Can you ever break the rules? But you do it consciously, for a reason, and only after you’ve learned what those rules are.

Some errors are broken so often that they drive editors (and many readers) crazy. I’ve identified five errors that editors (and agents and often readers) hate so much. Are you making any of these errors?

Can you figure out the correct answer? For answers and explanations, the video is live.

I versus Me
- Which one of these is correct?
  - The coach asked Jim and I to stay late.
  - The coach asked Jim and me to stay late.
Dangling Modifiers
- Which of these is correct?
  - *After declining for three months, book sales began to revive after Susan’s new marketing approach.
  - *After declining for three months, Susan’s marketing approach started to revive book sales.
That versus Who
- Which of these is correct?
  - *She’s a woman who knows what she wants.
  - * She’s a woman that knows what she wants.
Parallelism
- Which of these is correct?
  - *We went skiing in the mountains, swam in the ocean, and drove in the desert.
  - * We went skiing in the mountains, swimming in the ocean, and driving in the desert.
That versus Which
- Which of these is correct?
  - *The sweater that has a moth hole is in the drawer.
  - *The sweater, which has a moth hole, is in the drawer.

Writing, Writing craft, YOuTube

5 Great Writing Tips from Five Great Writers

Posted on 20 Apr 2021 by Patricia J. Parsons

In these days of social media, it seems that new and wannabe writers often look to other newbie writers for advice and direction. This behaviour always seemed odd to me. In most other fields, people would look to those who have mastered their craft.

Over the years, I’ve often looked to the great writers for their best advice for writing and the writer’s life. The truth is that not all of their advice is applicable, but there is much to be learned from what they have to say.

This week, I have five tips from five great writers.

Summary

Always stay a student to your craft. If you ever feel as if you’ve mastered writing and fail to focus on ways to continually improve, you are fooling yourself―but you won’t fool the readers.
1. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” —Ernest Hemingway
Never fool yourself into thinking that your contribution (or potential contribution) to the world of books and writing is irreplaceable.
1. “If I had not existed, someone else would have written me, Hemingway, Dostoyevsky, all of us.”—William Faulkner
Reading is the lifeblood of writers. If you don’t read―a lot―don’t write. Ever.
1. “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”—Samuel Johnson
If you think writing success is a simple result of knowing the rules for creation, you might as well stop writing now. There are no rules.
1. “There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there ever be.”—Doris Lessing
Write because you have to, not because you care what others will think of you.
1. “Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others.” —Virginia Woolf

Extras

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Stephen King

“One day, I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” Robert Frost

And my personal favourite

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
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